Sad decline of football club (From Witney Gazette)
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Sad decline of football club
10:00am Wednesday 6th March 2013 in Letters
Sir – I was really saddened to read of the demise of Witney Town FC (Gazette, February 20).
I well remember, when moving to Witney in 1977, the joyful realisation that the town had a decent team in the Southern League.
Indeed, they were so good that I think that a few years later they reached the equivalent of Conference level (i.e. just one rung below the Football League).
They had a nice little ground at Marriotts Close (although it was not good enough to allow them to progress to that higher league).
This ground was sold off to eventually make way for the Marriotts Walk shopping development and the money used to move up to what was then called Oakey Park on the Downs Road.
The future seemed rosy but sadly that marked a high point, for it appears to have been a downhill management spiral since then.
I would really like to know what happened to that money, for it now appears that there is nil in the coffers and the football club owns nothing.
Can those who were involved say just where all the cash went?
Phil Bloomfield, Woodstock Road, Witney
Comments(3)
richwitney
says...
7:58am Fri 8 Mar 13
with a new ground but no money.
The people of West Oxon benefitted to the tune of £5m+ as some astute foresight meant WODC bought the site at a knockdown price, and then sold it on at a massive profit for the Marriots Walk development.
Surely it's time for the council to provide a new football facility in the town using a small percentage of this windfall, as indeed other district councils do. Oxford City FC and Didcot Town FC have benefitted from support and investment in football from their councils.
If a new facility was provided, I'm sure the people involved in senior football in Witney would look to resurrect the club and start again. Kids and Ladies football would also benefit from such a top class facility.
It's sad that a town as prosperous as Witney doesn't have a football team to be proud of.
picto68
says...
8:41pm Sat 9 Mar 13
richwitney wrote:This is exactly what I have heard as well. Downs Road was only completed because the football club commitee had taken out insurance so the new stadium would be completed in the event of the developers going bust. Unfortunatly there was no surplus of cash. As richwitney states WODC must have made millions on the Marriotts Walk development, so just maybe some of that cash could be used to help reform a senior football club in Witney
I believe that when the old ground was sold, the developers (Western Counties) went bust, leaving the club
with a new ground but no money.
The people of West Oxon benefitted to the tune of £5m+ as some astute foresight meant WODC bought the site at a knockdown price, and then sold it on at a massive profit for the Marriots Walk development.
Surely it's time for the council to provide a new football facility in the town using a small percentage of this windfall, as indeed other district councils do. Oxford City FC and Didcot Town FC have benefitted from support and investment in football from their councils.
If a new facility was provided, I'm sure the people involved in senior football in Witney would look to resurrect the club and start again. Kids and Ladies football would also benefit from such a top class facility.
It's sad that a town as prosperous as Witney doesn't have a football team to be proud of.
YellowRose says...
8:46pm Thu 7 Mar 13