Football club loses appeal against division change

The FA told the club its appeal against the division change has failed

A football club expects its travel costs to soar after an appeal against a league change failed.

Thatcham Town finished eighth in the 21-team Isthmian League Division One South Central in 2023/24 but will compete in the Southern League South next season.

It appealed this move in May after raising concerns about the extra costs and time that would be needed to get to and from several expensive away fixtures in Devon and Cornwall.

The FA said last month that it allocated clubs to the "most geographically suitable league possible".

Thatcham Town finished eighth in the Isthmian League Division One South Central last season

Paul Ayres, the club's chairman, said: "We knew we weren't guaranteed to win the appeal but it's still come as a big disappointment."

He said it now faced making less money from ticket sales with fewer away fans expected to travel to Berkshire for matches.

Last season, Thatcham faced teams mostly from the west of London, Surrey and the M4 corridor, including Ascot United and Binfield.

“Expecting fans to be travelling 100, 200 miles is just not likely to happen so we can see a drop in attendances, which obviously is going to kick us financially,” Mr Ayres said.

But he added the club must now “move forward” and plan for next season.

He said the club would “streamline” and look for sponsorship to help manage the expected financial challenges.