FRESHFORD United secretary Ruth Fulton is hoping the next chapter of her club’s rich history will be one to savour after their brand new clubhouse opened its doors last weekend.

The Trowbridge & District League club was founded in 1957 by Fulton’s father Henry Brown, who negotiated the purchase of the land that would become Brown’s Park 20 years later.

Freshford’s new £130,000 facility was paid for by the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, which is delivered by the Football Foundation, and was used for the first time on Saturday as United maintained their 100 per cent start to the season with an 8-0 win over FC Trowbridge.

“My dad used to be involved with the cricket club and was quite prominent at the church. There were a lot of people that looked to him to try and set up a football club and that’s how we got started,” said Fulton.

“He told me that back in those days, we were pretty much sharing a field with the cows and, in 1977, that was when he found a home and helped pay for it with a loan of £1,000 from the FA.

“It was named Brown’s Park after him and the history of the club is something that I’m very proud of. I took over from him as secretary in 1996 and my husband Hughie was a player and then the manager, up until last season.

“It’s always been the ambition to have something like this and when the scouts left, we asked to take their hut over because there was no one to maintain it.

“The building work started at the beginning of the year but it didn’t take that long because the frame of the building was already there.

“We’ve got home and away changing rooms, showers and toilets, a room for the referees, a kitchenette and a balcony for people to go out onto.”

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