Waiting game instead of playing on the pitch
Wishaw amateur footballers are playing a waiting game to get back to fivea-sides following changes to Scottish Government guidelines.
As lockdown rules are continuing to be relaxed, NL Leisure states that it remains in the dark as to exactly when its sports centres will be fully opened.
In a statement on social media, NL Leisure said: “We are urgently assessing what these changes mean for our facilities re-opening for football.
“During the lockdown phrases our 3G football pitches experienced high levels of misuse and vandalism and works to prepare our 3G pitches to ensure they are safe and fit for purpose will need to be completed prior to opening for public use.
“We want to thank everyone for their continued patience and support and we will continue to put the safety of the public and our staff at the forefront of any decisions we take.
“We will communicate what we expect will be a phased approach to the reopening of our facilties and venues as soon as we can.”
In May it was reported that mindless vandals had caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to North Lanarkshire football facilities during lockdown.
And the council was pleading with the public to avoid using the pitches, including those at Wishaw Sports Centre, and stay at home.
Police were called to several incidents regarding people forcing entry onto pitches and playing.
A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council told the Wishaw Press that members of the public accessing closed football pitches is an issue not only in Wishaw but at other facilities including Ravenscraig.
The spokesman continued: “The vast majority of people are behaving appropriately and acting in accordance with the government guidelines.
“However, we have had some people damaging sports pitches including damage to the surface areas, fences and gates.
“It’s too early to provide a definitive cost but it’s likely to run in to the thousands.”