Non-league club relegated over stadium requirements

Bosses at a non-league football team said they are feeling "heartbroken" and "numb" after the Football Association (FA) threw them out of the Southern League, just as they were preparing to start the promotion play-offs.

Portishead Town have effectively been relegated down a division due to stadium requirements, which the FA said they were not able to meet.

After finishing the season in second place, and having the chance of promotion to the sixth tier of English football - the club will now be demoted to the eighth.

James Hughes, Portishead Town's Director of Football, said: "I feel like I have let the club, management and community down. Disappointing is an understatement."

Portishead Town said it had "expanded and flourished with incredible pace" in recent years.

After back-to-back promotions, it was hoping for a third and set for the play-offs after a 2-1 win against champions Frome Town, which secured a 95-point finish.

Having gone up to the Southern League for the time last year, the FA told the club it needed an upgrade, including bigger stands and changing rooms, with a deadline of 31 March to complete the works.

The club said it was all planned and partly paid for, but not all of the work could be completed within that time. It was granted an extension for the changing rooms, but not for the grandstands, meaning the ground is not yet considered fit for the Southern League.

Volunteer Carly Luxton said she was so proud of her team, but this decision "feels bit like a kick".

"Taking it away from them over things that were going to be done imminently, it's heartbreaking - no other word," she added.

On Instagram, the club said they feel like "a victim of our own success - penalised by a system that we trusted to support our rapid progress".

An FA spokesperson said all clubs have until the end of March following promotion to attain the required stadium grade to compete at the new level.

The Association's regulations state: "Where a club fails to attain the relevant grade by 31 March, it will not be eligible for promotion or to participate in any play-off match, and will be relegated to the step immediately below at the end of the season."

Hughes said: "We were told to achieve certain things – changing rooms, stands, turnstiles and hospitality.

"We were advised 'get the small stuff done first and [the FA] can help you manage the rest of it'. We knew there were things we couldn't do in season."

Hughes said the FA were aware of the stadium's challenges and extensions were applied for.

"Why is a football club and a football community been penalised on bricks and mortar, when actually, football should be at the heartbeat?" he said.

"This has kicked us back - where should I go from here?"

The FA spokesperson said: "Allegations of a previously agreed extension being revoked are inaccurate. An extension was granted to 31 July to cover upgrades to the dressing rooms only."

They added: "Portishead Town FC did not provide stadium upgrade plans to the Committee ahead of the decision being made."

Moving forward, Rachel Osmond, a member of the club's board said: "We have to separate this decision from the rest of the club, everywhere else will continue to thrive."

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