Eighth-tier Worcester City are set to move into a new home - and it's bigger than Premier League outfit Bournemouth's stadium. Come the end of the season, the Northern Premier League Midlands Division club will trade the familiar turf of Claines Lane for the expansive Sixways Stadium - a ground that might have some away fans wondering if they've come to the right match.
Sixways - once the home of now-disbanded Premiership rugby side Worcester Warriors - boasts an 11,000-seat capacity with 500 additional hospitality seats, and there are plans for further expansion. For context, Bournemouth's Vitality Stadium, the smallest in the Premier League, holds 11,379.
Life in non-league football is far from easy, and securing a permanent home is often crucial for a club's long-term sustainability. Few understand this struggle better than Worcester City. Forced to play outside the city for years, they returned in 2020 to share Claines Lane with the Worcestershire FA. While it was a homecoming of sorts, the set-up at Claines Lane was far from ideal.
The pitch has struggled to cope with growing attendances - now the second highest in the league - and lacks the infrastructure to support a club on an upward trajectory. Club owner Simon Lancaster acknowledged these challenges: "Claines is a good place to watch football on a good day and I think we all enjoy watching football there, but in the time that I've been involved with the club, the pitch has been a problem, and it would be very costly to improve that.
