10th tier club Wakefield AFC, who were formed in 2019, reveal plans to move to 8,866 capacity stadium being being redeveloped as of now.
The club was founded in 2019 by a group of businessmen with VO2 Capital, a Connecticut-based family business, taking a majority stake in the football club’s operations in November 2021.
VO2 Capital announced on the same day that it had merged with Wakefield Trinity Ladies football club, creating a new section for Wakefield AFC.
As part of several initiatives taken by VO2 Capital in order to reorganise the club, Guilherme Decca named Gabriel Mozzini first team manager in January 2022 and the team enjoyed a remarkable 17-game unbeaten streak, including six consecutive clean sheets that concluded the season.
After beating Dodworth Miners in the final game of the season, Wakefield AFC won their first league title on May 14th and was promoted to Northern Counties East League Division One on the 12th of May 2022.
The club have been playing their games at Featherstone Rovers. Wakefield AFC had previously played in Barnsley but wanted to move to a stadium within the WF postcode area.
But now, they look set to finally come home, with the club sitting 5th in the Northern Counties East League with 43 points from 22 games.
Wakefield AFC to play at Belle Vue starting next season, which is currently being redeveloped to increase the stadium capacity from 7,258 to a total of 8,866.
CLUB STATEMENT:
Today, we announced our move to Belle Vue, a milestone for Wakefield AFC. It is a moment all involved with Wakefield AFC should be proud of. It’s the start of a new phase where we focus on what the club can be and where we will certainly welcome new fans and deepen our roots within the community.
Given where we started, it is a move that was unimaginable when we took over the club 14 months ago. It couldn’t have happened without the collective effort of our players, staff, and the fantastic support from our fans.
Having said that, some context behind this decision is important. During the process of rebuilding the club, every decision we’ve been making always considers three factors: fan experience, sporting performance, and club sustainability. It was no different when deciding to move to Belle Vue.
❤️🤍💙 Club Announcement ❤️🤍💙
It’s coming home.
Wakefield AFC to play at Belle Vue starting next season.
More info here: https://t.co/YlSVGcoibe pic.twitter.com/oxFhQWEpeT
— Wakefield AFC (@Wakefield_AFC) January 18, 2023
So let’s go over each of those:
Fan Experience
Fans coming to our games will watch games in a facility that, after renovations are complete, will be of a standard only available many leagues above where we currently play. Fans will find a state-of-the-art stand, new parking, retail, and food options. In addition, our supporters will have access to better transportation, with more options, as we move closer to the main transportation hubs in the center of Wakefield.
We want to welcome our fans and supporters from other teams in a comfortable and friendly environment, with the quality and all the amenities that are usually only available at much higher ticket prices.
Sporting Performance
Belle Vue will have a hybrid pitch, the same technology many premier league clubs use in their training facilities. It means better playing conditions, fewer cancellations, and fewer injuries to our players. Additionally, our teams will train in the stadium during the week and will have access to two full new gyms, a cafeteria, and new changing rooms. It is unmatched at this level of football and will let us provide players that come to Wakefield AFC with the best possible experience.
Club Sustainability
We’ve said from day one our goal is to build a self-sustainable football club. The opportunity to grow in the City of Wakefield and this agreement is a step in the right direction as it will provide new commercial opportunities and, with bigger crowds, additional matchday revenues.
There are also a few exciting ideas we will be working on with Trinity, which over time, will benefit both fan bases and the Wakefield community as a whole.
Rest assured, we still want to invest in our training facility to be able to offer junior programs and other community initiatives. Our own facilities will also allow us to balance the books better and invest in other club areas. We are engaged with the Wakefield Council and hope to deliver something to our fans soon.
Finally, we hope you are as thrilled as we are with the news, and we can’t wait to see you all at our new home. Until then, we remain focused on our season. The girls are still in the hunt for a top-two finish, and the boys are challenging for a playoff spot. Although we feel good about where we are, we need to keep improving to challenge for promotion, so the work won’t stop.
Enjoy the news and we look forward to seeing you all soon.
Below are some photos of the work going on at Belle Vue, as found HERE.
This is what fans had to say as the 10th tier club formed in 2019 reveal plans to move to the redeveloped 8,866 capacity stadium…
@sam24lufc: Humongous dub
@TerryFCFCSmith: Going from strength to strength I still need to visit millennium stadium first 😉 every time I wanna travel over they get postponed
@souvie_: Congratulations team. Fantastic work. Will there still be cheesy chips? Asking for a friend.
@Official_L89: Brilliant news, will be a great future proofing move for the club. It’s great that Featherstone Rovers supported us but it’s a move that’s needed so the club is actually in the city, to draw more fans in.
@Sir_Pouncealot: Excellent… even the economies of scale make this worthwhile… I hope there are many opportunities for @Wakefield_AFC and @WTrinityRL to collaborate a community and commercial benefits!!!
@half_a_job_rob: Incredible news!!!!
@wakeywhite: Welcome guys! Hope you have great success at Belle Vue 🤍💙♥️
@icklewick1e: Massive for the club that Congratulations! Would’ve liked to have seen some thanks to Fev tbf for the memories and hopefully history they helped create but I’m sure that thanks will come when the time is right. Keep pushing for the playoffs and hopefully there will be lots to celebrate
@jacknorman5: Good to see, hopefully wakey will finally have a professional football team in a few years.
@Tonyalcaponey: Also @Wakefield_AFC I beg you open up the academy again
@allwakeyarentwe: This is great news. I’m really glad we’ve managed to second this move. It was the natural choice, but I never thought it would actually happen. Hopefully this is a permanent home now #AWAW
@Tonyalcaponey: This is huge 🤯🤯
@doncasterblues1: Brilliant news to get @Wakefield_AFC into Wakefield especially with the new facilities at @WTrinityRL but have to say will be sorry about the club leaving @FevRoversRLFC it’s been great seeing football over at Featherstone, will proper miss the place #NonLeague @NonLeagueRTs
@IainTrearty:
Exactly what is needed
WF1 ✅
Playing surface ✅
New facilities ✅
Financial sense ✅
Chance to grow ✅
Well done to all involved and for the vision to keep the club progressing and setting it up for success 🫶🏻🔴⚪️🔵
@puffpuff65: Superb stuff, another big ground to visit. Best get to featherstone Rovers rugby ground while you still can for football
@bfcgaz: Exciting Times ahead for our Danny and the boys
@thesleepgeek: Love this!!
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