Tankerton FC New Grounds
Fundraising Case for Support
Vision: two sentences, what difference will this completed project make to the community
A hub for the community offering the opportunity to explore nature, engage in physical activity and
sport, and to increase mental health and well-being.
Offering a permanent home ground and sport throughout the year for around 25 teams involving
over 300 children and 100 men and women.
The Problem:
Most junior football clubs with more than a handful of teams have aground they can call their own.
Tankerton FC is probably one of the largest clubs in Kent that does not. Until now the club has used
the fields of a local holiday park, Seaview, for practise and matches at the weekends and when there
is sufficient evening light. The fields at the holiday park however are not designed to be used as
football pitches. They are on a flood plain and within 6-8 weeks of the start of the season are
waterlogged and cannot be used often until late spring, leading to matches being cancelled or the
Tankerton FC teams having to travel long-distances to play at other teams’ home grounds, playing
“away” to other teams more frequently than they would need to if there was a suitable home ground.
Even in the summer the time at the ground is limited because of the increased use of the park by
holiday makers. In addition, the growing number of children and young people who are members of
Tankerton FC (currently over 350) means that there is now insufficient space at the holiday park to
accommodate all of the teams who practice and have matches each week.
There is also a genuine risk that the holiday park may want to expand the static caravan provision onto
the land that the club uses.
Our plan:
In Canterbury City Council’s 2014 Local Plan a piece of land close to the holiday park (on the B road
between Whitstable and Herne Bay) was identified for the specific provision of football pitches. In
2016, Tankerton FC’s planning permission application for 8 pitches, a clubhouse and associated
facilities was approved. Since then a dedicated project team have developed a thorough plan, which
when implemented will offer the club’s 350+ players a fantastic ground with pitches they’ll be able to
play on all year round. Being a community club and registered charity Tankerton FC were also keen
that the grounds would be a location for the whole community, of all ages, to use, and have included
in their proposals the development of a nature reserve that local schools can use, engaging in activities
such as pond dipping, as well as enjoying the other on site facilities.
How will you overcome the problem so you can achieve your vision?
The problem of not having a place to own and call our own will be overcome through the
development of the identified land to the East of St Augustine’s Business Park between Whitstable
and Herne Bay. The development will include 8 new football pitches (built to FA and Sport England
specification with full drainage), building a club house with a meeting/education room, and
associated facilities, an access road and car park, and a nature reserve.
By having our own grounds, Tankerton FC’s 25 teams will have an exciting, new, welcoming, fit-forpurpose place to play the game they love with their team mates. All with the reassurance that this is
not all based on a gentleman’s agreement and that the club and charity, and their home, is secure
for the foreseeable future. They will have a physical base within their community, it will add to their
sense of cohesive identity. Training and matches will be able to take place every week without the
need to cancel due to waterlogged pitches, so will save coaches, parents and children/young people
time and energy.
The wider community will have a hub; TFC is a club where everyone is welcome and encouraged to
join in football, with the core values promoted. Our goal is to help everyone whatever their age,
gender, race, religion, ethnicity, ability or disability to maximise opportunities and open doors in life
whether that be on the sporting field, in school, college or university or even in the work place, using
the power of sport to challenge adversity, to offer opportunity and to give everyone a chance to
develop whilst ensuring people’s welfare and enjoyment remains a priority in all that we do. And with
a permanent base and centre for activities this is so much more possible.
And once it is developed it will become self-sustaining with the club house and facilities able to
generate income to ensure that they are maintained and utilised to the full for the benefit of
everyone. We envisage community groups able to use the premises for yoga, pilates, judo, coffee
mornings, meetings, etc.
Having a permanent base will also mean we will have a home for our very successful boot room
where we actively invite players from all clubs to donate outgrown nearly new boots and for anyone
wanting a pair to come and see what we have. Many families have been very grateful for this
service. Do we want this level of detail?
In addition to the playing fields, the ground offers a nature reserve which will be available for
schools and other local community groups to come and visit to experience and learn about the
variety of flora and fauna on their doorstep.
Outcomes
This project will transform a derelict, overgrown and inaccessible piece of scrubland into an area of
green fields and pitches, managed natural vegetation and wildlife ponds and a centre, hub and hive
of activity for local communities with a benefit that stretches far across the County and potentially
internationally.

The provision of physical and mental healthy activity for people of all ages.

a hub for the community

To provide both the facilities for sport and for the study of the natural environment

Ability to attract youth involvement and participation in the running of the club and to offer
opportunities to help them with their education and development of life skills.

The ability to grow and diversify the number of volunteer helpers and to improve local
partnerships and to establish ourselves in the local community
Costs
The costs for the project come in at just over £1m plus VAT, but through working with the local
authority we are hoping to offset the Vatable element of the project.
Creating new pitches will cost c£350k
Creating a new entrance and access road and car parking around £250k
Club house £475k
Working with our partners and funding bodies we have already raised over £250k, have offers of work
in kind estimated at £150k, a supported funding bid for £500k, and have started work on the site. And
we have started to deliver.
Unfortunately like many other charities and organisation COVID has severely hampered our
fundraising this year at a crucial time leaving around a £150-200k shortfall.
“Why Now?”
The physical space for our new grounds is available now and ready to be developed. We have over
350 children and young people who gain so much from playing football each week, from being part
of a team, the encouragement they receive, the challenge, the physical exercise, etc…
The holiday park
Why is it important to solve the problem now? Every campaign needs a sense of urgency.
TFC’s Call to Action.
What can a donor do to help solve the problem and achieve the vision?
How can they give and at what levels?