Thatcham Tornadoes Football Club

04/10/2026

This car is blocking one of the access paths at Douai. If this is yours please move it asap. Thanks.

29/09/2026

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
INFANTS SCHOOLS FOOTBALL FESTIVAL
FRANCIS BAILY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Saturday 10th October 2026
(Set up Friday 9th October 2026)

Thatcham Tornadoes are running their Infant Schools Football Festival in October and do need some extra pairs of hands to help with set up.

We will be setting up on Friday once school is finished and need help with:
- set up the goals
- fence the pitches off (likely 2, possibly 3 pitches)
- set the admin tent gazebos up.
(we hope to be finished by 5.30/6pm)

On the day of the festival itself, we need help with
- car park marshalling (8am - 9.30am)
- volunteer referees for the 5v5 matches
- running the charity speedshot (if you can help for an hour, that would be great)
- car park marshalling (12.30pm - 1pm) ensuring everyone leaves safely
- packing goals/fencing away (start from 12 noon onwards)

If you can help, that would be amazing - please email us via [email protected]

This is one of our favourite events of the year as it's the first time many children in Year 1 & 2 have the opportunity to represent their schools - and they have so much fun out on the pitch.

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Please note: this is a Schools Event for children in Years 1 & 2 and we can only accept team entries direct from the schools; the schools themselves will select the players that will represent the school.

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26/09/2026

PLAYERS WANTED: U11 GIRLS
School Year 6 from Sept 2026

Our friendly U11 Girls Lionesses are looking to welcome a couple more players to join them. Ideally, they are looking to add a striker and midfielder to the team but other positions are very welcome to join.

Thatcham Tornadoes U11 Girls play 7v7 football in the BCGFL playing against other local teams in Berkshire & the surrounding area.

Training is on a Friday evening and home matches are at Douai Park on Saturdays.

For more information or to join the team for a couple of taster training sessions, please contact Lee: [email protected]

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24/09/2026

PLAYERS WANTED: U9s for 2026/27 Season
School Year 4 from Sept 2026

An opportunity has arisen for a player to join our U9 Jaguars team; the player does need to be willing to take their turn in goal.

Thatcham Tornadoes U9 Jaguars play 5v5 football in the PHYL against other local teams and those in the Basingstoke area.

Training is on a Tuesday evening, on astro under floodlights over winter. Home matches will be at Lower Way on Sundays.

For more information or to join the team for a couple of taster training sessions, please contact Allan: [email protected]

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14/09/2026

Heads up for anyone with matches in Reading and beyond this weekend (19/20 Sept). The M4 is closed in both directions between J10 and J11.

Please allow extra time to get to your matches

⚠️ The M4 will be closed in both directions between J10 (Winnersh) and J11 (Reading).

📅 Friday 18 September 9pm to Monday 21 September 6am.

This is needed so Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) can safely run new high-voltage wires across the motorway.

Through traffic will be diverted by the
➡️ A329(M)
➡️ B3270

Please plan ahead, allow extra time, and follow the signed diversion route rather than sat nav directions. For more information, visit the SSEN website.

11/09/2026

REMINDER: Thatcham Tornadoes policy on “Micro” or “Mini” shin pads

Safety is a key consideration for our game and the Laws of the Game state that shin-guards/pads are a compulsory piece of equipment. Shin pads play an important role in injury prevention as they are intended to protect the shin from injury.

The amount of shin physically covered is an important consideration, as any part of the shin that is not covered is not as well protected. “Micro” or “Mini” shin pads may therefore increase the risk of injury due to the smaller amount of shin covered compared to larger sized shin pads.

When considering the protection offered by shin pads, safety is prioritised by ensuring a good proportion of the shin area is covered and therefore protected.

The materials used are also an important factor. Always look for a CE mark which means the shin guards achieve minimum standards. We suggest that shin pads not carrying such a mark should not be worn as they may present an increased risk of injury to players.

In considering our duty of care for young players and the above concerns, Thatcham Tornadoes has concluded that “micro” and “mini” shin pads do not provide adequate protection and therefore are not permitted to be worn at training sessions or while playing in matches.

Any player not wearing full size shin pads will not be allowed to participate in training or matches.

05/09/2026

We were delighted to host Berks & Bucks FA at our Douai Park Home Ground this morning for another exciting stop on their Future Fit "3v3 On Tour" roadshow! Coaches from across the county joined Tornadoes coaches for the session.

Matt Knowles and Chris Berry were on hand to highlight the fantastic benefits of the 3v3 format—giving players more ball touches, more playing time, more decision-making opportunities, and of course, more goals!

We were also joined by some of our Thatcham Tornadoes U7s, who enjoyed an exclusive training session with Matt and Chris before putting their skills to the test in a couple of games.

A massive thank you to our U7s for coming along, to everyone who travelled to join the roadshow, and to Chris and Matt for taking the time to share their 3v3 expertise with us today!

✨ A Trip Down Memory Lane ✨
For Matt, today was a wonderful blast from the past. He played for Thatcham Tornadoes from 2007 to 2014 as part of Dave Hamilton’s legendary team. He fondly shared memories of scoring a dramatic, late extra-time winner in the SCML semi-final to send the team to the final at the Madejski Stadium!

Sharing a couple of photos for Matt from that memorable day back in 2014!!

We also uncovered another brilliant piece of club history: one of our very own coaches, Peter Liversidge, was part of the first-ever Thatcham Tornadoes Men’s team and holds the proud honour of scoring their first-ever goal!

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27/08/2026

PLAYERS WANTED: U14s for 2026/27 Season
School Year 9 from Sept 2026

Thatcham Tornadoes U14 Jaguars are looking for a couple more players to join the team ready for the new season. The team played in Div 2 in the PHYL in 2025/26.

Training is on a Thursday evening, on astro under floodlights over winter. Home matches will be at Henwick on Sundays.

For more information or to join the team for a couple of taster training sessions, please contact Dan: [email protected]

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22/08/2026

How many coaches does it take to assemble 7 3x3 goals, ready for the start of the season?

A massive thank you to Alison, Callum, Daryl, Jon, Karen, Mark, Tom along with chief testers Jack and Ralph for spending this morning getting everything set up. Thanks also to Gary for setting up the first goal during the week for us to copy!!

Thatcham Tornadoes are now 3v3 ready ... Well, we will be once the pitches get some rain!!

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21/08/2026

Just THREE hours left to tweek your teams ahead of the Arsenal v Coventry season opener.

If you want to join our Fantasy Premier League Head 2 Head, you need to sign up before then as you cannot join after this deadline.

Good luck everyone!

Thatcham Tornadoes
Fantasy Premier League
2026/27

Less than a week to go until Arsenal welcome Coventry to kick-start the new Premier League season.

If you've not already signed up to join the Thatcham Tornadoes Fantasy Premier League, there's still time to do so.

Players, parents and coaches, past & present, are all very welcome to join the Thatcham Tornadoes Fantasy Premier League for the new season. If you were signed up last year, you should be automatically registered into our league for the new season.

To take part in the Head 2 Head, you must sign up for this season, even if you took part last season.

League Code: ojpd7k (or click the link below)
https://fantasy.premierleague.com/leagues/auto-join/ojpd7k

H2H League Code: ean77b (or click the link below)
https://fantasy.premierleague.com/leagues/auto-join/ean77b

Last season, Maxine Abraham (Mia CR7 United) won both the Tornadoes League whilst Oscar B (OB1's Army) won the Cup.

Good luck everyone!

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U18s - please see T&Cs on the FPL website (near the top!)
- U13s can only set up an account with parent/guardian consent
- U18s can only claim prizes with parent/guardian consent

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