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Non league club say farewell to much loved stadium with plans to move into new sports village

Non league club Workington AFC say farewell to much loved Borough Park stadium with plans to move into new sports village.

New stadium planned first came about back in February 2019, inly to suffer a setback in June 2019, when the new leadership of Allerdale Borough Council that it wouldn’t be built.

But in 2025, Cumberland Council (successor to Allerdale Council) announced that Cumberland Sports Village would be built on the site of Borough Park, demolition to begin in May 2026, with a completion date set for the summer of 2027.

Workington AFC are to groundshare with rugby outfit Workington Town’s Derwent Park for the interim. The two clubs will then share the new stadium, a 1-0 defeat to Leek Town, leaving Workington 18th in the Northern Premier League – Premier Division, a point above the relegation zone.

On the 24th of April, the club said in a statement: “An extra ยฃ4.5 million has been secured to extend the plans for Workingtonโ€™s Cumberland Sports Village.

“The cash, from the recently set up Cumbria Combined Authority means the new village, on the site of Workington Redsโ€™ Borough Park ground, will have an expanded capacity of 5,000 and see all the terraces replaced.

“The football team is due to play its last match at the existing ground this weekend.

“Original plans were to create Cumberland Sports Village in two phases, earmarked to be open in July 2027.

“It will be shared by Workington Reds and rugby outfit Workington Town, which currently plays at the Fibrus Community Stadium.

“Phase 1 would deliver a multi-purpose stadium with a capacity of 3,700 spectators alongside a new 3G pitch for community use. Phase 2 would expand capacity to 5,000.

“The revised scheme means work was likely to be carried out in a single phase.

“It will now be project managed and delivered by Cumberland Council and a new timetable for work and opening will be produced.

“The project had previously secured Workington Town Deal funding and support from Cumberland Council for the development of the site of Borough Park.

“The additional CCA funding will result in the scheme being extended to include the replacement of all the terraces and increase the total capacity at the new stadium to 5,000.

“The revised scheme will be project managed and delivered by Cumberland Council. ”

Leader of Cumberland Council Mark Fryer said: โ€œThe Cumberland Sports Village forms a key element in the plans for the regeneration of Workington.

โ€œThe project will provide a transformed community sports and leisure offer within the Lower Derwent Valley close to Workington town centre and the existing Workington Leisure Centre, cricket and bowling clubs.

โ€œAs well as sport, the stadium will also act as a focal point for both the community and businesses within the area. An improved hospitality offer means the stadium will also be used for meetings, conferences, functions, events and community activities.

โ€œWe are delighted that the additional funding has been secured.โ€

John Barradell OBE, interim chief executive of the Cumbria Combined Authority, said: โ€œOne of our first actions as a combined authority โ€“ even before weโ€™d held our first meeting โ€“ was to secure an additional ยฃ10m in funding for Cumbria from the Government.

โ€œWe are delighted that ยฃ4.5m of that money has been allocated to Cumberland Sports Village, to help further enhance the plans and create the stadium that fans and residents have been asking for.โ€

A planning application was submitted for the site last year and incorporated the option to deliver a larger scheme.

A decision on the application is expected at next monthโ€™s planning committee meeting.

The development of the community pitch is continuing to progress alongside the Football Foundation, Cumberland Council said.

“As we prepare for the final game at Borough Park, news of further enhancements to the project is exciting for Workington AFC, our supporters and the wider community who will benefit for many years ahead”

Phil Norman, Chairman, Workington AFC

Fan reaction continues as the non league club say farewell to a much loved stadium with plans to move into a new sports village…

@maccy1978: Good luck in your new ground. Enjoyed some good trips to Borough Park over the years with Carlisle and had a soft spot for the old ground

@OfficialKAFC: Arguably the greatest ground in England. Weโ€™ve always loved visiting Borough Park. Very sad to see it go but the people of Workington have a fantastic new stadium to look forward to.

@will_stanser: Cracking old school ground, always enjoyed my visit ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿป enjoy the last time!

@DaveHedgehog11: Glad you’ve got a great day for it. A brilliant old ground, a shame to see it replaced but hopefully onwards and upwards.

@rocknrolo: Was our Wembley when we were growing up, happy to have played on the hallowed turf. #frizingtonwhitestar

@Stephenken68425: Cracking ground well worth a visit the red stand on the right used to have a big grandstand atop it and the floodlights which were switched on for the first time against the Busby babes inโ€™58 were truncated in size many years back and have now been removed & replaced by poles๐Ÿ‘โšฝ๏ธ

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