An Angus junior football team with over 50 years of history will play for the final time on Saturday, after last ditch rent negotiations failed.
Arbroath Sporting Club will fold after the weekend’s match at Seaton Park, following a decision from club officials not to continue next season.
The team were due to lose their ground to the regeneration of the Cliffburn area next year, but it was a demand from Angus Council for a share of their income that sounded the death knell for the side.
A meeting was held at the start of the week, where council officers offered to discuss the possibility of setting a workable agreement, however the club’s administration has opted to call time.
Chairman John Barron said losing any of the money gained from the weekly car boot sales at the park would have been a “hammer blow.”
He added, “To be honest, the decision had already been taken and we just used the meeting to discuss the ending of the lease and what we are expected to do.
“The bigger picture was the fact that they wanted money from us and we were going to lose the ground and wouldn’t have been able to continue unless we got involved in sharing as a community club.
“We decided that was just going to be a minefield and there would have been too much to do in trying to organise a football club while sharing with amateurs, young lads and ladies’ teams.”
The ladies’ team that formerly trained at Hercules Den in Arbroath may now have the option of switching to Seaton Park after it is vacated.
Mr Barron went on to explain the club will now have to write to the East of Scotland League, the Scottish Football League and the Scottish Junior Football League to confirm they have disbanded.
All players will become free agents and the committee will look to sell off any assets such as floodlights and training equipment.
The club’s end-of-season awards ceremony will still go ahead on Saturday night in the town’s Portcullis bar, however it is likely to be a sombre occasion.
“We all basically just want the whole thing to be over with now,” said Mr Barron.
A council spokesman said, “Angus Council officers met with members of Arbroath Sporting Club on Monday, May 16. Before negotiations could resume on matters relating to the rental levels for the car boot activities at Seaton Park, the club informed council officers that, after considering the bigger picture of a possible move to a community-based shared facility, they confirmed their previous decision to close.”