A community football coach has hit out at the council for the prices of renting a new pitch.
Ashfield FC, based in North Glasgow, currently doesn’t have a home ground and uses available facilities across the area on a case-by-case basis.
While looking for a pitch, volunteer Alex Robertson came across North Kelvinside Primary School’s brand new grounds.
Because the pitch opened this summer and is at the centre of the community, it would be the “ideal” solution, according to the coach.
After inquiring, however, the charity was quoted £120 for two hours of use, with an extra £46 to be added for janitorial services.
Even with a 50% reduction, which they are eligible for, this would be a £105 per session expense for the club, which they cannot afford.
READ MORE: Free football games for local children as St Mirren give away season tickets
Mr Robertson said: “Football pitches are difficult to come by in Glasgow.
“We applied for a let because it’s perfect for us. Most of the kids are from North Glasgow and this would be their opportunity to play on an amazing pitch, right at the heart of the community.
“This price is just impossible for a charity for home games.
“We typically pay around £48 for under 16s, so it’s more than double to use what is essentially a community facility.
“We just can’t afford to pay this.”
The organisation, which gives around 20 children the chance to play football regularly, used to be based in Milton, but, according to the trainer, the field is no longer in good condition.
Eager to use the newly laid facility, he is calling on Glasgow City Council to lower the renting fee in order to allow more community-based groups to be able to afford it.
He added: “Essentially, what they are doing is pricing their very own community out of the game and that pitch will just be unused, right at the heart of the community because organisations just can’t afford it, which is a great shame.
“It doesn’t sound like a lot of money but when you play 20 to 25 games a season, that’s more than £2000.
“It’s no use having a state-of-the-art facility, if you are then going to price the community out of using it.”
READ MORE: East End football club do 38-mile-walk to help tackle poverty and homelessness
The club’s finances are driven by £30-per-month contributions from the players' parents, which they spend on venue hire, referee fees, equipment and any other expenses.
Running for more than five years, Ashfield FC prides itself on giving North Glasgow kids a healthy hobby, which teaches them teamwork and social skills.
Mr Robertson said: “They are getting fit, they are part of a community spirit, they are part of a team and you are developing them for the future, teaching them skills, it’s great that we’ve got this in Glasgow and we have lots of coaches doing the same.”
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “The new state-of-the-art, all-weather 5G pitch at the school was always intended to enhance local facilities and concessionary rates have been applied for this group to reduce hire costs.
“A janitor’s fee needs to be covered as they will open the school and pitch up for the sole use of the team.”
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here