POOLE Town have issued a lengthy statement to update fans on their continuing hunt for a suitable site to build a new stadium.

The nomadic Dolphins have not had a permanent home of their own since leaving Poole Stadium 28 years ago.

Poole currently play at Tatnam Farm, adjacent to Oakdale Junior School. Their lease to continue playing there was understood to run until December 2024, but Dolphins have now confirmed terms have been agreed for that to be extended, while they continue to find a new permanent home.

Dolphins said in a statement: "The board is conscious that our fans are anxious for news re the future of the club and in particular the long-held hope that one day we will have a new ground fit for purpose, in terms of us realising our full potential and enabling us to view our long-term future with confidence.

"The anticipated meeting between the team from the club charged with addressing its aspirations for the future took place as planned with leading figures within BCP Council in August and was a great success in so many ways.

"We were assured that the council saw us as a local entity worthy of their support and in whom the council had a confidence about being able to deliver the community focused facility that we have strong plans to deliver.

"They have pledged to focus on working with us to identify a suitable site and several different options and approaches to that search were discussed.

"The site that we had very much hoped would be the answer would appear not to be appropriate for several reasons and that it has to be admitted has come as a disappointment obviously."

It continued: "The August meeting reassured us that BCP buy into all the positives re PTFC and that a new home for the club will be built into the new BCP Local Plan that is currently being put together.

"That will be a massive step forward.

"In the meantime, we can confirm that we have agreed terms with the school and BCP for an extension of our lease of the Black Gold ground and the documentation has been prepared and agreed by the school’s solicitors and BCP legal department.

"The final piece in the jigsaw is the sign off from the Department for Education and the requisite application forms have been lodged (with the full support of our MP Sir Robert Syms) with the Department.

"On the field, our ambitions remain high with promotion to the National League South a real aim and we have categorically not given up on that for the current season.

"So please, the message to all our fabulous fans is keep the faith we will have a permanent home in the not-too-distant future."

You can read the full statement here.