A Non League club in Buckinghamshire will stay in the same division for the following season despite earning a promotion.

Risborough Rangers FC, who recently finished second in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division (the ninth tier of English football), were informed by the FA before their final match of the season on Saturday [April 23], that regardless of their tremendous campaign, playing at a higher level had been denied.

The Reds secured a place in the Isthmian League [the eighth tier of English football] at the start of this month and have spent much of the season in the table's top two spots.

However, speculation arose when it was revealed that the club’s current facilities at their B.E.P Stadium in Horsenden would not match the Football Association’s [FA] requirements of being an eighth-tier side.

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The main issue is that Rangers do not currently have a ‘family stand’ at the stadium, and would therefore need one to be built in time for the following season (2022/23).

A planning application was submitted to Buckinghamshire Council in August 2021, but funding for the development was still scarce, despite having a grant given to them by the FA.

Bucks Free Press: What the final league table looks like. Hadley will be promoted at Risborough's expenseWhat the final league table looks like. Hadley will be promoted at Risborough's expense

This led to the club creating a Go Fund Me page to encourage locals, fans, groundhoppers and members of the public to raise £10,000 which would have gone to the building the new stand, but only £2,256 had been raised.

The decision was kept under wraps by the club ahead of their title decider against top-of-the-table New Salamis on April 23, meaning that even if Risborough had defeated the London-based side to clinch the championship, promotion would still not take place.

Ultimately, Rangers were defeated 2-0 in front of their biggest home crowd of the season in 410.

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In a statement that the club published on April 23, they said: “Risborough Rangers is bitterly disappointed that the FA has upheld its decision not to allow the club promotion to Step 4 (in the Non League pyramid/eighth tier of English football), because of its ground grading.

“The club had less time in which to complete the required works because of the FA’s late announcement last summer about Rangers’ promotion to Step 5.

“The club also faced significant delays with its planning application which was only granted in Match 2022, despite being submitted in August last year.”

Throughout the course of the season, Risborough Rangers made national headlines due to their brilliant on-the-field displays.

The club overtook Arsenal’s 49 game unbeaten league run in December 2021, eventually suffering defeat for the first after 52 league matches – one short of Bayern Munich’s record of 53.

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Rangers also took the FA Cup by storm as their winning goal against Lydney Town in August was voted the best in that round.

Their statement continued: “The club has Planning Approval.

“It has an FA grant, and it gad contracts with builders and suppliers for the work to be carried out, which will be completed by no later than May 31.

“The FA’s decision not to allow the club a short extension of eight weeks, which would have no impact on the start of the new season, is an example of the gap between the FA’s rhetoric about supporting grassroots football and the reality.

“Promoting teams based on their facilities rather than their performances on the pitch undermines the integrity of the game.”

The club confirmed they had also lost its appeal, with Hadley FC taking their place.