Council to debate crisis at troubled football club

Dudley Council is set to debate the crisis at Stourbridge FC's ground which is under threat of closure.

It follows a motion calling on the authority to do all it can to help the club, based at the War Memorial Athletic Ground in Amblecote, along with Stourbridge Cricket Club.

One end of the ground is at the top of a crumbling embankment and the club, nicknamed The Glassboys, has said it must take down some of its stands and floodlights amid safety fears.

Dudley councillor Peter Drake's motion will be discussed at the council meeting on 28 April.

The motion said: "The structural changes needed to make the War Memorial Athletic Ground fully health and safety compliant are expected to be expensive and lengthy."

It also added that all parties, which includes the football club, cricket club, local authority and Football Association, are working to find solutions"

"We do not want the situation repeated whereby Dudley Town FC lost their ground and have spent many decades in search of a new home."

Drake called on the council to set up a cross-party working group to look at problems affecting sports clubs across the borough.

He said: "Many of our region's sports teams do not have home grounds or have difficulties in finding facilities.

"This is a handicap on their sporting progress, financial stability and the nurturing of their fanbases. Our local sports fans deserve better. The Glassboys deserve better."

Stourbridge FC had already been restricting the number of tickets it could sell, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Its final home game on Bank Holiday Monday appeared set to be the last at the ground.

However, on Tuesday, the club said it would play at its home ground next season.

On X, the club wrote: "Following a meeting between the FA and the Southern League, we have received dispensation that confirms we will be allowed to play at The War Memorial Athletic Ground next season.

"We hope this will give us the required time to complete the works required to secure the future of the ground."

A statement issued by the board of directors last month had said Monday's game would be the last time supporters would see the ground in its present guise.

It said the club had been working with structural engineers but there was no doubt that whatever option was progressed, "it is going to be extremely costly".

The club - famous for its links to Jude Bellingham who started at Stourbridge Juniors - had in 2023 raised concerns about its long-term future.

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