Dog poo, littering and vandalism continue to prevent younger members of the club hosting games at home
THE junior teams of Fairwater FC are unable to play matches on their home pitch due to continued vandalism.
Poplar Park’s barriers, dugouts and pitch have been repeatedly damaged. Motorcycles are driven on the pitch and create an uneven and unsafe surface in areas. This means the younger players are unable to play on their home turf.
The junior teams are having to travel as far as Pontcanna to play home matches.
“They (vandals) dig up parts of the pitch so there are massive divots and this creates massive puddles. We are going to have a game called off because there is a puddle,” says Secretary and First Team Manager of Fairwater FC, Casey Warren.
The adult teams are governed by different regulation for pitch safety and are able to continue to use the pitch, but for junior teams it is a safety issue.
But it’s not just the holes, littering and dog faeces are another issue affecting the football club and its ability to host matches.
“There is an issue with litter, and we can’t stop people from doing it. Even though the bins are filled up with dog mess you will still find some on the pitch anyway,” says Mr. Warren.
“It can be dangerous as well if you have an open wound and you step on dog mess, there is potential to lose your leg or your arm.”
Fairwater FC is holding a fundraiser so that the club can better protect the pitch and achieve their goals. The money raised would go towards making essential improvements to the club. This includes levelling out the pitch, purchasing fencing to increase security and building a pathway on the perimeter of the pitch.
The club aspires to also build a 100-seater stand to help foster camaraderie in the community.
The money from this fundraiser will help the club be able to host the junior matches and get their tier three licensing. This will allow their first teams to retain their current league status and progress further.
Mr. Warren continued: “It would give the kids somewhere to play safely rather than wondering if there is dog mess on the pitch or a hole somewhere that you could injure yourself in,”
“The kids love training on their home pitch, you see them in their Fairwater kit, and they love playing for the club.”
The club, which dissolved in 2013 but was reinstated in 2015, has quickly grown, gaining more than 250 players who play weekly. This includes men’s, women’s, junior girls’ and boys’ teams.
As part of their fundraiser each team in the club will be doing a fundraising activity.
Fairwater FC’s fundraising page can be found here.
For information or to help with the fundraiser contact Casey Warren at caseywarren208@hotmail.co.uk
