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Institute FC: Riverside Stadium set to be demolished

BBC Riverside Stadium FloodsBBC
Flood damage in 2017 forced the NIFL Championship side to leave their home ground

Riverside Stadium in Drumahoe, the former home ground of Institute FC, is set to be demolished.

Derry City and Strabane District Council planning committee unanimously approved the demolition on Wednesday.

The club was forced to leave the stadium following severe flood damage in 2017 and was unable to return after an infestation of Japanese Knotweed.

The team, which plays in the NIFL Championship, now hosts home fixtures at Derry City FC's Brandywell.

The floods in August 2017 saw almost two-thirds of the north west's average monthly rain fall in a single night.

In November 2018, the club was told it would be "very difficult to get flood insurance" for the Riverside Stadium, which sits on the banks of the River Faughan, following the 2017 floods.

The football club applied to the council to have the stadium demolished in February 2022.

Riverside Stadium
Since Institute FC left site, the stadium has seen a severe infestation of Japanese Knotweed

Founded in 1905, Institute FC moved to the Riverside Stadium in 1980.

The club entered then into a 25-year lease with Londonderry YMCA so they could play their home games at the site.

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In a statement, Institute FC said it was "a sad day for the club and its supporters" but one that "marks another significant milestone towards achieving the aspirations" in future development plans for the club.