Club battling broken glass, drugs and unruly riders
RUNNING a sports team hasn’t been easy during the coronavirus pandemic and associated lockdowns, but for one football club, it’s people, not viruses, that are making life extra hard right now.
Every time they turn up, they wonder what they will find that day – and it’s rarely anything good.
Morriston Town AFC said it had experienced a string of destructive incidents, with bottles being broken, bins set on fire and youths gathering in the pitch’s dug out to take drugs.
The issues have got worse ever since a fence around the ground fell down earlier this year during bad weather and was then trampled over, making it impossible to be reerected and forcing its removal.
Club treasurer Cloe Morgan said: “It seems like something is happening there two or three times every week.
“Bottles are being broken on the pitch, so we have to send out people to clear that up.
“People are taking drugs in the dug out, and leaving paraphernalia behind.”
She said people took a risk leaving their cars there, and yobs had even driven vehicles on to the pitch, causing significant damage.
Earlier this year a motorcyclist was caught on camera causing damage to the pitch by riding across the grass.
“There’s criminal damage, and if people leave their cars behind at the weekend, then wing mirrors might be broken,” she added.
“We’ve had motorbikes turning up and cutting up the ground.
“We are a committeerun club and everyone here are volunteers, and we have to go out there and tidy up every time some damage is done.
“We’ve been training recently through lockdown, but we have had to go out and clean up, or remove glass from the pitch.
“It’s a danger to all who use the club, especially the young children in the junior section”.
Morriston Town AFC has three senior teams, a youth side and three junior sides, as well as a darts and pool team outside lockdown.
Its pitch, The Dingle, is behind residential housing off Clydach Road.
The club are now looking to fund a new fence around the site, in order to keep people away, but that will mean a big bill.
“There is now no fence around the premises at all,” said Chloe.
“We have neighbours so we don’t want it to be too high, so it will have to be an anti-climb fence.
“We have priced up a new fence which will cost £8,800 for materials alone, which we simply cannot afford”.
Police have been asked to comment on the problems at the club.