EASTERN Counties League Division One side Cornard United have secured their future after signing a new 25-year lease to remain at their Blackhouse Lane ground.
Cornard were formed in 1964 and moved to Blackhouse Lane in 1982 but a long-term lease was delayed after Cornard United Ltd was voluntarily wound up in October 2013.
Great Cornard Parish Council took direct control of the ground and in April 2014, agreed to offer a long-term lease to then-manager Mark Hoskin who helped rebuild the club.
It has now been signed and club chairman Harvey Doherty said: “Cornard United are delighted to have signed the new lease on the ground, which will enable us to grow as a club now that we have a secure future.
“The club would also like to thank Mark Hoskin and his brothers Robbie Hoskin and Dave Collins, for it was their vision that started the re-building of the club back in 2013.
“We now look forward to working closely with the parish council to build a football club for all of Cornard to be proud of and, more importantly, to come and support.”
Council spokesman Tony Bavington said: “The signing of the lease and the management agreement opens a new chapter in the fortunes of Cornard United FC, and we now need the local public to get behind our club and make it the best that it can be.
“The club has been renewed at all levels, including on the pitch. Relationships with junior clubs have improved enormously, and a good relationship between the council and the club has developed.
“Over the last two years, we have been able to refurbish the clubhouse, for example, through a combination of capital investment from the council and voluntary expert labour from club members, and the clubhouse is once again available for hire.”
