Youth football club reports £30k fraud

A youth football club has said it has lost more than £30,000 from the club's accounts due to a "significant fraud".

In a statement on its website, Andover Town YFC gave no further details of the circumstances, but asked people not to indulge in online speculation while police investigate.

The club said it hoped to raise £10,000 for urgent expenses through an online appeal.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary has been approached for comment.

The club statement said the fraud had placed it in an "extremely challenging financial position".

It added: "This money was intended to cover essential costs such as pitch hire for training, games and referees.

"We are actively pursuing emergency funding and launching a crowdfunding campaign to support coaches and volunteers who have paid upfront costs from their own pockets.

"There is an active police investigation underway.

"We respectfully ask that our community refrains from sharing names or speculation. Premature disclosure could compromise legal proceedings and reduce the chances of recovering funds."

The club, which runs boys' and girls' teams, said some matches might be disrupted although training would continue as planned.

It said three local schools had allowed the use of their pitches despite outstanding debts.

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