Sevenoaks Town are celebrating the award of nearly £1.8m of funding towards the building of the long awaited new clubhouse.

Years of hard work has paid off with a Premier League Stadium grant confirmed last week of £150,000 completing the investment in the project.

The Football Foundation agreed to a grant of £759,100, significantly larger than expected together together with £787,500 from Sevenoaks District Council's Community Infrastructure Levy, supported by a grant from Sevenoaks Town Council of £87,500,

which together with the Premium League Stadium grant takes the total to £1,784,100.

Chairman Paul Lansdale said: "It is very exciting news and means we can now focus on a start date to begin the work before the end of the year.”

“We would like to thank the following for all their hard work and support in helping us reach this point, Sevenoaks Town Council, Sevenoaks District Council. Rob Ranson from Offset Architects, Lee Suter and Ross Andrews from the Football Foundation, our grant

consultant Nick Irwin and the Kent FA.”

Mayor of Sevenoaks Town Council Cllr Tony Clayton welcomed the announcement.

“This will be a new asset for the town – a real gain for sportspeople of all ages,” he said. "I would like to pay tribute to town council officers and football club volunteers who have made this partnership a success.”

It was eleven years ago when the club first put together a Facility Development Plan, including provision for a new 3G pitch and the construction of a fit for purpose building for use by the club and the community.

Robert Sullivan, chief executive of the Football Foundation, said: “Good quality playing facilities have a transformative impact on physical and mental health. This grant is fantastic news for the Sevenoaks community and will help give more people access to a great place.”

Mr Lansdale added: "Initial-figures put the cost of the project at around £1.6m but when first tenders came in, it was a bit of a shock to see figures quoted ranging from between 2.5m to £4.2m - way over budget “

“The last nine months have been spent with prospective contractors, value engineering to help reduce costs, and re-applying for planning permission."

Jeff Davis, head of football development at Kent FA, said: “The club is a shining light of good practice in Kent football. The determination, resilience and hard work shown by all involved have truly paid off.”

Construction on the new pavilion is expected to begin later this year.