McGill excited by new home

Jason McGill says York is looking forward to a bright future after receiving approval for their brand-new 8,000-seater stadium.

The Minstermen, who have played at Bootham Crescent since 1932, received the green light from the City of York Council Planning Committee for the project on Friday after a three-hour meeting. Work will soon begin on a new community stadium in the Huntington area of the city, which will also include a gym, swimming pool, sports hall and dance studio. Also on the site will be a number of retail units, a cinema and restaurants. McGill told the club's official website: "It's been emotional but ultimately I'm absolutely delighted. It's been a long process since 2004 and I'm just really pleased that everyone saw the benefits the community stadium will have for the people of York. "For the football club it means we can plan for the future. We are operating in a decaying stadium at the moment which was built in 1932 and with no opportunity to access commercial opportunities. "The new stadium will however allow us to do that and give us some financial security because we have 99-year lease. "It will be a brand new stadium with new facilities and we'll be able to extend our community programme through our various partners so it provides so many benefits for us." He added: "What we have to do now is work very closely with the developers, GLL, Wrenbridge Sport and the builders ISG to ensure that they meet our deadlines. The Minstermen plan to share the stadium with rugby league club York Knights, while the development will create around 200 jobs. The club's current ground Bootham Crescent will be sold for housing development.