THE Gloucestershire FA have defended their decision to transform the clubhouse at Oaklands Park to a training centre for referees and coaches - even though that has led to the demise of Almondsbury Town, according to their chairman Bob Jenkins.

The Zamaretto Division One South & West side will withdraw from the Southern League at the end of the season with their lease set to run out at GFA headquarters and following their unsuccessful application to play at the Hallen Centre.

A GFA statement said: “We are disappointed that the club has not been successful in their discussions with other parties but we have been completely open with them over the past couple of years regarding our own plans and ambitions.

“Our main purpose as an organisation is to drive increased participation in football.

“As a direct result of the Oaklands Park refurbishment programme, we were able to host a team of four FA Tesco Skills Coaches.

“The team deliver football coaching in Primary Schools on a daily basis and also run the FA Tesco Skills Centres in St Bede’s School and the City Academy in Bristol.

“In the current academic year this team has coached 17,300 children across the county which we see as a major success as a direct result of the Oaklands Park refurbishment programme, in addition to meeting our own essential requirements for staff office space and the provision of training and meetings facilities.”

“In May 2009, we gave the club 12 months notice that we could no longer offer them any space in our building, but were happy for them to continue renting the football pitch and changing rooms.

“In April 2010, the club advised that they were leaving Oaklands Park to move to Clevedon Town FC and we began our search for new tenants.

“Four weeks later, Almondsbury Town asked if they could return for one year only as although they had decided to move away from Oaklands Park, they needed to play here in 2010/11 in order to be accepted into the Southern League.

“We were happy to agree and the club was given a 12 month lease.”

“We began a search for new tenants and by October 2010 we reached outline agreement with Winterbourne United and Roman Glass St George.”

However, Jenkins says the GFA left Almondsbury with no option but to search for a new ground after being evicted from the clubhouse and only being offered a short-term lease.

He said: “We asked in reference to building (a clubhouse) above the dressing room, which we could get a grant from the FA for a percentage towards, but you needed a ten-year lease.

“The GFA stated they didn’t know what their plans were and they could only offer a three-year lease so why would we want to invest in their property when there were no guarantees that we could stay there any length of time, hence the reason negotiations fell down and we looked to Clevedon.

“We made an agreement to play there (Oaklands Park) for one year but we weren’t given any opportunities to stay at our existing ground.

“We’ve done exactly what the GFA promote, bringing young lads in.

“We’ve got players like Marcus Mapstone, who’s been at the club since he was 15 and has made almost 350 senior appearances, and we’ve got 17, 18, 19-year-old boys.

“I think I can hold my head up high but I don’t think the GFA can, I think they’ve got something to live with. We’ve been going for well over 100 years and they’re prepared just to let it go and I’m quite surprised by that.”