THE Olympic standard Earls Gymnastic Club is on the verge of leaving Halesowen for a new home in Netherton.

The club, where Olympic bronze medalist Kristian Thomas trains, has submitted a planning application to change a unit in Westminster Industrial Estate in Cradley Road into a state-of-the-art gym.

Longstanding problems concerning the club’s Earls High School home and a surge in new members after the heroics of Kristian in London 2012 has forced the club to move.

Club chairman Jon Caulwell confirmed the club will be relocating from its Earls home but promised the new premises will be no more than three miles away.

He said: “We are actively looking to move, we have to leave our current premises as our membership has grown even more since the Olympics.

“We have put an application for a change of use of the premises in Netherton but it is one of a number of options we are looking into at the moment.

“The priority has to be to keep the club alive and to progress and we need bigger premises to cater for all our members.”

British Gymnastics, the sport’s governing body, is part funding the new state-of-the-art gym which will allow the club’s 550 members to train around the clock.