Hendon FC could be playing at Copthall by October.

Chairman Ivor Arbiter said yesterday: "That is one of our hopes. If everything clicks, then maybe even before then."

The planning meeting regarding the development of the club's Claremont Road ground is due to take place next month. Should everything go to plan, they could be given the green light to move to the Mill Hill stadium.

Mr Arbiter also revealed this week that the club have been making annual losses of between £150,000 and £170,000 for the past seven or eight seasons on the football side alone. These figures do not include unexpected additional costs off the pitch.

Last season, the gate receipts only covered 20 per cent of the playing budget, a factor that influenced the recent decision to reject a move up to the new Conference South division, where players' wages are likely to be even higher.

Although Hendon will receive a substantial figure from the development of Claremont Road, much of the money will have to go towards repaying loans made by the Arbiter Group to keep the club afloat.

Mr Arbiter said some of the cash would also have to be used to bring Copthall up to Ryman League standards, although he did not want to be drawn on the exact financial details of the proposed move.

Copthall will be run by a charitable trust, made up of representatives of Hendon FC and Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers athletics club, who are already based at the stadium. One of the latter's members former international athlete David Bedford joined the Hendon FC board last week.

The trust will have a 25-year lease and pay only a nominal rent to Barnet Council. The Hendon board believe getting more fans to games is the key to future financial stability and agree the move to a new stadium will be one way of achieving this.

Hendon coach Warren Kelly and reserve team manager John Morris have followed former manager Dave Anderson and assistant boss Jon Turner to AFC Wimbledon.