suburb of Bitterne. Civil Service Sports Ground The main patch of green space in Freemantle is the former Civil Service Sports Ground. Since the 18th century this field has been used for sports and community gatherings. Between 1888 and 1905, it was the home of Freemantle F.C., who were rivals to Southampton F.C., who briefly considered a merger and move to the ground in 1897. The land was owned by the Atherley family who sold it to the Civil Service in 1927 for £5000 as a fully operational sports ground with facilities and with a covenant for sports ground use only. In the last few years of Civil Service ownership the Ground closed in 1999 after seventy years of use by Civil Service and finally the land fell into disrepair, there were arson attacks on the clubhouse in 1999, in 2003 the fencing had collapsed and there were problems of fly-tipping and at one stage travellers took up residence. After footing the bill for every cleanup operation, and a long running and concerted Residents campaign to Save The Field, the City Council investigated compulsory purchase of the site. During 2004, the then owners of the land (Civil Service Property Holdings Ltd) put the site out for sale by closed bid informal tender. At this time local residents, the Friends of The Field, and local Conservative and Labour Councillors (supported by local MP Alan Whitehead) attempted to negotiate with the owners but to no avail. The vast majority of the site was sold to Bovis Homes by The Civil Service Sports Association Properties Division for around £160,000, but the council had not agreed any planning permission. There is strong local and political support to ensure the site can be used for the community. The Field was purchased by Southampton City Council after a decade of campaigning by Friends of The Field Community Association, local Councillors, MPs, MEPs, School Groups and Residents. As of 2017 The Field is still waiting it's fate. Will it be School use only or will the local Community including schools and residents be able to use The Field for Sports, Education and Recreation? Many local groups wish to group together with schools, Council and local Community to create a real Community Hub for all. The campaign continues since as of 2017 the 'Friends of The Field' Campaign has been campaigning for over 13 years. The full "politically