Darlington FC are pleased to announce that the first major step has been taken towards moving to a new purpose-built ground in the town with facilities for the community.

Darlington chief executive officer David Johnston has been in talks with all interested stakeholders in recent weeks, and the club is now in a position to start planning ahead.

One of the stakeholders is Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, who met DJ at Blackwell Meadows on Thursday, and has thrown his political weight behind the club's search for a new stadium.

A number of potential sites in the town have been identified for the multi-million pound stadium, which will reach Football League standards, and include facilities which will be rented out to clubs, schools and the community to help provide a sustainable and regular income stream for the club.

The new stadium, which will allow capacity of between 5,000 and 8,000 fans, could be built in time for the 2025/26 season. The plans, which the club hope will be partially backed by financial grants, will also allow for future expansion to the stadium as the Quakers continue to push towards the Football League following relegation in 2010. The club became fan-owned in 2012.

Mayor Houchen, said: “This club hasn’t had it easy in the past because of bad decisions taken without consulting the fans by previous owners to build vanity projects like the 27,000 seat Arena in 2002 rather than what the club and community actually need.

“I’m pleased that’s long behind us and the club has the right leadership with strong fan backing in place and a sensible well thought-out and sustainable plan.

“We are a step closer to finding a permanent home for this much loved local football team in a state-of-the-art stadium that matches the team’s ambitions.”

DJ is delighted with progress, and you can listen to his interview with the official website here:

DJ will talk more about this development at the End of Season Awards Dinner on Friday night.

We're sure that everyone involved with Darlington FC welcomes the news, and the club looks forward to working with the various stakeholders in the future.