ARDS and North Down Council has thrown its weight behind Ards Football Club’s bid for a new sports stadium in Newtownards. The Mayor Alistair Cathcart has agreed to write a letter of support for the club’s business case for the new 2,000 capacity ground. The club hopes to build a new Premiership-ready stadium that will include two seated stands with an 830 capacity, changing rooms, floodlights and a car park, costed at £4m. The Playr-Fit Championship club hopes to build the new arena on a six acre plot of land known locally as the Floodgates, just a few hundred yards away from their former Castlereigh Park ground. The club left Castlereagh Park nearly a quarter of a century ago, back in 2001, and has played home games at Solitude, Taylor’s Avenue, Dixon Park and their current base, Clandeboye Park in Bangor.However the club has made a number of important steps in securing a new home by signing a lease for the land back in August 2022 and last year submitted a planning application for the stadium.Council papers, prepared by officials for last week’s full council meeting, explained that Ards FC is applying to the Department for Communities to build their new stadium, on the Portaferry Road in Newtownards.They stated the club has secured a long term lease from the council for this site and the development is an ‘opportunity to bring this disused piece of land back into community use’. According to the report, Ards FC has engaged a consultancy firm to develop a business case and has asked the Mayor to write a letter of support which can be included. It went on to say that ‘securing this funding would see the club’s long journey home successfully culminate in a ground for the club and much needed facility for the wider club’.Alderman Stephen McIlveen said the council had a good relationship with the football club and agreed a letter of support should be provided to the club. “I think it is important that we put our colours to the mast, we do have a partnership as they are leasing the land off us. It is important we help them get this funding and write a letter of support.”Newtownards councillor Stephen Irvine told the Mayor that it was ‘good to get a Bangor man writing a letter of support for Ards Football Club’. He said the letter of support would help the club ‘get this (funding bid) over the line’ and the new stadium would be a ‘big thing for this borough and Newtownards town’. Councillor Alistair Cathcart said he would be happy to write the letter of support for Ards Football Club in his ‘role for all’.
