STEVENAGE Borough chairman Phil Wallace has decided to change the name of the club from Stevenage Borough FC to Stevenage FC. The change will take effect from Tuesday, June 1, and will mark an end to the name which has been used since the clubs formation

STEVENAGE Borough chairman Phil Wallace has decided to change the name of the club from Stevenage Borough FC to Stevenage FC.

The change will take effect from Tuesday, June 1, and will mark an end to the name which has been used since the clubs formation in 1976.

A lot of supporters have expressed their disapproval of the change on club message boards and forums but Wallace says he made the decision for the best interests of the club and the future.

He said: "In every decision that you make not everybody is going to be happy with it and they're not always going to agree but we think it's the best thing for this football club.

"It's served us well as a non-league club in the climb up the non-league pyramid and we shall always be 'The Boro' in recognition of our roots, but now it's time to look to the future.

"When the present club was reformed in 1976 it was as Stevenage Football Club and it was six months later that the word Borough was added to reflect the support given to the club by the local council at the time.

"Dropping the word Borough and rebranding, by taking the name of the town, just as Barnet, Watford, Fulham, Chelsea and many others have is the right thing for the future. The alternatives of 'Town', 'Athletic' and 'United' all have their problems so, bearing in mind our roots, simply being Stevenage Football Club that started it all off just seems right.