Tag Archive for: Vandals

Vandals Hit Real Fife FC

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Vandals Hit Real Fife FC: Reckless vandals who have been tearing up a Fife football pitch by using it as a race track are placing young lives at risk and could force a local club to relocate altogether.

The stark message has been delivered by volunteers with Real Fife FC, which has been resident at East Wemyss’ McDuff Park since 2012, after their surface was ripped up again over the weekend.

Five teams had been playing on McDuff Park at the beginning of last year but the club had to move four of them to other facilities in Kirkcaldy to ensure the availability of a pitch each week.

With the mindless quad bike and mini-moto users continuing to abuse the area, even at times when the youngsters have been playing on the grass, club volunteers are considering moving away from the village permanently.

Wayne Carroll, Real Fife FC club secretary and the club’s child welfare and protection officer, said the actions of a minority were causing problems for scores of young people and their families.

He said: “Real Fife FC are currently paying out £15,000 each year to the local authorities for training facilities and pitch hires, which is definitely not an insignificant amount of money for a non-profit grassroots football club.

“We currently have approximately 220 boys and girls at the club, with around 40 non-paid volunteers trying to ensure we can provide our local kids with an opportunity to play football, develop their interpersonal skills and have safe fun.

“We are in current talks with the local authorities trying to secure facilities large enough to house all of our kids but as you can imagine, there are limited options for us.

“We don’t want to pull out of the park at East Wemyss as it’s an important part of the club’s history but there is only so much a club like us can take.”

Real Fife FC’s forced move to alternative pitches in Kirkcaldy is having a knock-on effect in the Lang Toun due to the limited number of pitches available there.

“The kids and youths doing this damage are from the surrounding area,” Mr Carroll added.

“It’s hard to believe the community don’t know who is doing this regular damage, and we would ask that they come forward and help us.

“We have had, at times, the youths driving the motorised vehicles around the pitch during actual games and, as the club’s child welfare and protection officer, this gives me great concern for the safety of our kids.”

The news is the latest instance of illegal bikers blighting neighbourhoods in the Levenmouth and Wemyss village areas, with local councillors receiving regular complaints about unlicensed bikers.

Police Scotland has a dedicated action plan, called Operation Reflector, to address the anti-social issues, and anyone who witnesses such activity involving motorcycles should contact 101 or report it anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Vandals Leave Pitch Out Of Action

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Vandals Leave Pitch Out Of Action: An east end football club which encourages men over 30 to get fit is out of action until next year, thanks to heartless vandals who ruined the pitch.

Glasgow Titans have a pitch in Tollcross, and use it for training and games as part of a weight loss programme.

The club shared the bad news on Facebook that the pitch is now unusable, thanks to deep track marks caused by an off-road vehicle.

The post reads: “It’s a huge blow for our club as we worked very hard to find a settled home where the club could train and play our home games. With enquiries being made for funding looking to improve the facilities around the pitch, it’s frustrating to say the least that this needs to be put on hold due to this act of mind-numbing vandalism.

“Given what was used to damage the pitch, it had to come from within the very community we are helping which is completely baffling as to why someone would do this.”

The Glasgow Titans was set up to get east end men back into exercise, promoting weight loss and a boost to mental health, and hoping to tackle low life expectancy in some areas of the city.

With no owners or shareholders to fall back on, there’s no set date as to when the Titans can return to their pitch – but members have called upon local businesses and organisations to help where they can.

The Facebook post ends: “The club will fulfill all our home fixtures and will continue to schedule more if the opportunity arises. It just means we have to move around a bit, pay a bit extra, until the pitch can be repaired next year. No one will stand in our way in our battle to improve our health.”

If you can help put them back on track then get in touch via the Glasgow Titans Facebook page , or by emailing glasgowtitansfc@gmail.com

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Football Club Furious As Vandals Hit

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Football Club Furious As Vandals Hit: Bosses at a football club have been left furious, and have hit out at vandals who tore up their pitch.

Yobs used a vehicle to churn up the pitch used by Bishopton FC, which runs teams for men, women and kids.

The site, which is operated by Renfrewshire Leisure, is also home to several other clubs in Bishopton and neighbouring Erskine.

However, the mindless vandalism means it may now be out of action for weeks.

Nori Fian, Bishopton FC’s vice-chairman, said: “We think this may have happened on Friday night and I reported it to the police on Saturday afternoon.

“It looks as if someone has got on something with two wheels and driven round the pitch several times.

“I was filled with revulsion when I saw it. There is a lack of facilities already in Bishopton and now one of its only pitches has been vandalised.

“I don’t think we will be able to use it for the foreseeable future but I’m hoping repairs can be made before we play at home again next month.”

Joyce McKellar, Renfrewhire Leisure’s chief executive, said the damage is being assessed.

She said: “Hopefully repairs can be carried out so the park can be made playable by this weekend.

“The pitch is used by several teams from the Bishopton and Erskine areas and, if repairs cannot be completed by the weekend, other parks are available.

“We don’t expect any games to be cancelled because of the damage to the pitch.”

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Vandals Damage Cricket Pitch

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Vandals Damage Cricket Pitch: The pitch at Rainham Cricket Club has been vandalised by a group who took to the surface on motorbikes.

Tyre marks and skid marks were left on the wicket after a group of youths were seen on Thursday, August 16 on off-road bikes driving across the wicket.

The club was due to have a match yesterday afternoon but the bad weather meant it had to be rained off.

One member of the club was later walking his dog when he saw the youths, and saw the damage that they had left.

Fortunately other members have managed to save the day and have tried to repair the damage so that the games planned for the weekend can still go ahead.

Club captain, Jas Hothi, said that he was frustrated with what they had done, but praised club members for coming together to repair the ground.

He said: “It’s obviously really annoying but there’s not much we could have done about it.

“We see them hanging around on their bikes but you never expect this to happen.”

The captain said that member Ian Little, and his son Ben had been down to the ground to try and patch up the mess that the vandals had left.

Jas said that the club is still waiting for confirmation that the games planned for weekend will still be played at home, but said that the pitch was looking a lot better thanks to club members and the groundsman.

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Artificial Pitch Burnt By Vandals

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Artificial Pitch Burnt By Vandals: Kelty Hearts’ artificial pitch has been burned, seats have been vandalised days after being installed, and youngsters have been seen on the roof of the club’s new stand.

The damage to the community facilities could see the club, which turned senior last year, lose its SFA licence because of regular pitch testing.

Police are now patrolling the area around New Central Park in a bid to stamp out the problem.

Meanwhile, the club is going to be footing the bill for CCTV, something it says it can ill afford.

Treasurer George McTrusty said the spate of vandalism had been wrecking improvements almost as soon as they were completed.

“We’re building a new stadium and they are trying to destroy the seats as they are getting installed, and they’ve been burning the pitch.”

The park with a 3G pitch, a community asset that is open to the paying public, is witnessing trespassing and vandalism on almost a daily basis.

This week has seen burn marks left across the main and children’s pitches.

Council community use team manager for Cowdenbeath Sarah Roxburgh said: “It’s incredibly disappointing that this enjoyment is being spoiled by a thoughtless minority who are determined to cause costly damage.

“We will be working with the club and police to help tackle this issue and make sure the park is a safe place for all to enjoy.”

Fife Council has invested £665,000 in the park for the whole community.

Local councillor Alex Campbell expressed his disgust at the behaviour of a minority of youths.

He said the club serves the community, from five-year-olds to 75s, and it was sad that so many local people worked really hard to deliver facilities for the community and “these vandals come along and destroy such a fantastic project”.

He added: “It is totally and utterly unacceptable that some youths are causing this mayhem.”

Police Scotland inspector Gavin Cameron said: “The abuse of these facilities is hugely disappointing for the community, and we are working closely with Kelty Hearts FC to tackle this issue.

“We are carrying out patrols in this area and I would urge people to please report any anti-social behaviour or damage being caused while it is happening so we can respond quickly and appropriately.

“We want local children and young people to enjoy their summer holidays and to make use of facilities like this sensibly and responsibly.

“Parents and guardians have a vital role to play by ensuring they know where their children are, and reminding them that such behaviour as we have seen here is not acceptable.”

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