Agreement with SPARK Education Trust marks a major milestone in the club’s plans for a permanent home at Allens West.

Yarm & Eaglescliffe FC has secured a 25-year lease at Allens West, marking a major milestone in its ambition to bring senior football back to the community it represents.

The agreement with SPARK Education Trust paves the way for the club to establish a permanent home at the Eaglescliffe playing fields, following years of progress on the pitch.

A planning application has been submitted to upgrade the site’s facilities. Proposals include refurbishing the existing pavilion to provide improved changing rooms, a clubhouse area and new toilets, alongside improvements to the main pitch to meet the requirements of the club’s level of non-league football.

For a club that began with a training session at Preston Park in 2017, the lease represents an important step towards putting down lasting roots in Yarm and Eaglescliffe.

Having initially played at Conyers School, Y&E has risen to the fifth tier of non-league football and now competes in the Ebac Northern League Division One, alongside established clubs including Bishop Auckland, Whitley Bay and Shildon. The first team currently groundshares at Billingham Town.

The announcement follows an extraordinary season in which the club secured three major successes in just six days in early May: lifting the North Riding Senior Cup, winning the Northern League Division Two League Cup and earning promotion through the play-offs.

Now, the club is working to match those achievements with a home of its own.

Under the lease agreement, school access to Allens West will be retained during term time, with the club using the facilities on weekday evenings, at weekends and during school holidays. Y&E will take responsibility for managing and maintaining the site.

Club founders Luke Allen (left) and Glenn Kyle

Club founder and Director of Football Glenn Kyle, who has been involved since that first training session in 2017, said:

“What we have achieved so far as a club in under ten years is amazing. What we’ve wanted all along is a home in our local community. We’re a big step closer to that now.

“This will allow us to grow as a club and provide a pathway for young players into senior-level football. We’ve had an amazing few years on the pitch and we want to now match that off the pitch. We want to continue to be a club that the people of Yarm and Eaglescliffe can be proud of.”

First-team manager Stephen Jackson added:

“When I first joined the club back in 2023, it was clear the club was ambitious and wanted its own ground. We’ve had success on the pitch and having our own home will strengthen us further and allow the club to grow.

“There’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s an exciting time to be part of the club.”

With the lease secured, work continues behind the scenes to obtain planning permission and secure funding for the proposed improvements.

For everyone who has helped build Y&E since 2017, the ambition is clear: a permanent home where local players can progress, supporters can come together and the next chapter of the club’s story can unfold.

The club management committee celebrating the the news in Yarm