THINGS may not have quite gone to plan for Middlesbrough Football Club on the field at the weekend, but its off-the-field ambitions could soon become the talk of the sporting world.

An astonishing scheme revealed last night would see the biggest golf course in Europe - and one of the largest in the world - take shape at Rockliffe Hall, in Hurworth Place, near Darlington.

At 7,785 yards, the 18-hole championship course would eclipse the Wynyard club, near Billingham, Teesside, which hosted the Seve Trophy last year.

As well as being a golfers' paradise, the scheme would see the first five-star hotel in the region, banqueting and conference halls, a luxury spa and well-being centre, apartments, Turkish baths and three restaurants.

A detailed blueprint will be lodged with Darlington Borough Council by the end of the month and, if planning consent is secured, construction work could start this summer.

Nearly 250 jobs could be created in construction and a further 220 once the 63-bed hotel is open by early 2009.

The proposals to renovate the disused 19th Century hall, under the umbrella of Rockliffe Hall Developments, were revealed to the public at Hurworth Grange Community Centre last night.

Club officials and architects pledged that the proposals, which are the brainchild of Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson, would put the regional firmly on the international sporting map.

It is hoped that the golf course could ultimately rival Wynyard in playing host to the game's international stars.

Warwick Brindle, of Rockliffe Hall Developments, said: "We have set a target to say that's what we would like to do event-ually. It's not the primary target, but it's something we would aspire to. If we got a big event once every five years, we'd be very happy.

"The challenge we set for our designers, Hawtree, who do a lot of championship golf courses, was that we wanted to make it one of the most challenging courses for the top players."

Guy Holmes, a director of architects Browne Smith Baker, said creating the course on a flood plain had proved an immense challenge.

"We have to accept floods and deal with them, and let the water go out sensibly. It's been a very involved engineering exercise," he said.

He added: "Come the 2012 Olympics, there's going to be a lot of international teams wanting such quality sports and spa facilities. There are huge opportunities here."

The hotel, which the club hopes will become one of the finest in the country, would have 18 self-contained apartments.

Further plans to build 26 houses within the Rockliffe estate were also unveiled last night.

Mr Holmes said: "Mr Gibson was adamant that there are some great hotels around and this has to be the best."

Proceeds from the housing development would be reinvested in the restoration of the hall, under regulations set out by English Heritage.

Mr Brindle said: "People have asked 'why here?'. But we're 15 minutes from the Yorkshire Dales, 20 minutes from a beautiful coastline and the moors, and 40 minutes from Newcastle. It's a fantastic setting."