Club needs new ground

Time and options are running out for a Heathfield football club hunting for new pitch and cleared to play for only the rest of this season at their current ground.

Heathfield Hotspurs have played at Tower Rec for 50 years but their facilities aren t up to scratch for a team one step away from the Premier Division of the East Sussex Brewers League.

Members put in their own money and a lot of time last summer to try to improve facilities and it won them clearance to play at the ground for one final season.

In the meantime they have been investigating the possibility of building a new pitch at Sheepsetting Lane, but that idea has been blocked following an unfavourable feasibility study by the Sports Turf Research Institute.

Now their only hope is to persuade the league they should be allowed to carry on at Tower Rec.

'There is no other option. There is nowhere else we can play, said Jeremy Smith, secretary of the Division One club.

He said the work done last year made a huge difference to the ground and visiting players seemed pleased with what had been done.

If the league asked for something else specific to be done they would do their best to carry out the work. They were also prepared to play all cup matches away from home so that fixtures could be played on the correct sized pitch.

'We have done all we can do. We have tried our best. I am hoping they will see we have made a big effort and will let us carry on, said Mr Smith.