Skip to content

Stratford Town FC pleas for council support

Ushma Mistry
BBC CWR, Reporter
Stratford FC wants more council support

The owners of Stratford Town FC have said they would like more support from the district council as the club continues to grow.

Club vice chairman Steven Shipway said the non-league side is now a thriving community hub, and attracts more visitors to its Knights Lane ground in Tiddington, causing problems with parking on match days.

The club was rescued from going into administration in 2018 and is now vying for promotion in the Southern Premier League.

Stratford-on-Avon District Council has said it remains supportive of the football club and recognises the valuable work they carry out through sport, education and community programmes.

'Parking issues'

A man in a light grey jumper is leaning on a metal post next to an empty football field. There is a small stand in the background.
Vice chairman Steven Shipway says the club is now thriving and more parking is needed

Speaking to BBC CWR, Mr Shipway said: "The attendances have risen by seven or eight times, and all the other things we do here have given us more footfall and the match day experience is a million times better.

"We fill the car parks here, then obviously people park on the road, and then we'll get the complaints from the residents and sometimes the police coming to say this has happened.

"There's nothing we can do about that. So, there has to be some moves from the council to help us provide more car parking."

The current car park at the ground has 170 spaces which the club say is nowhere near enough.

A man in a navy blue T-shirt embossed with a Nike New York logo is wearing a cap and leaning on a wooden fence as he looks directly at the camera with a slight smile on his face. There is a brick house with a grey door, gravel driveway with two parked cars behind him.
Resident Kevin Wimpress says the road gets 'very busy' on match days

Stratford Town FC supporter Kevin Wimpress lives opposite the ground's entrance and says that on match days the road does get "very busy" with cars.

He added: "It's not fair on some of the people, where cars park around the corner and on everyone's driveways. It's terrible with them blocking people in and out, they definitely need more parking."

The club was also subject to a recent visit by planning enforcement officers from Stratford District Council after scaffolding roofs were built on top of two temporary stands which the owners claim is "legal and safe".

A car park with more than 20 cars visible. The cars are a range of makes and colours
The current car park at the ground has 170 spaces which the club say is nowhere near enough

In a statement Stratford-on-Avon District Council said: "The District Council has written off a significant loan balance owed by the club and contributed towards the costs of replacing the artificial pitch.

"The District Council is in regular dialogue with the club and the senior representatives met the chairman last week to discuss the club's developing plans.

"However, whilst there is a live enforcement case on the site, no further comments can be made at this time regarding this issue."

Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.

More on this story
Related internet links