After 77 years Harrogate Railway Football Club are closing the doors of their ancestral home “The Dagger”
But it is not all doom and gloom as they are preparing to move to their new multi-million pound home that is yet to be named, just 100 metres down Station View.
The Club Secretary, Dave Shepherd said:
This is a massive step forward for the club, I have personally been working on this project with many others for 7 or 8 years.
During that time we suffered many setbacks with the massive reduction in sports grants available and then the collapse of the financial and building industry in 2008/9
When the markets started to recover Vida Care approached Harrogate Railway looking to develop the old clubhouse and car park site in return for funding the construction of a new club house.
The Football Foundation have supported the project financially allowing them to maintain their ground grading status and to continue in the Evo-Stik league.
The result is a fantastic for the club, giving them a new lease of life and generate new members and supporters. A long with the superb juniors and girls sections, Harrogate are set to be one of the premier clubs in the area.
Dave Shepherd continued:
The club is designed and equiped to cater for its members and guests during week nights and weekends. It has also been designed to become a state of art meeting and conference venue that will challenge some of the best facilities within the Town.
Anyone who wishes to view the facilities are most welcome to, just get in touch.
3G pitch facilities are the next phase and will be complete sometime in the summer. Once all the Railway teams have booked their slots, any spare capacity on the pitches will be offered out for hire.
This is massive step forward for a modest club, a step that the club are confident will secure the club going forward.