Kentish Football 
Our new ground will ensure the long term stability of the club, says KFU boss Sam MacNeil
The Kent Invicta League side will move into their own ground on 17th May at the Glentworth Sports Club, Lowfield Road, the former home of Kent County League side Borough United.
“The club would like to take this time to thank (VCD Athletic chairman) Gary Rump and VCD Athletic Football Club for the last three years ground sharing at Oakwood; a period that has allowed us to stabilise ourselves at this level of football,” said a club statement.
“We would also like to thank them for the offer of renewing our ground share but have had to decline to pursue the ambition of having our own private ground.
“Kent Football Untied wish VCD Athletic all the best for the future in the Ryman Premier League and congratulate them on this season’s success.”
An agreement was reached with the Glentworth Sports Club last Friday with Sam MacNeil and Maria Tompkins in attendance to finalise the deal that will see the club play Kent Invicta League football at their new ground.
Development work will commence on the ground on 19th May and will include pitch levelling and creating one adult pitch and two mini soccer pitches. It will also include one floodlit mini soccer pitch and one floodlit training area.
The ground will also include handrails, advertising boards and dugouts around the first team pitch, along with a covered hard standing area for 200 people, which the club has acquired through a local corporate sponsor.
The current dressing room facilities will be refurbished and facilities already available include clubhouse, bar, hot and cold refreshments.
MacNeil, the club’s first team manager and youth development officer, said: “What a fantastic opportunity for our club to really push on and assert ourselves in the local community.
“When you look at clubs like VCD and Phoenix Sports they have that identity because of their own ground acting as a landmark – we can now do the same.
“Obviously this is excellent for the senior side as it will allow us to be in control of development and creating something from a blank canvas that works for us.
“In addition, it is great news for the 12 youth teams we will have next season.
“Kent Football United will now have a central hub for all their training and matches with excellent facilities for hosting opposition teams. By having our own private ground it will allow us to increase our revenue hence making the everyday running of the football club a lot more comfortable and thus allowing us to venture into developing our current schemes like the Fingerstips Goalkeeper School and Excel Soccer Academy for children in Year Reception and Year 1.
“Furthermore, it will now allow us to create an U21s next season which will be playing in the Kent U21 NRG Development League and will share an alternate week slot with our Kent Invicta League side.
“The club has been actively selling advertising boards to local companies for the past two months with the money going into a facility development fund ready for May 19th and obviously the boards stored up ready to erect up at the ground.
“The ground has a fantastic potential which is what we saw when approaching the Glentworth over a potential agreement.
“I am aware Borough United used the ground before us some time ago and so at least County level football has been played there.
“On site there are already training lights which we will be refurbishing and re-erecting allowing us to use the site beyond the normal weekend availability – and open it up to midweek training for all our teams.
“The development of the ground facilities will be ongoing from May 19th to try and ensure we are ready to host Kent Invicta League football from the second week in August – a lot of work to do!
“I would like to personally thank VCD Athletic for the past three years and the offer of a ground share extension but the opportunity for us to have our own private football ground to cater for the whole club was an offer too good to turn down.
“This will ensure the long term stability and development of the football club and that is what we want.
“Over the past three years we have not had the success on the field in the Kent Invicta League that we may of hoped for – despite making progress this season and being competitive.
“However, off the field developments like this show our commitment as a club to developing and growing bigger in the future.
“Our youth section is building up and we are receiving assistance from the Kent FA in terms of funding; we also hope to be successful in our application for the Grow the Game Fund to assist with the running costs of the Under 21s.”
Kent Football United have four league games left to play this season and travel to fifth-placed Sutton Athletic – who have this week received some good news a about ground improvements earlier in the week for their ground at Lower Road in Hextable – this evening.
Kent Football United are in tenth-place in the table with 31 points from 24 league outings.
Meanwhile, VCD Athletic issued the following statement, two days after Kent Football United issued their statement.
“VCD Athletic FC would like to make it known that Kent Football United were NOT offered a renewal of the ground share agreement signed in April 2011.
“A decision was made by the VCD board in early 2014 that it would not be renewed despite a request from KFU to extend the arrangement for one year.
“The new arrangements that KFU have made in Dartford followed the decline of their extension request.”
Visit Kent Football United’s website: www.pitchero.com/clubs/kentelitefootballclub
Sutton Athletic v Kent Football United
Kent Invicta League
Wednesday 30th April 2014
Kick Off 6:30pm
At Lower Road Sports Ground, Lower Road, Hextable, Kent BR8 7RZ
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd