Bognor's ground improvements are vital to club's long-term future

The Rocks stalwart says a new grandstand, new cover for the clubhouse end of the ground plus upgraded floodlight and PA systems gives the club a good foundation from which to progress. The plans also include a new toilet block at the Sports Club entrance.

Without new facilities, Bognor would not be able to go up to National League South – and in time the current set-up may not even deemed good enough for them to stay in the Isthmian premier.

The Rocks are funding some of the work from their own savings and will get grants from the Football Foundation and the Football Stadium Improvement Fund. The cost of the work has not been revealed.

The 367-seat grandstand, which will have no pillars blocking fans’ view, is the centrepiece of the proposals, which are thought likely to get planning permission.

Rocks chiefs hope work can be done by the start of next season, though that depends on how long the coronavirus pandemic lasts.

Boss Pearce said: “How we’ve tried to run the club in recent years is to keep some money aside for just this sort of project, rather than throw too much at the playing side and at players we couldn’t really afford.

“If you want to continue to play at a high level you need facilities in place. You have to balance team improvements with ground improvements and we’ve never had a sugar daddy to help us.

“And I’ll be honest with people – we may need to moderate our expectations on the playing side for a period. We will continue to look for young players we can develop.”

Splitting up the Rocks family is so toughGet the latest from Nyewood Lane in the Bognor Observer every Thursday

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

Thank you for reading this story on our website.

But I also have an urgent plea to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality local news on this free-to-read site and in print, please purchase a copy of our newspaper as well. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on our town centres and many of our valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you buying a copy.

Our journalists are highly trained by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards anywhere in the world. Our content is universally trusted - as all independent research proves.

As Baroness Barran said in a House of Lords debate this week on the importance of journalists: "Not only are they a trusted source of facts, but they will have a role to play in rallying communities and getting the message across about how we can keep ourselves and our families safe, and protect our NHS. Undoubtedly, they have a critical role."

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. In return we will continue to forensically cover the local news - not only the impact of the virus but all the positive and uplifting news happening in these dark days.

In addition, please write to your MP urging the Government to provide some additional financial support for local newspapers and their websites like this one and ensuring that supermarkets continue to stock them. I cannot stress enough how important such an intervention would be.

We thank all our readers and advertisers for their understanding and support - and we wish YOU all the best in the coming weeks. Keep safe, and follow the Government advice. Thank you.