Kent County League Premier Division side Minster explain first-team’s decision to end ground-share agreement with Ramsgate at Southwood and to play at the Minster Recreation Ground again from the 2024/25 season

A football club’s first team will be back at their “natural home” next season.

Kent County League Premier Division Minster have spent a single campaign at Ramsgate’s Southwood ground.

While the facilities at the Minster Recreation Ground would not yet be of sufficient standard to continue progressing up
the football pyramid, that’s where they will return to for now, having opted against the terms set out for an extended Southwood stay.

A statement from chairman Colin Holden on Saturday read: “We wanted to confirm that our first team will be returning to our natural home at Minster for the 2024/25 season in the Kent County Football League Premier Division and explain the events leading up to this.

“While we initially discussed the potential of playing at Southwood for a longer term with Ramsgate FC back in December 2022, the ground-share agreement was for this first season 2023/24.

“During discussions in January in relation to the continuation of our tenure, Ramsgate FC confirmed that some additional conditions would need to be put in place for us to continue playing at Southwood.

“Our clubs both share a philosophy of being able to provide good levels of competitive football for young players from Thanet and the surrounding areas - that’s certainly not disputed.

“The condition that we could not accept was for Ramsgate FC to have some input within our club structure and an element of control of players coming into our squads - we would essentially become a feeder club.”

Holden revealed the 2023/24 season has seen the first batch of youth-team club players start progressing into Minster’s four senior squads.

He said: “This has been something we are very proud of.

“I should also add that if those youth players had the