CADBURY Athletic’s hopes of climbing back up the pyramid rest on finding a new facility – away from the most idyllic of settings.
The majestically-nicknamed Chocolate Men are back at their spiritual home in the shadow of the Cadbury’s factory in Bournville, Birmingham.
The pitch, initially put in place as a recreation facility for the factory’s workers, features a stunning Grade II-listed pavilion which draws in groundhoppers from far and wide to watch the Step 7 side. However, the ageold problem of not being able to install floodlights persists with chairman Bryan Elliott confirming to MFL Matters – a new magazine dedicated to covering the Midland Football League – that promotion from Division Two remains an ambition.
Denied that goal despite winning the league with an unbeaten record in 2022, it means the push for a new home for the first team continues.
“Being down here is great. We have hundreds of people come to visit us from all over the country every season – Germany, Poland, Scotland,” he said. “That is great for us but we have to aim to go higher and in the long run, we are going to have to find another facility.
“It will remain the home for all of our junior sides and under-21s but we are looking to find a facility for the first team that is affordable, sustainable and that we can work with.
“That’s the aspiration because we don’t feel we are a Division Two club. Winning the league with an unbeaten record only to be denied promotion was hard for people to take so we are actively looking.”
The full interview, including a focus on the set-up that helped launch the careers of Demarai Gray and Daniel Sturridge, features in issue three of MFL Matters, the latest edition of what was initially a pilot called MFL Monthly.
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Issue four is scheduled to be released at the start of January.
