Local Football

Wokingham and Emmbrook FC winning the Reading Evening Post Senior Cup last season
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The final whistle for Cantley Park?

By Victoria Corbett
October 09, 2009

The town’s premier football team are facing relegation from Wokingham after a deal to secure their long-term future at Cantley Park was rejected.

After more than three years of negotiations and angry exchanges from objecting residents, Wokingham and Emmbrook Football Club have been told by Wokingham Borough Council a 20-year lease for the land in Twyford Road will not be signed.

'Town club should be in town' - Mark Ashwell

And without the Cantley Park ground in place, the club will be forced to move out of the borough to find a ground that meets Football Association standards – possibly as far away as Windsor.

The club are baffled by the council’s U-turn on support for their bid to take over the Twyford Road ground and improve facilities, particularly after three years of public forum meetings and partnership working.

Hundreds of children and adults play for the club every week.

Their premier team are at the top of the Hellenic League Division One but hope to qualify for the Premier Division.

But to play in that division, the first team need to provide a ground with floodlights and a 250-seat stand to comply with Football Association standards, a project that will cost around £100,000.

The under-18s play in the Allied Counties, the top division in the south of England, but have been playing in Tilehurst and this season will be nomadic.

Cantley Park - years of controversy

When the club’s project to expand from its ground in Lowther Road, Emmbrook, to Cantley began in 2006, it had the full backing of the council, including promises of funding.

But last year, the club suffered a blow when the council announced it could no longer provide funding for the project, but wished the club well in making their own funding bid.

The council has now withdrawn its support for the project further, saying it will not agree to a lease, which the Football Foundation requires in order to accept a funding bid.

The project’s downfall began when Paul Turrell, deputy chief executive of the council, was made redundant earlier this year.

He had been the key contact for the football club and had helped draw up a lease, which other council officers have since vetoed as being unacceptable.

Last week Mark Moon, general manager for place and neighbourhood services, said it would not be appropriate for the “crown in Wokingham’s open space” to be dedicated to one private club.

He said: “Wokingham and Emmbrook Football Club are continuing to operate at Cantley Park, we are just not prepared to enter into a 20-year lease”

He added: “I hope Wokingham football club stay in Wokingham.

"We continue to support them and work with them. We are quite happy to work with them to keep them at Cantley on a remedial short-term basis or help them with their Lowther Road ground.”

He denied the reason for being unwilling to commit to the lease was a team of developers has asked to include Cantley Park in the north Wokingham major development location for housing.

Land north of Wokingham is earmarked to take 1,500 homes by 2026.

The council is awaiting a draft report from a planning inspector on its plans for the homes, which will set out whether the developers’ bid to include Cantley in the north Wokingham site should be allowed.

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Mealy mouthed words from fifth rate politicians. Clearly Wokingham does not deserve any kind of reasonable sport. Perhaps when the obese young waddle between bed and the computer game, they will realise was they have lost

OTT
2/11/2009 at 15:07

When Wokingham Town left Finch. Rd they groundshared with Egham Tn for a while. Due work commitments I had to leave the area shortly after this period but am saddened and amazed at how this saga has dragged on for so many years with no apparant support from the local council. Nothing has obviously changed with this shower(the council) and i can assure you that this situation would have been resolved under many a less affluent council elsewhere in the country. The fact that the club that i once held so dear have managed to keep their heads successfully above water and even flourished is a credit to all involved. Good luck!

Dave V., Swindon
14/10/2009 at 18:29

Earley Dawes, the situation Wokingham & Emmbrook find themselves in is a knock-on from the over-investment made at Wokingham Town in the late 90s, but I believe Mark Ashwell has tried everything he possibly can to try and rebuild the club from the bottom up. However, for whatever reason, the council are unwilling to match his support - they are an utter disgrace and should be ashamed of themselves. With child obesity (reportedly) on the rise, they seem determined to make Wokingham a sport-free borough. I'm sure there is an alterior motive with the council as to what the land at Cantley will be used for, but W&E could be the first of many clubs to suffer. Just think of how many youth and senior football matches (both mens and ladies) are played at Cantley at a weekend from Saturday morning until Sunday afternoon. Cantley being used exclusively for one club??? Absolutely ridiculous statement.

LV Ranger
12/10/2009 at 11:31

I think that this goes to prove that some of the senior management of the football club have been wasting thier time over the past few years. By "courting" the council and joining every group/committee possible with the hope of securing a commitment and support via the back door has back fired.

forkin, wokingham
10/10/2009 at 07:33

What is Mark Moon going on about - why would this mean that Cantley would be dedicated to one private club. Why doesn't the council get off its backside and invest in Wokingham Hockey Club, re-develop the tennis courts, invest properly in the minority sports at cantley like the archery and improve the cricket facilites then hey presto you have a center of sporting excellence and development for the area that will motivate the young people of Wokignham to take part in a range of activities. No instead they hide behind the Wokingham N.I.M.B.Y.'s and refuse to invesst any money in sport & leisure in the borough. This comes less than three months after they closed all of the changing pavillions at local sports pitches!!!

Matt Whale
9/10/2009 at 16:27

When the town centre site was covered with houses a few years ago, what was the reason for this? Were the club kicked out or did they volunteer to go, hoping that they would be allowed to set up permanently in Cantley Park? Who made the money from this development? Why did the council allow this development without including a new site for the club? Some more history behind this story would be useful so that we less informed readers can decide where to cast our sympathy.

Earley Dawes
9/10/2009 at 13:20

It's disgraceful the way the Wokingham Council have messed the football club around since they left Finchampstead Road.

How can a town football team play away from the town itself?

How can the Lowther Road site be considered more acceptable than Cantley Park? Can someone really tell me that parking at Lowther Road will be better than Cantley?!

And all these residents who complained - how many of you have children that you'd like to see take part in some form of sport and exercise? It's not going to be football anymore once you've driven Wokingham to Windsor.

Wokingham & Embrook should be in Wokingham!

And as for the thought of building homes on Cantley Park...!!!

BinMan, Binfield
9/10/2009 at 11:30

someone has properly shafted the football club here.

After years of promises and talks someone somewhere has massively backtracked and left the football club homeless.

Top work Wokingham Council once again.