STEETON face a race against time to get their new ground at Marley ready in time for the FA’s grading deadline, and have started a fundraising page on GoFundMe to help out.

They have to raise about £10,000 within the next few weeks to ensure they meet the basic criteria, but manager Roy Mason admits they would look to continue improving the ground ahead of the new season there in August.

As he discussed with the Keighley News two weeks ago, Mason wants Marley to be a seven-day facility for all genders and ages.

He also wants to do Keighley’s Trevor Hockey proud, a former Welsh international whose plans to transform football in the town during the 1980s sadly failed to take off.

Discussing the Marley move's progress, Mason said: "We’ve launched the fundraiser because, while the Council have been supportive, we can’t expect them to go over and above in making the ground fit for Step Six football, like with the new stand.

"I know lots of people who are excited about the project and if around half of them can donate, that would be fantastic.

"Someone said to me “surely Steeton have got loads of money?” but it’s not cheap to run a football club. A lot of outlay has been invested by us at Cougar Park, putting seeding down and bringing in goalposts etc.

"We'll try and sell the goalposts on, but you've got to think about the cost of things like hiring officials and travel to games too."

He added: "£10,000 initially will make sure we get what we need and the deadline for that money needs to be in advance of the (FA's March 31) deadline, but other costs will come up and we want to work on other projects too.

"We want to make it a pleasurable experience to come and watch football at Marley, like by providing teas, coffees and warm food. There’s nowhere at the ground that can offer that yet.

"So we do need businesses and people to get behind us, as we can't get an FA grant in time."

Mason is keen to make football in Keighley and at Marley a success, admitting that he has never forgotten the efforts of former Bradford City, Aston Villa and Sheffield United star Hockey a few decades ago.

He said: "I've been involved in Keighley football for 40 years and everyone has said we need a semi pro-team and now we have one.

"Silsden came to play here for a time but then they went back to playing in Silsden.

"Trevor Hockey came back with Keighley Town in the early 80s and tried to build that team up, but the town just didn’t back him.

"He was a visionary because he came back here after a spell in the NASL (North American Soccer League) with some US-style soccer camps at Utley.

"I actually went to the first ever one of those when I was seven or eight.

"He also managed to arrange a game against a Leeds United All Star team, which was at the old Marley Centre pitch and one against top amateur side Mossley at Lawkholme Lane, which is now Cougar Park.

"Sadly Trevor passed away young playing five-a-side (in 1987) and he's never really been recognised in Keighley like he should have been."

Mason was clearly inspired by Hockey as a child, and he wants Marley to do the same to the town's youngsters now.

He said: "We could talk to academies and get high-quality coaching down there for kids. We're raising funds for the stand so you can enjoy the facility seven days a week.

"That could be coming to watch your team on Saturday or Sunday or your kid training on a wet and cold Tuesday night.

"We want a facility for all ages, from kids of five or six to older people who want to play walking football. It has to benefit all."

The link to Steeton's GoFundMe page is: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-move-to-a-new-home-at-marley