A group of sports clubs and schools will table a bid for a Teddington sports ground that Harlequins RFC are also believed to be interested in.

The playing fields in Udney Park Road, owned by Imperial College London (ICL), have been put up for sale after the university scaled back its use of the site last year.

The group of sports clubs and schools includes Teddington Athletic Football Club, Stanley Primary School, Teddington School and Teddington Cricket Club, as well as Turing House School, which could be based nearby on a temporary basis.

Teddington football club, which runs 28 football teams for 400 children, has put together the formal declaration of interest to estate agent Knight Frank, which is handling the bid process.

Trustee for the club, Bob Smith, said building on the site would be illogical because sports facilities are desperately needed in the area.

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He said: "Our waiting list is biased towards younger kids who need to get playing and enthused about sport, but we are having to turn them away because of the lack of space."

He added: "Rationally, it should never be built on as it makes no sense to build on a sports field when the community is so desperate for the facilities.

"The structure we have got in mind is to create an entity that exists for the purpose of sustaining the playing fields."

MP for Twickenham Vince Cable has backed Teddington Athletic’s bid, which would see the site used for multiple sports including cricket and hockey.

He said: "The proposal has been well thought through and the club has a business plan to make the scheme viable."

A spokesman for Imperial College said it was not close to making any decisions over the future of the site.

He said: "The process of investigating interest has only just started with a number of organisations expressing declarations of interest which will now be reviewed.

"Imperial College expects to have a clear understanding of the types of interest in the Teddington site later this spring.

"Before any decisions are made the college will continue to liaise with local stakeholders."

More information about the bid at teddingtonsportsground.com.