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Football club 'demoralised' by latest vandalism

Harriet HeywoodCambridgeshire
News imageTom Jackson/BBC Steven Grindey standing on field, holding a white and blue football. He is wearing a dark blue hoodie with a small logo on the left side of the chest and he has short hair. Behind him are trees, a few buildings, and a wide open sky with scattered clouds. Tom Jackson/BBC
Steven Grindey said the club would ask the local council for fencing as a preventative measure

A grassroots football club says it feels "massively demoralised" after its pitches were vandalised for the third time in less than a month.

Littleport Rangers FC, a volunteer-run club based at the Cambridgeshire town's leisure centre, discovered fresh tyre marks on Monday on a pitch that had only recently been repaired.

The first incident occurred on 9 September, when a vehicle tore up the under-17s pitch, leaving the club with a £400 repair bill, before the under-7s pitch was targeted.

Vice-chairman Steven Grindey said: "It's bringing everybody down."

News imageSteven Grindey A grassy football pitch that has been visibly damaged by a vehicle. Two deep, parallel tire tracks cut across the field, disturbing the soil and flattening the grass. In the background, there’s a car park with several light poles and trees, and the sky appears dim and the streetlights are on. The scene shows the kind of vandalism Littleport Rangers FC have been dealing with, a vehicle driving onto the pitch and tearing up the surface, making it unsafe or unusable for play.Steven Grindey
Mr Grindey said the damage showed signs of a vehicle doing wheel spins, donuts and skids

Cambridgeshire Police said it was investigating the incidents and appealed for information.

A spokesperson confirmed a report of criminal damage to the pitch at Littleport Leisure on Camel Road, believed to have occurred between 19:00 BST on Sunday and 07:00 following morning.

The space is used not only by the club but also by families and dog walkers.

"This is the third time now we've had a car go onto the field," Mr Grindey said.

"The first time as a club we paid to rectify quite a lot of damage on the front field; the second time it was on the new under-7s pitch; this time they've gone back onto the front field doing wheel spins, donuts, skids, making a mess again.

"[It is a] negative feeling at the moment. It's bringing everybody down. We all just want what's best for the kids and it's making it difficult to do that."

The club has applied for grant funding to install fencing around the site as a preventative measure.

Mr Grindey said it was frustrating to have to divert money away from pitch maintenance or bringing new equipment in.

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