Ferryhill Miners United FC’s new year celebrations were put on hold two days before the bells when the club discovered that its football pitch had been badly damaged by vandals who destroyed the playing surface.
“Unfortunately this morning (29 December) we discovered that the field we play our football on has been damaged at some point during last night with a vehicle,” said a statement on the club’s Facebook page.
It went on to say: “Since our formation we have managed to maintain this field regularly through volunteers and fundraising which has always taken a lot of time and effort.
“We’ve cut the grass ourselves, litter picked and picked up a lot of dog muck.
“We’ve seen horses, dogs fouling, golfers, motorbikes, quad bikes and more on the field in the past damaging it. We’ve also seen tyre tracks, but never as bad as this.
“One or two individuals have now negatively impacted over 200 players, parents and supporters at the club with their actions.
“Thank you for all the messages of support, it is greatly appreciated. This club does a lot for the local community such as providing a place for young people, fundraising for causes in the area, supporting local businesses, raising awareness of local issues and much more. We also have a strong and committed group of volunteers that are gutted with what has happened.
“This incident has now been reported to the police as criminal damage and if anyone has any information, please let us know.
“We will get past this incident and do what needs to be done to correct it. Right now though it’s very disappointing to see what has happened to our ground in a community we love so much.”
Ferryhill & Chilton's local community newspaper.
