WELLINGTON Football Club has been told to find nearly £13,000 to build a new stand for spectators in the next three months for the first team to be allowed to continue playing at its current level.

The club plays at the Football Association’s (FA) level five, which includes the Western League premier division where Wellington currently lie in the bottom half of the table.

Club spokesman Jeff Brown said an accreditation assessment of its ground in Wellington Playing Field was made earlier this month by the Football Foundation on behalf of the FA.

Mr Brown said: “The subsequent report revealed a number of areas where the facilities failed the required standard for the club to play at level five.

A new covered stand for 100 standing spectators has to be built next to Wellington Football Club's Selwyn Aspin grandstand.
A new covered stand for 100 standing spectators has to be built next to Wellington Football Club's Selwyn Aspin grandstand. (Tindle News)

“Previous ground grading assessments had been carried out by an officer from the Western League.”

Mr Brown said Wellington were given until March 25 to carry out improvements to meet the required standard.

One of the failures was the club’s current covered ‘standing’ stand next to its clubhouse, which had previously been accepted to meet the minimum required standard capacity of 100 spectators.

The assessor said not all of the 100 spectators would be able to see all four corner flags on the pitch, but ruled it was suitable for 50 people.

Mr Brown said: “The club, therefore, has to provide additional covered ‘standing’ accommodation to meet the criteria.”

Now, the football club has submitted a planning application to Somerset Council to build a new stand next to its existing covered grandstand behind the goal at the northern end of its pitch.

Mr Brown said: “Specialist firms were contacted and quotations received to provide a 100-capacity open ended steel framed cladded stand with a two tiered concrete base.

Wellington Football Club has to find nearly £13,000 to build a new covered stand for spectators
Wellington Football Club has to find nearly £13,000 to build a new covered stand for spectators (Tindle News)

“The club will need to complete installation by March 25 to maintain its level five status.”

Peterborough-based Sports Ground Development Ltd has quoted the Wellington club £12,750 for the new stand.

The football club was recently granted planning permission to replace its eight ageing 50-feet high metal halide floodlights with four 60-feet tall LED lighting columns as part of the package of improvements.