Tag Archive for: Football

Bones Found Under Football Pitch

Bones Found Under Football Pitch: Workmen unearthed unidentified bones as they were preparing a new football pitch.

The remains were found underneath Ossett Albion’s Dimplewells pitch on Tuesday, as work was being carried out in preparation of the club merging with Ossett Town to form Ossett United.

Bones Found Under Football Pitch

And the discovery caused chaos, with one game being cancelled and police and forensic teams being called out to the scene.

But after initial tests, it was determined that they were fox bones and not human.

Phil Smith, chief executive at Ossett Albion, said: “I was thinking that someone had buried someone under our pitch.”

The bones were found during ground testing which was being carried out as part of plans for a new 3G pitch being laid at the site. The new pitch will become a training ground and will also be used by junior and ladies teams when the United merger goes ahead.

Workmen had taken a sample of grass and mud to see what lay one metre beneath it. But when the turf was lifted, the remains were revealed.

Mr Smith said police were alerted to the discovery and the area was taped off early in the evening on Tuesday. Investigations on Wednesday morning determined the bones were animal remains.

Mr Smith said: “There was uncertainty over what type the bones were. There was a shoe at the end of the longest bone.

“It turned out the remains were from a fox. The pitch is stood on what used to be a Victorian tipping ground. There’s all sorts under it.

“It was just a sheer coincidence that a fox died next to a shoe some 50 years ago.”

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Football Pitches Vandalised

Football Pitches Vandalised: Junior football clubs in the Bristol area have been hit with a large bill after vandals used a car to turn their pitches into a “mud bath”.

Seven pitches at Pomphrey Hill in Mangotsfield were damaged after a car managed to access the site in the early hours of Saturday, January 13.

Football Pitches Vandalised

The pitches are used by hundreds of youngsters every week, playing host to Bromley Heath Football Club and Mangotsfield Football Club matches.

Jamie Andrews-Britton, chairman of Bromley Heath FC and the Pomphrey Hill Sports Community Association, said the repairs will cost thousands.

“It happened in the early hours of Saturday morning,” he said. “A car came in at approximately 1.30am and left the property by 1.55am.

“It was 25 minutes of fun for the people in the car, but 25 minutes of fun that’s caused thousands of pounds worth of damage.

“It’s definitely a single car. We have got three levels of pitches and it’s on the bottom pitches where they’ve caused the most damage – it’s unplayable.

“Two football clubs uses these fields and if there’s no games, there’s no revenue coming in.”

The car was caught entering the site on CCTV cameras installed at the Pavilion, opposite one of the pitches, but it was too dark to identify the vehicle’s make or model.

Jamie said it looked like the vandals had driven across the pitches while attempting high-speed manoeuvres and handbrake turns.

Due to the recent rainfall, the 38-year-old said the fields had been reduced to a “mud bath”.

An online fundraising page has since been set up to help cover the repair costs.

Jamie said he had been inundated with messages of support from other football teams, offering him use of their pitches and even pledging to help with the fundraising.

“The response we have had has been outstanding – we really didn’t expect it,” he added.

“We have set up the fundraising page and it’s already had over £300 donated, and I’ve had so many calls and messages from other football clubs.

“One manager offered to take his team bag-packing to help raise funds.”

Police are now investigating the matter, and have appealed for anyone with any information to come forward.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset police said: “A vehicle got on to the grassed area overnight on Friday, January 12 in the Pomphrey Hill area of Mangotsfield and damaged a football pitch.

“Police enquiries are continuing into the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call us quoting 5218009691.”

You can donate to Pomphrey Hill Pavilion’s online fundraising page here. Organisers are hoping to raise £1,000 to offset some of the repair costs.

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