Morecambe FC are braced for a pitch battle over land at the rear of the Globe Arena

For more than a year, the club and the charity’s trustees have been working hard on plans for one or the other to buy the all-weather pitches and buildings at the rear of the Globe Arena, which have been closed for several years.

However, in a move which has surprised the club and the charity, the administrators have put the facility up for auction.

Morecambe FC director Jason Whittingham said: “It is so important we bring this recreational venue back into use for the people of Morecambe.

“The site is complicated in that it shares all of its essential services with the club and uses access and parking which is in our ownership so we are ideally placed to make that happen and we are doing all we can to achieve it.”

Charity chairman Steve Wright added: “We have had surveys carried out on all aspects of the facility and whilst the pitches need quite a lot of work to meet acceptable standards, we believe we have funding support for most of that and most of the purchase price.

“We are trying to secure some match funding from a variety of sources to get us into a position where we can make a bid if necessary.

“Returning this site to the club will not only benefit the Football Club and Community Sports, but also the people of Morecambe.

“We are not just about football. We work with multiple sports. The building was originally designed to house a boxing gym and there is scope for more facilities to be built on site to make it an even better facility for everyone.”

The facility was built originally by Morecambe FC but placed into a separate company soon after completion.

That company later went into administration during the years when the control and ownership of the club was in dispute.

Graham Howse, Morecambe’s co-chairman along with Rod Taylor, is also a Morecambe Community Sports trustee.

He said: “Despite both parties speaking with the administrators, both were surprised to see the site being put out to auction without consultation or notice.

“But we are working closely to see if we can come to a suitable resolution that will benefit the club and the people of Morecambe.”