Tuesday 29th April 2025
Royal Wootton Bassett Town were delighted to host visitors from Dutch partner club FC 's-Gravenzande from Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 April with our guests enjoying a highly successful, action-packed England Tour.
Just a fortnight after three of Bassett's youth teams had travelled to the continent for the annual Holland Tour, members of FC 's-Gravenzande's Under 14 and 15 and Under 15 Girls teams made the trip in the opposite direction, coming to these shores for the first time in eight years.
After travelling through Belgium and France, the 's-Gravenzande tour party took the ferry to Dover before stopping off in London on their journey to Wiltshire for a fascinating tour of Chelsea's Stamford Bridge ground. Arriving at the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground in the early evening, the tour party then met the host families who would be putting them up for the duration of their visit.
Day two on Friday began with a light training session on the AGP before the tour party departed to Bath for some sightseeing and shopping.
The highlight of the day were the three friendly fixtures against Bassett sides in the evening. An exciting round of action saw the Under 15 Blues record an impressive 7-0 victory against Bassett's Dutch guests. Joe Waller led the way with a hat trick while Declan Czornyj, Dexter Lyall, Corey Madziyire and Ewan McGeachie completed the scoring There was a 3-0 defeat for the Under 15 Girls while the Under 14 Blues drew 0-0 in a feisty affair.
Following the matches all enjoyed a social evening in the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground clubhouse. Over food and drinks, the players, staff and host families mingled, while plans were even hatched over some light refreshments for a possible future Veterans tour...
The final full day of the trip on Saturday saw the tour party venture to the south coast where they enjoyed a full tour of Southampton's Academy facilities - arranged through Bassett stalwart Jeremy Newton. They then got to take in Premier League action, watching from the stands as Fulham came from behind to beat the Saints. Following a pit stop at McDonalds on the way back, they then spent a final night with host families.
Sunday saw an early start as Bassett bid farewell to their visitors ahead of their long journey back to the Netherlands.
Commenting on the visit, RWBTFC Vice Chairman Pete Yeardley said:
"After a break of eight years, it was great to welcome players, managers and committee from FC 's-Gravenzande for a brief but action packed weekend visit."
"It is always welcome to reciprocate in any small measure the fantastic hospitality our club always receive on our annual trip to Holland. Safe to say, the Dutch appreciated the warm welcome, competitive matches and hospitality shown by everyone."
"I would like to take this opportunity to particularly thank the following people."
"The Host families without whose support this trip would not have happened. I know that the shared experiences were appreciated by the Dutch and English children alike (though we're not sure about their tastes in music…)"
"Jeremy Newton of Southampton FC - a club stalwart who came up trumps yet again in providing the Dutch group a full tour of the Saints' Academy and match tickets for the Fulham game."
"Claire and all the Royal Wootton Bassett Sports Association staff for giving up the club facilities and providing endless cups of coffee."
"Erk Ates and Tony Gleed who catered for, and cleaned up after, up to 120 people for several days - a fantastic achievement."
"The Hosting Committee both at our club and FC 's-Gravenzande - thanks to their combined efforts the tour ran as per schedule and can be considered a resounding success."
"As the late Chris Kirkland stressed, the purpose of our visits to Holland and FC 's-Gravenzande's latest trip to England is to build 'friendship through football'. And that was certainly achieved, with memories created for those taking part from both clubs."
Last modified on Tuesday 29th April 2025 at 17:29.