The club has reached agreement with Bangor Football Club to share facilities at Clandeboye Park next season.

The club will commence a three year ground-share, as required by IFA rules, at the start of the 2012/13 season, which will see Ards once again play home matches in Bangor.

Our current contract with Ballyclare Comrades expires at the end of this season, and with that in mind the club decided to find a ground closer to Newtownards. A number of teams were interested in sharing with us, including Bangor Football Club, and after we met their Chairman Trevor Best we decided it was in our best interests to enter into a three year agreement with Bangor to share Clandeboye Park.

Ards chairman Brian Adams explains more: “The catalyst for the move was our trip to Solitude in the Irish Cup when we took only around a hundred fans. It was that game against Cliftonville that made us realise our support was starting to drift away and that we had to move closer to home, to bring people back to the club.

"Moving back to Bangor will hopefully improve our gates, bring in more revenue through programme and merchandise sales and hopefully attract more people to our Sports Club in Newtownards, before and after a match.

"Ards and Bangor have always had a fierce rivalry on the pitch and we hope that continues, but there is no reason why we can't work together off it and we're looking forward to playing at Clandeboye Park again."

Ards previously shared Clandeboye Park between 2003 and 2008, before agreeing a move to Ballyclare. Chairman Brian Adams says the club is very grateful for the hospitality the club has received at Dixon Park.

"We'd like to thank Ballyclare Comrades and their Chairman Trevor McCann for their support during this difficult period in the club's history. We've had some great times at Ballyclare and their friendship won't be be forgotten. I hope that they get promotion this season and we can return to Dixon Park next season as the visitors."

4th February 2012

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