Harrow Borough Football Club has confirmed it will leave its long-standing home at Earlsmead next year after contracts were exchanged for the sale of the Rogers Family Stadium.
The club revealed that contracts were exchanged on August 26, describing it as a “significant date” in Harrow Borough’s history.
The sale means the clubhouse will close on May 31, 2027, bringing to an end more than 90 years of the club playing at the site in South Harrow.
However, the board says the deal will clear the club’s debts and provide enough money to secure its future.
In its statement, the board said: “The proceeds from which guarantees the future of the football club. The years of struggle will be behind us.”
Harrow Borough says debts had become too large
The club has now given its clearest explanation yet of why the sale became necessary.
According to the board, Harrow Borough had been struggling with increasing debts, expensive maintenance work and the rising cost of running the ground.
The club also said membership had been falling.
The board said: “We will be sad to move away from Earlsmead, but our debts had become too large. We were falling behind with vital maintenance of the premises and the costs of running the operation were soaring. Against this membership levels were decreasing.”
The problems have been building for some time.
Earlier this year, Harrow Online reported that a previous attempt to sell the ground to a developer had fallen through, leaving fresh uncertainty over the club’s future.
Supporters subsequently launched the Harrow Borough Supporters Trust in an effort to raise money and attract new investment, while the club appealed for volunteers to help prepare the ground for the new season.
At the time, Harrow West MP Gareth Thomas warned that losing the club would be “a major blow to the community”.
The latest deal therefore appears to have removed the immediate threat to Harrow Borough itself – but at the cost of losing the ground it has called home for generations.
Club looking for a new ground-share
Harrow Borough will remain at Earlsmead for the rest of the current club year before leaving at the end of May.
The board says it is now looking to agree a ground-share with another football club for the 2027/28 season and beyond.
No potential ground-sharing partner has yet been announced.
The club said: “As a direct result of the sale, all debts will be settled in full and with the residual the football club will prosper. We will also be looking to increase the playing budget.”
Manager Wayne Carter has already agreed a two-year contract, with the club saying it had been confident enough about the sale to make longer-term plans.
“For the first time in decades, we can confidently start planning the next season’s campaign now with funds secure for years to come,” the board added.
The team currently compete in the Isthmian League South Central Division.
More than 90 years at Earlsmead
The move will be particularly significant because of Harrow Borough’s long connection with the ground.
The club was formed in 1933 as Roxonian FC and played its first season in the Harrow and District League.
A year later it moved to Earlsmead after joining the Spartan League, meaning the site has effectively been the club’s home since 1934.
The club later became Harrow Town before adopting the Harrow Borough name in 1967.
This is also not the first time the club has used the value of its land to secure its future.
During a difficult period in the early 1970s, when the club came close to withdrawing from senior football, negotiations with Harrow Council resulted in the sale of its second pitch.
The money helped fund a new clubhouse, floodlights and terracing and was followed by Harrow joining the Isthmian League in 1975.
The club’s most successful period followed in the early 1980s.
Boro reached the FA Trophy semi-finals in 1983 before winning the Isthmian League Premier Division title in the 1983/84 season.
More recently, Harrow reached the FA Cup First Round in 2021, travelling to League One side Portsmouth.
Ground renamed in honour of Rogers family
Earlsmead Stadium was renamed the Rogers Family Stadium in 2017 to recognise the contribution of chairman Peter Rogers and his family.
Rogers first joined the club’s football committee in 1967 at the age of 18 and went on to hold roles including treasurer, secretary and chairman.
The club said at the time that he had helped oversee the redevelopment of its stadium and social facilities over several decades.
The site’s departure will therefore mark the end of a major chapter in the history of one of Harrow’s oldest football clubs.
For now, the board says it wants supporters to make the most of the final months at Earlsmead.
“With 9 months left of our tenure we now look to maximise the facilities and enjoy the short time we have left,” the statement said.
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Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
Harrow Online reaches hundreds of thousands of readers each month and has a social media audience of more than 200,000 followers.
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