Team Bath Quit

The college sports team is a standard feature of American life and is particularly important in sports such as American football and basketball. So it was no surprise that when an American vice-chancellor arrived at Bath University, he decided to set up a soccer team called Team Bath. Originally they played on the campus but more recently they have played at Bath City’s ground at Twerton Park. They are currently mid-table in the Conference South but have decided to resign at the end of the season and return to university football.

The college sports team is a standard feature of American life and is particularly important in sports such as American football and basketball. So it was no surprise that when an American vice-chancellor arrived at Bath University, he decided to set up a soccer team called Team Bath. Originally they played on the campus but more recently they have played at Bath City’s ground at Twerton Park. They are currently mid-table in the Conference South but have decided to resign at the end of the season and return to university football. Team Bath created history in 2002 when they became the first university team to reach the FA Cup first round. It was always their ambition to reach the Football League, although even for the derby with Bath on Saturday the crowd was under 500 (the city has a strong rugby team).

However, because they do not own their ground, the highest they could go is the Blue Square Premier. The Football League insists that clubs own their grounds, something that has posed a challenge recently for Kettering, although they have dropped back down the Conference anyway. The decision will hit Bath City who will have to cut their budget because of the loss of rent. The Romans also have training facilities up the hill at the university. When Team Bath was formed there was some criticism of taxpayers’ money being used to fund a semi-professional side competing with other non-league sides. However, any university worth its salt these days has a substantial stream of income that does not come from the public purse.