Exeter City FC has recently announced that they will participate in a feasibility study that will examine the possibility of moving away from their home at St James Park.
The study forms part of a wider plan by Exeter City Council to reinvigorate and develop the city over the next 20 years.
In a statement, released on 25th September 2020, the club and trust boards announced that they jointly ‘approved the club’s participation in the consultation process’ over ‘a new stadium and sporting facility’. They revealed that this process will involve a plethora of actors and consider the ‘Club’s needs, both now and in the future’.
Analysis, from Harrison Rogers
A spokesman for the Club was at pains to stress this is not ‘a precursor to a move’, highlighting how these plans are still very much in their infancy, but this remains the closest Exeter have ever been to moving away from the ground since they have been there.
On the surface, a move away from St James Park, the Club’s home since 1904, may come as a surprise to many. This is especially due to the open and strong desire of fans to remain at and the recent, substantial investment into the ground, both factors the Club recognise.
However, considering the current financial climate and the need for a more sustainable and scalable income for the Club, a move might have appeal. This will especially prove the case if the study presents options that allow for significant, yet financially viable growth.
Thus, whilst any plans remain formative and will be situated relatively far into the future, for the first time there is the possibility of a new home for the Grecians.
