Darlington To Play At The Arena?

Hereford At Darlington Last November

Darlington FC have asked the National League if they could play their home games at the Arena Stadium as opposed to Blackwell Meadows.

They say that under the Covid-19 regulations only around 550 would be allowed to watch a home game at Blackwell whereas the Arena has a capacity of 25,000. 

Darlington's home gates averaged around 1485 including season ticket holders last season.

Chief executive officer David Johnston said; “We want to cater for everybody who wants to see Darlington FC play at home.

“Given the current regulations, it will be impossible for 1500 people to safely enter Blackwell Meadows, indeed we would expect higher crowds than 1500 given that we haven’t played since March.

“We would much prefer that everyone who wants to see us play, can do so in a safe and controlled manner, rather than the very big headache of having to tell nearly a thousand people that they can’t come to a game.

“We would also be able to safely allow away fans into the Arena, whereas they wouldn’t be allowed to go to Blackwell Meadows.”