New home for Cheltenham Town Ladies

Cheltenham Town Ladies will call Bishop’s Cleeve’s Kayte Lane home from the start of the 2023/24 campaign.

The Women’s National League Southern Premier Division club have spent the last two years playing 18 miles down the road in Cirencester Town, having previously been based at Cheltenham Saracens and Newlands Park.

While their on-field progress under manager Tom Davies has continued at the Corinium Stadium, winning promotion to the third tier for the first time in 2021/22, it has had a negative effect on crowds and chairman Andy Liddle hopes their move closer to Cheltenham will enable more fans to attend regularly.

“Cirencester has been fantastic and will fondly remembered, particularly for our promotion winning season,” Liddle said.

“But access, including bus routes, has been difficult for our Cheltenham fan base. The board at Bishop’s Cleeve could not have been more helpful.

“Their facilities with the new pitch are great and we’re looking forward to the Town turning out in numbers on a Sunday afternoon to cheer their Ladies on.”

Cleeve vice chairman Clive Rawlings played an instrumental role in setting up the new groundshare agreement.

“We are delighted to support women’s football locally by hosting Cheltenham Town Ladies’ first team for the 2023/24 season playing alternately with our own vibrant Bishop’s Cleeve Ladies first team,” Rawlings said.

“The club is now a real hub for the community providing disability football for kids, walking football and girls football programmes, alongside our range of adult male and female teams.

“The presence of Cheltenham Town Ladies at Kayte Lane is a real boost to local community sport and leisure and we look forward to a long and successful relationship.”