Moving on up

If the current club was able to get promotion to the National South league, the ground would be subject to football Association Grade B grading http://www.thefa.com/get-involved/player/ground-grading which would only need minor upgrades to the ground, and plenty of that has been undertaken (for example turnstile lighting has been upgraded in 2021).

1.14 Entrances

There must be at least 6 spectator entrances to control the ingress of spectators. These must be controlled by fully operational turnstiles of the revolving type and must be suitably housed and lit. Adequate protection and security for the turnstile operator must be incorporated. These entrances should be placed in appropriate positions around the boundary of the ground and take into account the requirements of segregation.

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Clubs must be able to demonstrate that visiting supporters can be segregated when necessary.

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2.7 Segregation

When segregation is in operation, there must be adequate toilet facilities and refreshment facilities in each segregated area in addition to the appropriate means of egress and exit.

All of these seem readily achievable, and segregation was proven to work when AFC Wimbledon visited. Maybe only minor things might change – something like the naming of the ground (the “Neil Cugley Stadium”? He’d represented the old Folkestone FC club with distinction and managed Folkestone Invicta for over 20 years)

Relocation, relocation, relocation.....

The current location of the ground seems ideal for the football traditionalist: easy access via road (M20 literally just up the road), rail (Folkestone West station only minutes walk away, with high speed trains serving that route), and by foot (residential areas in all directions). But what if the club had to move? The lease will not go on for ever. The council might succumb to the pressures of housing developers. So what would be the options?

Folkestone is penned in. Bounded to the north by the North Downs hills, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by where those two meet. That means the only option for the dreaded out of town ground is to the west. That's exactly what Folkestone Rugby Club did, moving from the Polo Ground, to the A20, then on to Newington when the Channel Tunnel terminal was built. Maybe if the football club had to move, a potential ground share with the rugby club? It's a long way out, with restricted transport infrastructure, no pubs, no food outlets, etc.

Folkestone is also not flat! There are hills and slopes everywhere, so finding flat land to base a football ground is also very restrictive. Of the available spaces here are some ideas:-

1) Park Farm: the irony of a place that was rejected back in 1910. The old Silver Spring mineral water factory is an open brown field site that is certainly flat. Accessible? Maybe from the M20, but it's in a busy part of town with limited routes in and out.

2) Radnor Park: there's an adjoining bowls club and a railway station. Sound familiar? The park has a slight slope, and as it's a popular park I can't see the local council ever giving this up for a football stadium.

3) The Stadium, Cheriton: well it's got the name! However, access is very limited, and likely to have many residential objections to a football ground being located here. Similarly for other areas that used to be Shorncliffe barracks..

These are just a few initial ideas. I'm sure visitors to this website could suggest many more.

Staying put

The requirements of modern football all seem to be currently satisfied: Without the prospect of elevation to an even higher league, it seems that the Cheriton Road football ground is likely to stay as it is for the foreseeable future. Maybe that’s a good thing as many visitors and locals alike seem to like it that way.