The Playing Fields

Broadmayne has a small playing field adjacent to the village hall. The field, which is owned by the parish council, is a great asset to the village. The Broadmayne Playing Field Association is responsible for its maintenance and improvement. The former title of Broadmayne and West Knighton Playing Field Association was changed in 1997 to avoid confusion with West Knighton Village Green, which is managed separately, but the constitution makes it clear that the playing field is for the benefit of both villages.

The Association is run by a small but enthusiastic committee of volunteers. Since 1998 the field has not been used for adult football matches. This followed a ruling by the Dorset Football Association that the field is below regulation size for league games. The village investigated an exchange of land with a local farm company, to provide more playing field space. This was dropped after residents raised concerns about possible housing development. Broadmayne Football Club has sadly now been disbanded, after many years. Fortunately youth teams continue to play on the field.

Many improvements have been made over recent years. In 1993 the children's play area was provided with a large timber climbing frame at a cost of £8,000, a quarter of which was raised by village effort. In 1997, the tennis court was completely refurbished and a basketball practice area created. Some of the funding for this project was provided by the Lottery Sports Fund, but again village support, primarily by a group of keen tennis players, played an important part.

Mike Denham