The Herefordshire County Ground, home to Lads Club FC, will have a new 100-capacity stand if a new bid goes to plan.

The ground’s owners, the Herefordshire Football Association, has submitted plans for the stand, to be split between 50 seated and 50 standing places, along with a tannoy system, at its main artificial turf pitch by Widemarsh Common, Hereford.

Herefordshire FA chief executive Alan Darfi said: “Lads’ Club are a key partner and tenant of the ground. They asked for this, and we are happy to oblige.”

He explained: “There are pretty stringent ground-grading requirements to play at their level, including having 100 covered seats and a tannoy.

“But they are needed – Lads Club are looking at 200-plus (spectators) for a first-team home game. And it will help the other users of the ground too.”

Their current stand, also with a capacity of 100, was installed, along with floodlights, in 2017.

It was officially opened by former Lads Club player Kevin Sheedy, who went on to have a successful career at Everton and Liverpool, and as a Republic of Ireland international.

The club’s manager Danny Moon said the new stand, on the opposite, west side of the pitch, “will be a welcome add-on to what we have”.

While typical home gates are about 100-120, “we have had 300”, Mr Moon said.

The Lads Club senior side currently plays in the Hellenic League Premier Division, and Mr Moon said the County Ground already compares favourably with other grounds in the league – as does its £5 ticket price.

“There are new teams that have the minimum requirement, whereas I’d say we are in the top five,” he said.

The ground, by the culverted Widemarsh Brook, is rated as “at high risk” of flooding.

But the proposed steel-framed building would have “negligible” impact on the floodplain’s capacity to store water, so no compensation would be required, a civil engineer’s report said.

The club hopes the proposal will be approved by the middle of next month, to enable work to begin “the week after”, Mr Moon said.

“I’m hoping it will progress quickly so I can have the summer to myself.”