Soccer club hits out at the yobs (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Soccer club hits out at the yobs

Ben Stevens and Tommy Gray, front, with other members of Highworth Town Football Club after the latest break-in Ref: 99424-17VOLUNTEERS at Highworth Town Football Club are sick and tired of youth vandalism that is ruining their home ground.

The last straw came on Thursday when members of the club arrived at Highworth recreation ground to find a storage shed had been smashed and four football goals stolen.

Senior Club chairman Frazer Haines, 36, who lives in Highworth and coaches young players spoke of his frustration over the theft.

"It's just very demoralising, he said.

"When we got here, we found that one door had been smashed with a bar and that the goals had been taken."

"We reported the incident as soon as we found it on Thursday morning.

"The police came to look at the scene, but they can't do anything about it."

There was small comfort for the youth team when three of the goals were discovered in a hedge on the council golf course.

However, the team will still have to pay to replace the one set of goals, despite giving hours of voluntary time.

Mr Haines said: "One set of goals costs £220, so that will be the minimum we have to spend to get back to square one."

Highworth Football Club runs six junior football sides and is helped by a team of unpaid volunteers.

The theft follows a string of incidents around the ground, including late night drinking and anti-social behaviour.

Mr Haines said: "When I leave the ground in the evenings, it's about 10pm. At that time there are still teenagers hanging around."

And Mr Haines is irritated with the measures that the club have had to take to avoid such damage, all the way from youth to senior level.

"Recently we were able to install two new stands at the senior ground," he said.

"We then had to spend £5,000 installing cages around the new stands of the senior ground, just to make them vandal-proof."

"We coach 85 boys and girls aged between four and 12. Our time is given free of charge and it makes you wonder whether it's worth it."

Mr Haines claims the trouble has got worse in recent months, after a group of youths were banned from certain areas.

"I think that since they have been moved away from the High Street in Highworth the problem has worsened," he said.