Our Village
Intro
Tansley village is 1.5 miles east of Matlock in Derbyshire and has a population close to 1200.
As far as we know, the first Tansley football team started in 1927 (more on: History page). Our present club started as a football coaching session at Tansley Primary School on a Sunday morning in 1996. The Club entered it’s first team into the league the next year and has grown from that point.
Originally, the present Club played at Tansley Primary School and then Heathy Lea pitch on Nottingham Road, but in 2005 the Club moved to The Fete Field pitches and pavilion.
The Fete Field
This Fete Field development cost around £240,000 . This was a joint effort between the Tansley Parish Council and Tansley Juniors FC. The money was raised from The Football Foundation (£167,000) with significant contributions from Tansley Parish Council; WREN (now FCC Communities Foundation); village fund raising events (as the Tansley Development Association) and the family of Stuart Kirk.
Although, principally created for football, The Fete Field hosts many other village, school and private functions. It can be hired and used by contacting:
Dave Toplis
07970 694365
dtbuilders1965@gmail.com
Tansley Juniors FC’s Continued Contribution
Tansley Juniors FC remains the predominant user of the facility and pays about £1300 in “rent” annually, making them the largest contributor towards the facility running costs. Tansley Juniors FC has taken responsibility for mowing the grass and the preparation of the pitches. The Club also acts as the lead for cleaning the pavilion and, together with the Fete Field Committee, leads on any maintenance and repairs. Finally, the Club’s efforts support income generation from other facility users and this money goes to The Fete Field Committee and not to the Club.
Contributions from Tansley Parish Council and Tansley Fete Field Committee mean our pitches are situated in an idyllic location.
Maintaining the Pitches
Maintaining the pitches is a time consuming and costly business (at least £3000 annually). The Club applies for grants to help with the costs and these are based on a pitch report we request. The report is available here. You can see that the quality of the pitches has increased greatly and are rated now as “advanced/good.” Two of the Club Committee received an award at the Tansley Juniors FC Tournament to celebrate their success maintaining these pitches.
The Fete Field Committee
The Fete Field Committee was formed to manage day to day running of the facility, although The Fete Field is legally owned by Tansley Parish Council. The committee, which is made up of Tansley residents and representatives from Tansley Juniors FC and Tansley Parish Council, protects the interests of the neighbours and other Tansley Village residents and also acts as a forum for discussion between these parties. If you wish to get involved, contact us or the Parish Council.
