A call to expand a Pembrokeshire village football club’s facilities to ensure its viability has been submitted to county planners.

Stephen Brown of Clarbeston Road Association Football Club seeks permission from Pembrokeshire County Council to extend car parking and to create a mini football pitch for junior football at the Graham Roberts Playing Field, Wiston Road.

A supporting statement through agent Ian Bartlett Planning and Architectural Services says: “The submitted scheme is required to sustain and ensure the viability of the existing Clarbeston Road AFC offer and community provision.”

It adds: “Clarbeston Road AFC has grown considerably in recent years and now has approximately 370 playing members pertaining to 25 teams. The club prides itself in prioritising local children for recruitment to the mini teams to sustain long term viability and community ethos. Players of all abilities are welcome, and the club has a pan-disability group serving a wider area. The girl’s section has scope for further growth and new recruitment is still taking place.

“The club holds FAW Platinum accreditation, the highest level, in recognition of the standards of governance, coaching and community outreach. In order to grow and improve the existing community offer, the submission seeks to increase parking provision to minimise occasional disruption to local residents from roadside parking when matches on the existing two pitches overlap.

“Despite efforts by the club to schedule games to avoid this, some occurrences of overlap are unavoidable to ensure all fixtures can be accommodated. Time constraints relating to the mini and junior fixtures result in matches having to be completed in a 3.5-hour window on Saturday mornings.”

It says the new mini-pitch “is in response to specific difficulties experienced recently with accommodating under 10 and 11 fixtures as there are four existing teams at this age group which cause stretch to the existing pitch offer when home games for more than two teams in these age groups are scheduled”.

It adds: “Provision of this extra mini pitch and associated parking, would address foreseeable needs and improve highway safety by reducing on street parking.”

The application will be considered by county planners at a later date.