The St Sebastian’s Playing Field Trust Sports Club (SSPFTSC) is the name of the organisation which runs the facilities, a playing field and pavilion, on behalf of the charitable trust which owns them.
The Trust is endowed to promote sports and social activities to the benefit of the residents of the local and wider community.
This investment can be seen in the form of a well-maintained playing field and tennis courts and a combined pavilion and meeting room facilities.
SSPFTSC charges all users a fee for the use of either sporting or meeting facilities and these funds are channelled back into the maintenance and improvement of the site.
In this way the future of the site as a centre for sports and recreational activities is secured.
A resource for the community embedded in the community
The SSPFTSC was established in 1985 and now hosts Crowthorne and Crown Wood Cricket Club, Crowthorne Tennis Club and Crowthorne Archers together with yoga, Pilates and ante-natal classes, Bridge, Scrabble and Slimming World.
As a result, SSPFTSC caters for a very wide range of interests and all stages of life. The individual sports clubs have their own programmes of youth development, competition or league participation and social inclusion. It’s not uncommon for a family to have members who play tennis, Juniors in the cricket club and other family members who enjoy archery.
Join Us
If you run an activity which would benefit from the resources that SSPFTSC offers, or you have outgrown your current location we’d be glad to hear from you. This could be for as little as a committee room for periodic meetings or daytime sessions for craft or interest groups. We’re always open to requests which look for help with special resources required for activities in the form of furniture or soft furnishings.
Visit the Pavilion Lettings page for more details.
The land for St Sebastian’s Playing Field Trust was gifted to the local community by Lady Palmer in 1947, with the intention that it be used for sporting and leisure pursuits.
The Palmer family, who were Quakers, were close friends of the Clark family, founders of Clarks Shoes. The Palmers were also prolific patrons of the arts and supported numerous good causes, including Reading University and various charitable endeavours in and around Berkshire.
The family’s philanthropic legacy dates back to when George Palmer and his cousin began selling biscuits to coach travellers from a shop on London Road, Reading. Palmer Park, now a cherished part of Reading, was donated to the town by George Palmer in 1891.