From frozen pitches to fire - we take a look back at the changing face of Faraday Road football ground

As Newbury Football Club played its first game back at Faraday Road on Saturday, we decided to take a look back at the changes that have happened at the ground in recent years.

Newbury FC faced Abingdon Abbotts in the Berks & Bucks Cup at the weekend, but the journey there wasn’t an easy one.

The ground had been empty since the summer of 2018 when the council – then Conservative-led – evicted Newbury FC to prepare for the redevelopment of the London Road Industrial Estate.

A planning application to demolish the clubhouse and turn the site into an open recreation space was set to be voted on in early September, 2021, but the clubhouse burnt down overnight on August 13, 2021.

Nobody was injured and Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, who assessed the fire, concluded that there were no signs of accelerant used.

Thames Valley Police told this newspaper earlier this year that the investigation would be reopened if any new information came to light.

The pitch was then restored for use by local people and teams in October 2023, by the then-new Liberal Democrat council.

And now it has undergone a near total refurbishment.

Changing rooms have been installed; car parking for match officials and coaching staff has been allocated; a fence has been put up around the perimeter of the pitch, providing a place for spectators to watch; a grandstand was installed last week; and home and away dugouts have also been put in.

Food outlets and other concession stands were in place on Saturday too.

Youth football has been played on the pitch since shortly after the refurbishment began, but this weekend marks Newbury FC’s first game back at the site.