After a successful first season in the Southern League, Hamworthy United now face the possibility of relegation due to ongoing complications with their ground.

Their play-off campaign saw them play away from the County Ground, which has been their home since the merge of Hamworthy and Trinidad Old Boys in 1970.

The reason for this was due to their grandstand being condemned for failing safety checks which meant the ground no longer complied with the ground gradings for step 4 football.

The Hamworthy United board said in a statement:

“As everyone is aware, our stand has been condemned and a replacement is to be built.

The Club was given some deadlines for this to be completed by and if not, to have a ground share agreement in place for the commencement of the new season.

Sadly, we have at present been unable to put a ground share agreement in place (the host must have Ground Grading for Step 4 or above). Even if we were able, the further stress on the club’s financial position would be untenable having to not only pay for a facility but also the Hospitality which is provided along with the loss of Clubhouse income from a home match.

The stand replacement will not be erected in time to meet the 31st July 2023 deadline given to us, nor will it be completed before the start of October at best (if everything goes smoothly with planning etc). This is out of our control.

The Southern League and the FA are aware of the situation and we are currently waiting for a decision from the FA to find out if we are to be relegated (possibly upto 3 Divisions) due to the ground not meeting the Step 4 requirements or whether we will be given an extension and are then able to start the season playing our home matches at the Sunseekers County Ground. They are discussing our situation on Wednesday 14th June.

Rest assured, when we find out, everyone will be notified as soon as possible.”