THINGS have changed a little at Trowbridge Rugby Club since Mike James joined as a 15-year-old in 1963.

"Can you believe it, these days we get 3rd XV players turning up regularly for training," he says, to emphasise his point.

Even bigger changes are now planned as the club prepare to move to a new stadium.

Green Lane has been the club's headquarters since 1962, but club spokesman James says the club must move on to protect the future.

"We have quite simply outgrown the facilities at Green Lane and we need a new stadium," he added.

Club officials have spent the last eight years looking for a possible new home and believe they have now found one, opposite Paxcroft Farm in Devizes Road, Hilperton.

If the planning process goes smoothly the new ground could be open by September 2006, in time for the club's 75th anniversary.

The new stadium would include all-weather floodlit training areas, gymnasium, physiotherapy room, two bars and parking spaces for 200 cars.

Four pitches will be provided, one to county standard, and a dedicated junior playing area.

The plan is to build 74 houses at the Green Lane site to pay for the new ground.

Trowbridge Rugby Club was founded in 1931 and moved to Green Lane in 1962.

During the last 40 years developments have caught up with the club and the ground is now almost surrounded by housing. This means it is no longer adequate for three men's senior teams, a ladies' under 17s team and over 250 youngsters who play for the colts, juniors and minis.

James said: "We have long outgrown our current facilities and had we not identified a new ground, there was a real risk that some of the junior sections would fall by the wayside due to lack of sufficient playing and training areas.

"Two years ago we had 135 members in the junior section, now we have 350.

"We are very excited about this new venture and, assuming everything goes ahead as planned, would be very interested in talking with other sports organisations in Trowbridge about sharing the new facility."

But James was quick to discount any idea of Trowbridge Town Football Club, who are also looking for a new ground, sharing the facilities.

He said: "The two clubs have their own agendas and I don't think a sharing arrangement would work for either of us."

Long-term, James seems the new stadium as vital to the club's future success.

"We want to be a successful club and with this new ground I think we could develop to rival Chippenham and Salisbury as the best club in Wiltshire.

"I would like to think we could eventually reach the South West One League, which is the one Chippenham have just been promoted to."

But James ruled out the club ever moving into the National League structure or going professional or semi-professional.

Architectural consultant Peter Grist, of Warminster, who was commissioned to design the new clubhouse, said: "The field and pavilions have been designed to Sport England specifications and we have taken great care to ensure it all blends in to the surroundings in which it will be built.".

"If the planning application goes through with no problems, the critical pitch preparation work could start this autumn."