By Linda Bainbridge

DID you know there’s been a football team in St Neot, albeit sporadically, since the early 1920s?

In 2021, a casual conversation in the above hostelry resulted in the formation of a team to play football for fun on Monday evenings in the local Callywith League.

In three seasons the team were runners-up twice and won in 2023/24, buoyed by their success, the team members and others decided they would like to play more competitive football on Saturdays, in the St Piran League.

Callywith League training takes place Monday night at Callington Community College with ‘home’ matches played at Bodmin.

To play competitive Saturday football requires having our own home pitch.

At present the team has to pay to use pitches at Callington Community College. This is costly and time consuming for players travelling to training and matches, which would be greatly reduced if we had a pitch closer to home.

COVID-19 demonstrated the need for the availability of sports facilities in local communities. The benefits are well documented: social engagement, building community through sport, encouraging people of all ages and abilities, especially those who wouldn’t necessarily have the opportunity to participate in team games, developing team skills and sportsmanship, all resulting in a greater feeling of community and increased mental well-being.

A local farmer has generously offered to licence the use of part of one of his fields at Warleggan to enable development of a home pitch which could be used by all within the local communities.

We have had an agreement for the use of the site since January 1 this year.

However, it is essential that the agricultural land offered is brought to a specific playable standard approved by the Ground Management Association. Initial costs may well be between £2,000 to £2,600.

St Neot AFC team and supporters are fully committed to developing a community asset for the moorland communities which we believe will increase interest and participation in football for all. Whilst Callywith, and St Piran Leagues are men only, we have already been approached about the possibility of a women’s team, junior football club, and walking football. All things are possible, but not without a pitch!

Thanks to the generosity of our current sponsors, we can cover our costs this season, but we need to raise the anticipated costs of the work, until we are in a position to apply for more substantial funding to cover the expenses of developing the playing surface.

We need to get the process started urgently, so that St Neot AFC can have its inaugural home match at the start of the 2025/26 season.

The generosity of our sponsors, and community support has greatly assisted the development of the team over the past three seasons.

We are now looking for local sponsors who would be prepared to help with further costs and pitch preparation.