The long-term sustainability of Whitstable Town Football Club has taken a seismic step forward with the confirmation on 31st March that the club will begin the installation of a 3G FIFA Quality Pro surface at The Belmont Stadium together with new floodlights, dugouts, fencing, and pathways.

After a lengthy process with Canterbury City Council, the Environment Agency and Sport England - and with finance covering the £600,000 budget now in place, including a grant from the Football Foundation - the club has appointed Velocity as the contractor, who will commence work on 16th May. Work on the new 3G pitch will be completed well in time for the 2022/23 competitive season.

The new pitch will, of course, allow much greater use of the Belmont sporting facility, which will greatly benefit the youth teams, Academy, Reserves and over 50s walking football, as well as providing a permanent training base for the first team itself. Our local community will also benefit from being able to use the pitch. The youth and community pitch hire income and increased hospitality revenue will provide financial sustainability and ensure a long-term future for the club.

Today, Whitstable Town’s Chairman Steve Clayton said: “This is a huge step forward for the club. I want to thank my fellow directors, Joe Boniface of Velocity, and the Football Foundation, for their support that was crucial to ensuring the project's success. Sincere thanks must also go to the Investors who have been prepared to come on board and be part of this enormously exciting project.

The current directors and I are simply custodians of this fantastic club. Still, we want to ensure that future generations, whether they play or watch and support, will be able to enjoy a sporting hub of excellence for many decades to come.”

The club still have a little way to go in providing all we need. We are now turning to local businesses and our community to ask for contributions to fund a new set of goals and essential maintenance equipment.

Today, the club have launched a fundraiser via GoFundMe to help with the final part of the project. If you feel you can contribute, please visit our page:
https://gofund.me/d0d73999
We need to raise £10,000, so however big or small your donation may be, every little helps.