A football team's clubhouse will be accommodating the faithful of a different kind, after a planning application was approved to convert it for use by an evangelical Christian denomination.

Kirk Deighton Rangers moved out of the premises on Wetherby Road in Kirk Deighton several years ago and now play in Wetherby itself. Since then, the clubhouse has been underused, and there was widespread support for the application for its conversion, which was submitted by the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (PBCC).

Of the 17 comments submitted by members of the public, 15 were in support.

The applicant, the Wetherby Road Gospel Hall Trust, bought the building on the open market on behalf of the PBCC.

The plans will see the premises converted to dual use. The single-storey building will retain its football changing rooms, playing field and car-park, but it will also become a place of worship. An air-source heat-pump will also be installed.

The building will be used by the PBCC for weekly services on Sunday mornings and Monday evenings, and for a monthly service on Sunday afternoons, attended by 34 regular attendees from 10 households.

The planning statement submitted with the application states that:

Who are the Plymouth Brethren?

The PBCC was founded almost 200 years ago and is a highly conservative denomination, whose members aim to live apart from mainstream society so as not to be corrupted by it. Traditionally, they have tended to avoid radio, television and the internet, and often preach in the street.

During church services, women cover their heads, do not pray audibly, and sit separately from men. They are expected to look after the home, while men are expected to be the providers. Children normally remain in the family home until they marry, usually within the fellowship.

Members believe that Christ will return to Earth at the Rapture, an event that "will terminate the reign of sin on the Earth".

The group claims more than 50,000 followers worldwide.