Support for football club leaving historic stadium

A football club's plan to move out of the ground it has played at since 1871 has been backed in principle by a council.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead's (RBWM) cabinet agreed to progress Maidenhead United's proposal to move to a new stadium at Braywick Park.

The club's York Road ground is thought to be the oldest senior football ground in the world to be continually used by the same club.

David Simoes, who runs the Magpies supporters' club, said the general consensus among fans was the move was the "best approach".

"Obviously the current ground within the town centre isn't fit for purpose, so this is the best position at Braywick Park because it's closest to the town centre," he said.

"There are no other available options. They've been exhausted. So the general feeling is this is the right thing to take the club forward."

Club director and trustee of the York Road ground, Steve Jinman, accepted there would be some sadness for fans.

"Change is an inevitable part of life. The ground is a Victorian setting and it's not really fit for the 21st Century." he said.

In 2023, the council shut down the move after concerns over the loss of the public open space at Braywick Park.

At a cabinet meeting on 27 January, councillor Adam Bermange said the new proposals, which looked to address previous concerns, were "quite a transformation".

But councillor Helen Taylor said some of the reasons the original plans were turned down were "still relevant".

The council agreed to carry out a public open space consultation in order to progress the proposals.

In a statement following the meeting, the club called the decision a "key milestone".

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