READING E Jones' letter concerning the County Ground (Monday January 16) his observations about Nick Martin being a once every four years football fan could easily be aimed at many people.

After all, how many of the 35,000 Swindon fans that made their way to Wembley in 1993 turn up every week to support the town?

Only a small percentage as the majority of these people were and are fair weather fans and if they had remained loyal maybe the club would not be in its current precarious position.

Football may be the national game but that doesn't put Swindon Town Football Club above the laws of the land.

Other councils may have helped their football club to upgrade or replace their stadiums but they didn't sell acres of land for new housing to finance it.

This is what STFC would like to see happen. They have no money to put in themselves and their answer is to use land belonging to the people of Swindon to finance a new stadium, hotel facilities, conference centre etc, which will pay off their debts and ultimately see them use the additional income from the extra facilities to stay solvent and pay out dividends to the shareholders To be honest you cannot blame them for trying.

But as a council taxpayer and town centre resident I find it completely unacceptable that we should face losing yet another sporting/playing field to yet more housing and ultimately seeing the loss of land for financing and enhancing a business.

Like it or not the whole situation is about money. STFC want to be given it and Swindon Council cannot give them any. This is not a small-minded attitude, this is a fact.

K LEAKEY.

Swindon