Painswick Football Club, who have applied to play in the Northern Senior League next season, are moving home.

Chairman Jordan Hutchinson, who plays for the club's Stroud League Division One leaders, has confirmed that the club will be playing their home games at Dowty Staverton Sports Ground in Down Hatherley Lane, between Cheltenham and Gloucester, in 2024/25.

The club’s flagship team have been playing their home games at Gloucester All Blues Rugby Club this season and Hutchinson said: “It’s the right time to move, we want to be playing at the higher level next season.”

Division Two of the Northern Senior League is the next step up for the go-ahead club and while they’re awaiting confirmation that they will be accepted into the Northern Senior they’ve certainly ticked pretty much every box on the pitch this season, even allowing for last night’s surprise 3-1 defeat against Shortwood United Reserves.

That loss, alongside Taverners’ 3-1 win at Minchinhampton, means Taverners have drawn  level with Painswick at the top of the table going into the final few days of the season.

It's a shootout between the two but it’s still advantage Painswick because they have two league games to play and Taverners have just the one. Also, Painswick’s goal difference is far superior - 49 to 29.

Taverners travel to fifth-placed Wotton Rovers on Saturday while Painswick’s final two games in the 13-strong division are against third-placed Tetbury Town (home) on Saturday and seventh-placed Chalford Reserves (away) on Tuesday. Painswick have never played in the Northern Senior League before.

Meanwhile, Painswick’s Reserves will also be playing their home games at Dowty Staverton Sports Ground next season.

Hutchinson added that a decision about where the 3rds will be playing their home games in the new campaign “will be confirmed very soon”.

The club have close on 90 players signed on and the reserves have just finished fourth in Division 5N of the Stroud League while the 3rds were fifth in Division Six.