'We want to bring it all home to NN10' - AFC Rushden & Diamonds’ opportunity to build a permanent home near new Rushden East development

Slater’s Lodge is a 61-hectare (150-acre) site which sits adjacent to the Rushden East Sustainable Urban Extension (SUE), to the east of Rushden and the A6 bypass between the John Clarke Way and Newton Road roundabouts.

The process thus far for the club has taken ‘around six to nine months’, and leaders are eager for the site to be included in North Northamptonshire Council’s draft local plan, which is expected to be released for public consultation in early 2026.

Rob Usher, chairman of AFC Rushden & Diamonds said: "We launched a petition because we want to get the support of local people and to be able to go to councillors and say that people in your communities back this, and we want you to be a voice for them.

“If we can get enough dominoes to fall and get this in the plan we can move towards building a community owned football club, which will stand for generations to come and cement the future of AFC Rushden & Diamonds, and serve as a hub for the new community which will be built in our town.”

The ground would not only help the first team to achieve the lofty ambitions of returning to the football league, but also to improve grassroots football provision by supporting men’s, women’s, youth and disability teams, and walking football, as well as providing ‘a year-round programme of community uses, education and health activities.’

The purpose-built football stadium would support community engagement and further strengthen local pride as the Rushden East development unfolds.

For AFC Rushden & Diamonds, who currently play home games at Hayden Road, a proposed move to Slater’s Lodge is about more than just a new ground; it’s also about building something that the community can be proud of.

Rob Usher added: “Our ambition is to bring all of our teams under one roof, and at Hayden Road that can’t happen. It’s crucial to us, and it’s always been an overriding ambition in the three years I’ve been chairman to deliver a home of our own.

"We want to bring it all home to NN10.

"In this country we have this mad desire to build houses, and I don’t really feel like we build communities. We want this to be the focal point of the community.

"Despite its tribal nature, football has an ability to unite a community, regardless of your race, your age, your gender or religion – in a society where so many things can divide us, within the confines of any football club people become united by one thing.

"Football clubs are the last bastion of community these days. We want to grow that, but we don’t have a facility to do so.

“This will safeguard the future of a football club I love with all my heart.”

Since AFC Rushden & Diamonds formed in 2011 following the liquidation of Rushden & Diamonds, the club has been without a permanent home, spending time at the Dog and Duck Ground in Wellingborough and Hayden Road in Rushden, the latter being owned by local trust, Rushden Sports.

The club is currently joint tenants at Hayden Road with other local side, Rushden and Higham, and without any chance of expansion at the ground, the club is looking to a more permanent foundation.

Redington Capital announced it had acquired the Slater’s Lodge site earlier this year, and hopes the new ground, which would feature artificial turf and function rooms doubling as office space, will give the development ‘a strong local identity, rooted in place-based sport and community culture.’

A spokesman said: “AFC Rushden & Diamonds is a fan-owned club with a proud tradition in local football and a strong following across East Northamptonshire. The club's ethos is built on community, participation, and inclusivity values that align closely with the ambitions for growth and sustainable placemaking at Slater’s Lodge.

"Providing a new home within the masterplan would help secure the club’s future, allowing it to grow both its sporting and community programmes. Its presence would contribute significantly to the emerging identity of the area, acting as a focal point for civic pride and social cohesion.”

The petition can be found here.