Cricket club confirms it is planning to sell off historic ground

Gloucestershire Cricket Club has confirmed it is planning to sell its historic ground and move out of Bristol.

Speculation first emerged about the deal several days ago and has now been confirmed by the club.

The plan would be to sell the land in North Bristol to developers and move out of the city.

The club has played at the ground for 130 years after being given the land by WG Grace.

The team have been based at the County Ground on Nevil Road in the Horfield area of Bristol since 1889.

Members of the club being invited to sessions to discuss the proposals to build a new stadium in South Gloucestershire.

Potential developers have also indicated that they would look to pay for the construction of that new stadium.

Club chairman David Jones said: “This is a big opportunity that we want to look into.

“It is the optimal solution for us, and an opportunity that may not come up again for 10 or 20 years.

“We have had a tough couple of years financially and we are a seasonal business, which is very much weather-dependent, and we often live hand to mouth.

“We need to find more diverse revenue streams and we consider that the optimal solution for us is a new site where we can have these other revenue streams to then plough back into cricket.”

The club said that any move would not happen for at least five years.

Club President Syd Lawrence said the potential move is a “fantastic opportunity” to continue building the sport for the future.

“It is a total no-brainer for me this,” he said.

“It is exciting it is the future, we have been at that ground for 134 years and we are talking about the next hundred or so years. It is about securing the future.

“A lot of the former players I have spoken to are supportive and I think a lot of people are generally.

“I was a 16-year-old kid when I first walked through those gates and I remember to this day with my bag. Of course, it will be a sad day but change is good, change isn’t bad.

“It is a big moment in history and we can’t stand still.”