AFTER 14 years in exile, Dartford Football Club will be coming home on November 11 when the £6.5m Princes Park Stadium opens for the team’s first home match.

Darts fans, who were told the official opening date at the August 21 fixture in Thurrock against Molesey, were celebrating when the news broke, following weeks of speculation.

Co-chairman Dave Skinner said: “The whole of the club is on the boil at the moment - everyone is bubbling, with events on and off the field.

“We are getting our own home, and the team is doing so well at the moment.”

Details concerning the plans for the opening remain scant, but Dartford council leader Jeremy Kite hopes to stage a weekend of celebrations at the stadium, starting with a dinner on the evening of November 10 for all those involved in the construction of the venue.

The following day, on November 11, Cllr Kite plans to hold a Remembrance Day service in Watling Street, at the site of the club’s former ground, incorporating the unveiling of a plaque marking the spot.

Invitations will be sent out to veterans, inviting them to the first home match of Dartford FC in 14 years.

They will join die-hard fans and families alike to watch the Darts do battle against Horsham YMCA on a pitch which is turning rival clubs quite literally green with envy.

Confirmed highlights of the day include the introduction to the crowd of two musketeers, D’art-agnan and Dart-os (the new stadium mascots), plenty of fireworks, VIPs, fans, new works of public art and, naturally, bags of atmosphere.

Cllr Kite said: “The FA has told us that the stadium is something special, and it does represent something special in new small stadiums. This place has a real warmth about it.”

It was originally hoped that the stadium would be open in time for the first match of the season, but that date was put back to September.

The second delay, from September to November, was the result of health and safety requirements which needed to be fulfilled before the grand opening.

A TWO-PAGE SPECIAL REPORT APPEARS IN THE CURRENT EDITION OF THE DARTFORD MESSENGER