YORK City Knights are set to continue playing at Bootham Crescent next year - alleviating fears of a return to homelessness.

The Press revealed earlier this month that the Rugby Football League had demanded confirmation before the end of June of where the Knights would play next term, given their current deal to use York City's ground as part of the community stadium project expires at the end of this season.

The League One high-fliers were warned they would not be allowed promotion to the Championship if they had no use of a stadium that met the necessary standards, and even remaining in the third tier would be questioned if they ended up homeless again like in 2015, when they needed special dispensation to stage matches at Clifton Park and Heworth ARLC.

However, City of York Council has said new agreements had now been reached to allow James Ford's team to continue at Bootham Crescent as part of its stadium scheme - with just the legal paperwork needing to be finalised.

The rugby league club do not have an agreement directly with City to play there. Instead, they have an agreement with the council and the council in turn has an agreement with the football club to let them. The costs of the lodgings are covered by the community stadium budget.

A council spokesperson said: “City of York Council has agreements with York City and York City Knights relating to the use of Bootham Crescent.

"Officers have worked positively with staff at both clubs and an agreement, in principle, for the use of Bootham Crescent, until the end of 2017, has already been reached with both parties.”

A Knights spokesman said: "We're pleased to get the assurances that our agreement to play at the excellent Bootham Crescent ground will be extended until the end of the 2017 season."

The community stadium project has seen the rugby league club's old Huntington Stadium home demolished to make way for the planned new arena to be shared by both teams. Construction work on the oft-delayed venue is due to be completed by September 2018.

The Knights were initially told they would be able to play at Bootham Crescent until the new ground was ready. However, the council amended that agreement, allowing them to play there for only two years – 2015 and 2016 - prior to this new extension.

The club remained homeless in 2015 after a major falling-out between chairman John Guildford and the council's then community stadium team but have played at Bootham Crescent this year after new directors came on board to take over stadium negotiations from Guildford.

Bootham Crescent is the only ground in York that comes close to RFL regulations since Huntington Stadium was closed down at the end of 2014.

It does not meet one aspect of the criteria needed for the Championship – that the player's lounge must hold a minimum of 50 people – but, with use of the ground confirmed, the Knights can now apply for dispensation asking for time to work around that.