Bracknell Town have almost certainly played their last ever league game at Larges Lane.
With the lockdown continuing, the Isthmian League looks certain to terminate the season which so far has seen the Robins play only five of their 38 fixtures.
“We are preparing for the worst and I think the reality is that we will be back for the 2021-22 season,” chairman Kayne Steinborn-Busse has confirmed.
He says the first team will be leaving their current home in June – though the club will maintain a very strong presence in Larges Lane – and moving in with Sandhurst Town.
Steinborn-Busse’s SB Group company are the main sponsors at the Bottom Meadow ground, which has seen a £2 million investment, including a state-of-the-art 3G pitch.
The clubhouse has been gutted and fully refitted and a larger car park.
“There is a lot of scope at the ground which is a bonus,” added Steinborn-Busse.
“It’s on a seven to eight-acre site with no real restrictions on all our sides. There are no houses close by, so no disturbance to local residents.
“We have to thank the Sandhurst Town Council, who have been very pro-active and supportive. They are very forward-thinking and very pro-youth sports.
“It will be the first 3G pitch in Sandhurst which will be great for the immediate community.”
Related: 14 brilliant images of Bracknell Town’s Larges Lane that will take you right back to 2007
Bracknell have been forced to leave Larges Lane as their aim is to move up to Step 3 in the non-league ladder and that requires a larger ground.
They looked into the possibilities of ground-sharing – Hungerford, Farnborough and Slough were considered – but there is no guarantee they would be accepted and even if they were, it could cost them a considerable amount of money.
But by going to Sandhurst, Bracknell are at least staying in the borough. It’s just seven and a half miles away from Larges Lane.
Steinborn-Busse is also delighted to be giving something back to the Sandhurst as he used to play for their junior teams.
“I still have very fond memories of my times there as a teenager,” he says.
The large Sandhurst Town Boys and Girls Club are already very active and youth sport in the area will be considerably enhanced by the growing presence of the SB Multi-Sport Academy which caters for domestic and overseas students.
The academy is based in Larges Lane, but there will also be a classroom at Bottom Meadow.
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