A planning application has been submitted for a new clubhouse for three football clubs in the Manx capital.

The application is for the ‘demolition of existing building and replacement with changing rooms to current English Football Association standards’.

Pulrose Pavilion, on Springfield Road, is home to Pulrose United FC, Douglas Athletic FC and Douglas and District FC.

The current facilities were built by the government after it bought the land to build the National Sports Centre.

The new plans (22/01456/B) include better drainage, and rejuvenated facilities following deterioration of the current clubhouse.

In February, the council revealed that the amount allocated in the capital budget for the project is £495,000.

Douglas Council and the club were appealing to the UK charity the Football Foundation for up to £250,000 to assist with the construction of the new building to bring the club up to FA standards.

The current building was condemned in March of this year following a council inspection. The plans include four changing rooms of English Football Association Foundation (FF) step 7 changing room standards and requirements, two referees changing rooms to align with FF step 7 requirements, separate spectator facilities of male, female and disabled toilets which will also include baby changing facilities, a serving hatch to serve refreshments to spectators, and a plant room.

This is the second application for new changing facilities that the council have submitted, with an application (18/00732/B) being approved in 2018 for a new changing facility but those plans were never followed through.

The new plans do not include a new club room, which was a condition that the teams who use the facilities requested.

A statement from the council reads: ‘ It was agreed that a serving hatch for hot drinks and refreshments would be a compromise that FF Council and teams could all support.’

The current building has a design life of 30 years, which has now been surpassed. The teams were moved to their current site in 1990 to facilitate the new centre’s construction, which was finished in 1991.