The last few games are set to take place in the coming weeks at Bracknell’s Larges Lane football stadium – home to the town’s football team for some nine decades.
The stadium has been the home of Bracknell Town FC, known as the Robins, since the 1930s.
Now the club are having their last few games at Larges Lane, before heading to their new stadium at the Bottom Meadow football ground in Yorktown Road, Sandhurst.
The club’s owner Kayne Steinborn-Busse confirmed the news.
READ MORE: What we know about 377 flats plan at Bracknell Beeches site
He said: “The new season will commence in August at Bottom Meadow, Sandhurst.
“We have had several farewell events planned for Larges Lane however due to Covid restrictions and a more recent outbreak within our first team they had to be postponed.
“The plan is to have a farewell event at the end of August if possible and this will be based on the local Covid situation at that time.”
One of the Robins last games was a friendly fixture against the Swindon Supermarines on Saturday, July 24. Competitive matches ended much earlier in the season due to the pandemic, with the last competitive fixture being the Robins'
FA Trophy match versus Havant and Waterlooville on December 15, 2020. The season was curtailed due to Covid 19.
Bracknell Town FC is aiming to have a farewell event for the stadium, but has not settled on a date yet as six players recently tested positive for coronavirus.
Mr Steinborn-Busse said: “Covid-19 has restricted our ability due to the 2020/21 season being curtailed from organising a big farewell event.
“In July we had planned to hold another farewell event but sadly we had six players test positive for Covid and a number of staff members unwell too.
“We would love to hold a big event to say farewell but have always had to balance our players, staff, and spectators safety during these unprecedented Covid times.”
READ MORE: A look at the plan to build 169 flats and offices at Bracknell's former bus station
The Larges Lane stadium is also used by Sandhurst Town FC, who will be playing Enfield Borough at 3pm on Saturday, August 7, at the site in a Combined Counties Football League match.
Bracknell Town FC and Sandhurst FC have a groundsharing agreement in place while Bottom Meadow undergoes development to make it comply with Isthmian League stadium requirements.
Once the Larges Lane stadium is vacated, Mr Steinborn-Busse hopes to sell it to a developer, using the money to fund the academic aspirations of the club.
In order to make the land more palatable, he has applied to transform the ground by building 126 apartments on it.
These apartments would be divided into three buildings. Building C, to the west of the site, would contain the most flats at 46, Building B would have 42 flats and Building A would have 38 apartments.
The 126 apartments would comprise of 17 one-bedroom flats, 94 two-bedroom flats, and 15 three-bedroom flats.
The proposal provides 167 parking spaces and 278 secure bicycle spaces.
READ MORE: Neighbours clash over huge plans to build 126 apartments on Bracknell Town FC's ground
The football club will not completely abandon Larges Lane, as it has four training pitches for footballers aged 12 upwards at a separate site in the lane.
You can view the development plan for the three apartment blocks by entering reference 21/00250/OUT to Bracknell Forest Council’s planning portal https://planapp.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/online-applications
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here