Sheppey United are about to enter a bright new dawn with the installation of floodlights at the club’s Holm Park ground.

The six, 15-metre columns have been ordered and are due to be in use by mid-December.

The lights, which cost about £70,000, have been funded by co-chairmen Matt Smith and Ernie Batten, with a significant donation from the Football Foundation.

Mr Smith is appealing for ideas from the public on how best to commemorate the big switch-on at the Queenborough Road venue.

He said: “It could be that people want us to play a match against an old rival like Sittingbourne.

“So I’d like the community to give us thoughts on what they want to see or who they would like us to play. It will be the first time since the late 1980s the football club and Island have had a ground of their own to be proud of.”

Holm Park is Sheppey’s first permanent base since the club’s old ground, Botany Road, was sold for housing in the early 1990s.

With the team currently battling for promotion from the Kent Invicta League, Mr Smith said the floodlights represent a significant step towards his goal.

He said his and Mr Batten’s twin ambition is to secure success on the pitch and ensure the club connects to a wider audience, not just fans of the so-called “beautiful game”.

“By the end of December we will have the ground grading to stay in the Kent Invicta League with a view to progressing to the next level, the South East Counties League – the old Kent League,” he said.

“It’s fantastic the Football Foundation has backed us this way, I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done for the Island. Rather than being just a football ground, I hope it’ll become a facility which everyone can engage with.”

As well as enabling the senior side to play night matches, the floodlights mean Sheppey Sunday League cup finals can also be staged at Holm Park.

A further sign of progress occurred last month with the positioning of a 50-capacity temporary stand alongside the pitch.

Mr Smith said: “The floodlights have hinged columns, which means, even though it’s not a planning condition, they can be brought down in the close season. As regards any further development, we will always involve and interact with local residents.”