TIME is running out for Basingstoke’s football club to find the funds needed to develop its new ground, putting the future of the sport in the town at risk.

As previously reported in the Gazette, Basingstoke Town Community Football Club was thrown out of its former home ground at The Camrose, which is going to be developed into apartments and a care home.

The club has since been sharing Winchester City’s ground, but those in charge have said that ground sharing for another season would be “uneconomic”, and there are no guarantees that anywhere else could be found.

The club has a new ground at Winklebury – the home of Hampshire Football Association - but has now been given a deadline of March 31, 2020 to complete works needed to upgrade the site and guarantee play can take place there for the 2020/2021 season.

This would cost an estimated £120,000 to meet the FA/ Southern league standards.

Funds are tied up with Basron, which is developing the Camrose site, and the company will not release any money until it has secured planning permission.

Club chairman Terry Brown said: “The only hope for survival is Winklebury. But as a new club effectively we don’t have the money to do the necessary ground work by the deadline of 31 March.”

“As the expected funds for Winklebury enhancements are linked to the successful planning approval for the Camrose, they just won’t come through in time.”

The club needs money now to bring the Winklebury ground up to a sufficient standard for their current league, then when full funds are available it would upgrade it to a higher standard equivalent to the Camrose site.

Kevin White, board member of the club, has called for an upfront payment from Basron to develop the Winklebury site, and met with former club owner Rafi Razzak, who owns Basron, to discuss this.

He said he has been given assurances that Mr Razzak will “not let the club die”, but added: “We shall be pressing Rafi Razzak and Basron further to agree an approach quickly that will secure our future at Winklebury because we need our Community Club playing in our community.”

Mr Brown added: “It is an absolutely mad situation that everybody says they want the club as a community asset to survive but we have no commitment at this stage to make it happen for want of a relatively modest sum. We shall be stepping up our campaign and hope for positive news prior to our AGM on 27 November.”

Basingstoke Town Community Club’s AGM is at the Apollo Hotel at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.

Mr Razzak has been asked for a comment.