A Member of Frome Town Women’s FC is preparing to leap out of a plane next month in a daring bid to raise awareness, and urgent funds, after the club was forced to turn down promotion due to a lack of financial support.
Tara Tomley, the club’s executive officer, will take on a parachute jump at Old Sarum Airfield in Salisbury, just days before her 50th birthday.
“It’s terrifying,” said Tara. “It’s really outside of my comfort zone. But there’s something about drastic situations needing drastic measures – and that’s where I am with it.
“When I told the committee, somebody said, ‘You are absolutely bonkers!’ and I flip-flop between thinking, ‘This is a really great cause and I’m passionate about it,’ to ‘What are you doing?’ But change doesn’t happen without radical things happening, and I really believe women’s football is a place where radical change is needed.”
Funding struggle
Frome Town Women play in the Somerset County Women’s League Division 1, and last season they had to turn down the chance of promotion to the Regional League due to the high costs involved – including long-distance travel.
“Two seasons ago, the FA restructured the Regional League to include Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset – making participation financially unviable for a self-funded team like ours with no financial backing,” explained Tara.
“We talked to the league about how it might work in practical terms if we were promoted and they said you could just use the club minibus. But the club doesn’t have a minibus.
“The team members have got work or school commitments so it became a real problem about how we could make it work. We are all volunteers. It’s really difficult; women’s football is very different to men’s football.”
Despite growing national interest in women’s football, boosted recently by the Lionesses’ Euro 2025 win, Tara says the grassroots women’s game is being left behind.
“The Lionesses’ success is absolutely brilliant. But it’s not filtering down to grassroots teams. It’s happening at the top of the pyramid. Change needs to come from the grassroots up.
“Women’s football in Frome continues to grow, but it faces the same challenges as many grassroots clubs: limited funding, rising costs, and too few volunteers.”
Tara hopes her skydive will not only raise vital funds for the club, but also highlight the ongoing challenges faced by teams like Frome Town Women’s FC.
“I really do believe women’s football is a place where radical change is needed,” she added.
To support the campaign visit Tara’s fundraising page https://www.gofundme.com/f/supporting-frome-town-women-fc
