Big Plans For Thame Football

A re-appraisal of Thame United?s playing level and ambitions could be on the cards if a proposed redevelopment of the Church Farm football pitches comes to fruition.
A delegation from the Football Association, Thame Boys and Thame United have gained the support of Thame Town Council to conduct a feasibility study into building more pitches, covered seating for 250 people, changing facilities and a club house on the site.
Part of the plan would be to accommodate all the town teams, including more girls’ teams, within an enlarged Church Farm space, and lower the sights of Thame United looking to accommodate only local Thame Lads and not buy players from London, etc. This is an approach apparently adoped recently by Cirencester.
Since the sudden closure of their club house and facilities in Windmill Road, Thame United has been playing its matches at Aylesbury United’s ground.

Currently, the town council owns part of the Church Farm site, leases the rest from Oxfordshire County Council and the rest is grazing land. At present the football facilities at Church Farm use six acres and would require 16 of the sites total of 22 acres for the new development.
For the progect to go ahead, the town council would have to acquire the rest of the land from the county council.

The Mayor, Cllr David Laver, called it a ?a laudable project? but asked if there was any chance of using the all weather pitch at Lord Williams’ school. But, apparently, such pitches are not acceptable to the FA.
Cllr David Bretherton said it was:?A brilliant idea and we should be supporting it.?
The Culture, Leisure and Recreation committee agreed unanimously to support the Feasibility study.