A new permanent home for Darlington Football Club is 'vital for the good of the town', it has been claimed.
The Quakers have ruled out a return to the Arena – and intend to reveal the location of their preferred site for a new stadium in the town before the end of the year.
The club have spent the last six years playing at Blackwell Meadows, having opted to groundshare with Darlington RFC after leaving their previous temporary home at Bishop Auckland.
But earlier this year, the Echo exclusively announced the club will be moving to a new stadium in the town, bringing to an end years of debate and uncertainty over their home ground.
The new stadium, which will allow capacity of between 5,000 and 8,000 fans, could be bult in time for the 2025/26 season.
A number of potential sites in the town have been identified for the multi-million pound stadium, which will reach Football League standards, and include new training facilities which will be rented out to clubs, schools and the community to help provide a sustainable and regular income stream for the Quakers, which became fan-owned in 2012.
The plans, which the club hope will be partially backed by financial grants, will also allow for future expansion to the stadium as the Quakers continue their push to return the Football League following their relegation in 2010.
Read more: Darlington FC to leave Blackwell Meadows and move to new stadium
Ben Houchen, Tees Valley Mayor, said: “Finding a permanent home for the club to meet its ambitions is vital for the good of the town.
"We all know the Quakers have faced tough times - not least because of the bad decisions of the past when the club left Feethams.
“Now I'm pleased these decisions are long behind us and the club has the right leadership with strong fan backing in place.
"Creating a state-of-the-art stadium to meet both the club and the community's needs is the right way forward."
Peter Gibson, Conservative MP for Darlington, said: I have met with numerous senior people at Darlington Football Club over the past three years.
"I understand the challenges they face as they seek to grow, and I firmly believe that they need a permanent home, built on a sustainable community-based model.
"I look forward to seeing their formal proposals coming forward and their engagement with the community of Darlington to ensure the proposals meet the needs of the club their supporters and the community of Darlington."
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