NEEDLES NIGHTMARE
Children’s football pitch being used as ‘heroin den’
T HIS was the scene that greeted an under-13s football club in a Cardiff park yesterday morning. Dozens of needles, alcohol swabs and used condoms can be seen in pictures taken in Butetown’s Canal Park yesterday.
Members of the Tiger Bay Juniors team were forced to clear the “den for heroin addicts” found behind the dugouts at the football pitch before playing.
But the founder of the organisation has warned of the ongoing dangers of the drug paraphernalia littering the site which is home to a number of youth and junior sides.
Ahmed Hassan, founder of the Tiger Bay Youth Development, said: “We have been a club for the last eight years but I’d say for the last five or six years we’ve had a lot more people come down and jack up on the pitch and behind the dugouts.
“We clean it ourselves because as coaches we have to safeguard our children.
“On Saturday morning behind both of the dugouts there were loads of discarded needles and other horrible things like used condoms.
“We have people standing there like security guards to make sure no kids come around as we clear it.
“We have learnt to deal with it but should we have to learn to deal with it in this day and age?”
Mr Hassan also believes the sight gives the park a negative impression for teams visiting the area.
He said: “The away teams must think we are disgusting people when they leave the pitch.
“They must have very negative feelings about us as it appears as if we can’t even maintain a pitch to play on. It looks like we are neglecting our duty of care.”
A post shared on the Tiger Bay Juniors Facebook page said: “Is this what our park has become?
“It looks like a den addicts.
“Young people from 11 upwards for heroin play on this park at least twice a week. As coaches it is our job to safeguard young people.
“It is really difficult when you are dealing with filthy needles. None of us have been trained in how to deal with needles, we don’t even have the disposable yellow boxes for needles. Should we even be trained in how to deal with used needles?
“We check the pitch before every game and make sure that there are no sharp objects. As for behind the dugout we have to clean it up and put ourselves in danger.”