Football club's move set to get council backing

A football club's move from a historic ground is set to be formally backed by senior councillors.

Maidenhead United have played at York Road since 1871 and it is thought to be the oldest senior football ground in the world to be continually used by the same club.

Last month the Magpies' chairman Peter Griffin said its complex is no longer fit for purpose and the National League South club want to move to Maidenhead's Braywick Park.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead's (RBWM) cabinet is set to agree on Tuesday to support the plan in principle, which the council said is at a "relatively early" stage.

The authority rejected releasing land at Braywick Park and a previous move collapsed in 2023.

The club says it has worked with RBWM over the plan for the 5,000-capacity, Football League-compliant ground with "modern fan and player facilities".

Its "sustainable" design would be powered by renewable energy, use water recycling and would be energy efficient.

Griffin said in December that Braywick Park would be a "brilliant location" and would enhance the town's offering, with its leisure centre and athletics and rugby clubs already based there.

A potential 999-year lease for the land could ultimately be agreed, which would mean the club paying a total of £2.5m to the authority.

Of that, £2m would need to be paid on the completion of the lease and a total of £500,000 would be paid over its first 20 years.

That would involve £25,000 being paid every year of that term.

The ground would remain in trust "to protect the asset for generations to come," the club said.