FOOTBALL pitches are in such a poor state of repair that amateur football teams are abandoning the borough to play elsewhere.

Local clubs have complained of “large craters” on the pitch, uneven grass, dog mess and poorly-maintained changing facilities — while the council raked in more than £30,000 in fees last year.

Reading’s amateur players say if prices continue to rise, the grassroots game will be in danger.

Craig Adams, secretary of Sunday League team Spread Eagle, said his team used to play at Prospect Park — run by Reading Borough Council — before they got so fed up with the poor quality of the ground they moved to South Reading Leisure Centre.

He said: “We were paying £88 per game but what were we getting for that? Not a lot in my mind. Last season we were given a pitch with a massive crater in the middle. This crater was a metre wide — you could have rolled your ankle or something.

“Fair enough if I am paying £88 for a flat pitch that is cut and the ball rolls flat on it, but that is not happening.

“There’s no visible sign of any work, not even in terms of a flower bed or something for the park. We are forking out more money for nothing extra. If teams have to fold because they cannot afford the prices that is a detriment to the league.”

Figures revealed to The Reading Chronicle under a Freedom of Information request show that the three parks which Reading Borough Council runs — Christchurch Meadows, Palmer Park and Prospect Park — took £31,140.56 in income during the last financial year, to April 2014. Prospect Park alone drew an income of £15,388.40 — but those who use the pitches there say they don’t see any return on that money.

Mr Adams said: “It’s a lot of money but I do not really know what we are paying for. Where is the investment?”

Aaron Biggins, secretary of The Bugle, which also plays at Prospect Park, said the team was considering moving to a pitch outside the borough.

He said: “Financially we would need to find somewhere cheaper which will probably mean leaving the borough. We were looking at Linear Park where they said they pay £45 per game. They have to put up their own nets but the pitches are better and it is half the price.”

Meanwhile, at Christchurch Meadows, only one team is still playing — Tilehurst Titans — and secretary Georgina Witchalls-Bolton remains uncertain about the future as the Reading and District Sunday League has decided to no longer use the ground.

She said: “It’s definitely not value for money. They are never cut properly and if they are the grass is just left on the floor and you have to run through it and the ball gets stuck in it. We are always having to pick up dog poo off the pitches.

“It does not feel like people have got the passion any more and the league is definitely reducing in size.

“It feels like it is a money-grabbing thing and grassroots football is not just something you can go out and do any more.

“The private pitches are much better. It is nice when you go there as it feels more like it’s looked after.”

A spokesman for Reading Borough Council said: “The council’s football pitches also serve as public open spaces used by the wider public for a variety of activities.

“The council maintains them to the best standard possible within the limited budgets it has at a time of sustained government cuts in funding.

“The council has also been working hard to provide lower cost options for park league matches.”

Although Reading Borough Council offers a discount for teams willing to take over some of the responsibilities on their pitches, there are still concerns that costs are too high.

Billy Carlisle, secretary for The Mod, said: “They said we could put up our nets and only pay £60.

“It was a little more work for us but a bit more cost effective. But to find that kind of money was near on impossible. Once you go over £5 [for subscriptions] you are going to start losing players.”

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