The  club are now close to finalising an agreement with SPARK Education Trust which will see Yarm & Eaglescliffe FC sign a 25 year lease on the Allens West Playing Fields.

There has been a lot of work behind the scenes to get us to this point and we are now close to securing a long-term home in our local community.

Coming back to Yarm & Eaglescliffe is key for the sustainability and growth of the club.  The Allens West site provides a perfect opportunity for the club to develop a ground fit for Step 5 of the national non-league pyramid ,but just as importantly provide improved sporting facilities for the communities of Yarm and Eaglescliffe. 

There are already facilities in place, which we want to improve and enhance, we don’t have to start from scratch and the potential to improve the site for local schools and the local community is huge.  Our reserve side will be using the site for their home games in the North Riding Football league this season, whilst our first team will play their home games in Northern League Division One at Billingham Town.  Our plan is for both teams to play at Allens West from July 2027.

We have developed plans on how we will look to develop the site, including the refurbishment and extension of the existing changing room building to include a clubhouse, changing rooms and kitchen area.  The pitch inside the running track would become our main 1st team pitch, with required fencing and stands for 100 seated and 100 standing spectators put in place.  To accommodate night games, state of the art LED floodlights will be installed which will be set up to minimise external light pollution.  Longer term we will be looking to upgrade the running track to provide a running track for local schools, community groups, and running clubs.   We will also be looking to improve car parking facilities on site and encourage spectators and site users to travel sustainably.

The images below provide an overview of our proposals

There are numerous other pitches on site. Will be working alongside club Sponsor Cutting Edge Grounds Maintenance to improve the quality of the pitches, ensuring they meet the needs of the club, local schools and other local grassroots clubs

The club will soon be taking on management and maintenance responsibilities at Allens West from Egglescliffe school, but importantly the school and other schools within SPARK Trust will have full access to the site from 8am to 6pm every school day.

To deliver our plans, we will need external funding.  We have had positive discussions with the Premier League Stadia fund, who provide grants to support non-league clubs upgrade their grounds.  To access these grants, we need to supply 30% of the funding for the site.  Local businesses have been very supportive of the club, providing sponsorship and pledging future funding, but we are always looking to further develop financial backing for Yarm & Eaglescliffe’ s football club.

We will be looking to hold a drop-in session at Allens West in the coming weeks to talk through our proposals in more detail with the local community. Details will be shared once dates are confirmed.   The club is committed to working with residents and to act as a good neighbour.  We want the local community of Yarm & Eaglescliffe to be proud of their local team.

Once we have feedback and comments from the community we will be submitting a planning application to Stockton Borough Council, alongside preparing funding bids to the Premier League Stadia Fund.

We made last season unforgettable on the pitch, now it is time to get our club back in our local community.  Back where we belong. #utyae