Scarborough Athletic hope to return to their hometown from temporary base Bridlington Town in 2014.

Scarborough Borough Council has started the process of identifying a developer to create a leisure village.

The facility would include a community football ground at the former Weaponess park and ride site.

Chairman Richard Adamson told BBC Radio York: "We're delighted they're over the starting line and hopefully delivering it in the timescale envisaged."

Athletic have ground shared with Bridlington Town since the club formed in 2007 when the previous team folded.

Adamson added: "This is just the boost we need after three years of playing at Bridlington to be able to see some really positive light at the end of the tunnel and the finishing post hopefully.

"There's a lot of work to do. There's a lot of planning and all sorts of other things to sort out but I always believed the council when they said they were going to do something to get football back into Scarborough .

"Hopefully all the doubters will now shut up and let them get on with it."

Adamson continued: "It's not just about us. Scarborough Ladies haven't got anywhere to play, the Under-19s haven't got anywhere suitable to play, the sports facilities at Filey Road are well past their sell-by date so the people who use them want better facilities.

"The athletics club I know have got an interest in this, so it's for the benefit of more than the 500 fans who turn up and watch Scarborough Athletic.

"It's genuinely hopefully going to be a resource that's self-financing so we don't have problems with the football club or anybody else getting into financial problems any more and the council will be able to run it at no cost to the ratepayer."

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