Clyde FC have been forced to address growing speculation that they could find themselves "homeless" once again, following uncertainty over their continuing tenure at New Douglas Park in Hamilton.
The Bully Wee, who relocated to Hamilton in May 2022 after being evicted from their long-term home at Broadwood Stadium, released a statement on Thursday night clarifying their position amid mounting rumours about their stadium situation.
This latest development follows a turbulent period for the Scottish League Two side. Clyde had played at Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld since 1994, but their tenure came to an abrupt end just before the end of the 2021-22 campaign when North Lanarkshire Council refused to extend their lease beyond the summer of 2023.
That came off the back of a high-profile saga involving striker David Goodwillie, who returned to the club on-loan from Raith Rovers. He was then banned from Clyde's home ground and the lease agreement was terminated early.
The council's decision forced Clyde to find a new home, leading to their current groundshare arrangement with Hamilton Academical at New Douglas Park, which was intended to provide stability for the club over a five-year period.
However, according to the club's latest update, despite having a legally binding agreement in place until 2027, they have been unable to secure assurances from Hamilton Academical that the arrangement will continue beyond the current season.
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It read: "As a result of circumstances beyond our control, an element of uncertainty has arisen over our continuing tenure at New Douglas Park. This has been resulted in rumours beginning to circulate which the board of Clyde Football Club wish to address.
"Firstly, the background to this situation needs to be made clear. The club signed a legally binding agreement with Hamilton Academical in 2022 to play home matches at New Douglas Park for a period of five years. Clyde FC has the right, stipulated in the agreement, to withdraw at the end of the current season, but Hamilton Academical has no equivalent right to terminate the agreement before it concludes in 2027.
"In February of this year, and in accordance with the terms of the agreement, Clyde FC submitted written confirmation to our hosts that we were continuing our tenancy at New Douglas Park. Formally, that remains our position.
"However, in spite of our best efforts we have been unable to get clarity and assurance from Hamilton Academical that the agreement between the clubs will prevail beyond the current season. In fact, we have an informal indication of the contrary.
"This is an increasingly complex situation which we will not want to escalate by having it play out in public, but we have an obligation to our support to reassure them that every effort is being made on our part to resolve this impasse in the best interests of our club."
The situation remains fluid, with Clyde supporters now anxiously waiting to see if their club can secure their medium-term future at New Douglas Park or whether they will be forced to search for yet another home ground in the near future.
Clyde previously ground-shared with Patrick Thistle prior to their 22-year tenure in Cumbernauld and their small but passionate fanbase have build up a reputation as "the Gypsy Army" due to their nomadic status.
