Gateshead FC given promotion guarantee as council agrees deal on International Stadium future

Red tape will not deny Gateshead FC a shot at promotion to the EFL this season, after a deal was struck to guarantee the club’s future at its home ground.

The Heed were blocked from taking part in the National League play-offs earlier this year due to major uncertainty surrounding Gateshead International Stadium. Fans of the Tynesiders were left devastated in April when it emerged that the non-league club failed to satisfy an EFL rule requiring aspiring members to possess a 10-year security of tenure on their stadium, dashing their hopes of reaching League Two.

The stadium is owned by Gateshead Council, which was unable to offer the necessary assurances at the time as it warned that it could no longer afford to run the venue itself and that it faced the prospect of closure unless a new operator took it on. On Tuesday morning, the local authority officially agreed to hand over control of the stadium to Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) from April next year – alongside leisure centres in Heworth, Dunston, and Blaydon.

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Council chiefs confirmed that, as part of the new contract, GLL has committed to ensure that Gateshead FC can continue to play its home games at Gateshead International Stadium, subject to an agreed licence between the two parties. Officials told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the council has a letter it can provide to the club and EFL, guaranteeing the club a 10-year security on the stadium if they are promoted.

Council leader Martin Gannon said the deal was a “successful solution” for the club, who currently sit fifth in English football’s fifth tier, after months of doubt. Mark Ferguson, the Labour MP for Gateshead Central and Whickham, added: “If Gateshead earn the right to be promoted on the pitch, nothing must stand in their way this time. Well done to everyone at the club, the council and the EFL for getting this sorted.”

A signing off of the GLL contract by the council’s cabinet on Tuesday came after the football club had released a statement on Monday evening confirming that a “form of wording agreeable to the EFL has now been reached” and that it would now be able to satisfy the criteria to enter League Two. GLL has promised to make “significant investment” in the leisure facilities it is taking on, including the installation of a new soft play area at the International Stadium.

However, one thing that will not be getting an upgrade is the bespoke cantilevered roof on the east stand, which currently has a roof structure but no actual covering. Gateshead Lib Dem opposition leader Ron Beadle said at Tuesday’s meeting that the problem means spectators are “constantly getting wet” and leads to criticism of the ground by visiting supporters.

However, council leisure chief Michael Lamb confirmed that the replacement of the east stand roof was deemed “not economically viable” and the structure is instead expected to be removed entirely.

Coun Beadle said: “Gateshead fans will doubtless be disappointed to learn that the roof on the east stand will not be replaced. The council has bent over backwards to find a new operator for leisure services, and that’s good, but they should have considered making this a condition of the contract.”