Football club in stand-off with council over parking

The club said it does not have enough spaces to meet demand

A youth football team says it has been forced to change its training schedule and cancel games over a parking dispute with the local parish council.

Leonard Stanley Sharks in Gloucestershire, which boasts 150 players, only has about 20 parking spaces, meaning that for training sessions or matches, many parents park on nearby roads, drawing complaints from the local community.

The club chairman has asked to use the village hall next door, which has 40 spaces, but claims he has been repeatedly refused, despite offering to pay.

The parish council said it would be in touch with the club over the issue.

The club claims the council will not let it use the village hall car park

The club used to train children on Friday evenings, but will now stagger sessions throughout the week and cancel all non-league games to alleviate parking concerns.

Dean Ackland, chairman of Leonard Stanley Sharks, said it has been a "two-year struggle" on the issue.

"We've offered to pay for the hire of the village hall at double the rate," he said.

"But the parish council said no, because they have a cinema that runs once a month - they shut the gate and we can't use it."

Mr Ackland said most of the council, including the chair, are supportive of the club, but accused a handful of "short-sighted" members of causing the problem.

He added that the parish council has spent £130,000 on the pavilion the club use, but he will now need to start fundraising for a further £40,000 to build an additional car park.

'Absolute nightmare'

Paul Webster, whose son plays for the Under 11s, said parking for sessions can be an "absolute nightmare", adding that sometimes it is a case of "abandoning your car on the side of the road".

He told the BBC it is "frustrating" to have to park on housing estates "when the village hall has an empty car park most weeks", arguing it would also be safer for the children, some of which are as young as three-years-old.

Leonard Stanley Parish Council said in a statement: "The football club has a good following and provides a valuable service within the community.

"Unfortunately, as is common with other similar sporting clubs, the car park is quite small and therefore, cars overspill onto residential streets, sometimes with little thought for other highway users.

"However, the parish council is not responsible for on-street parking.

"The parish council has always supported the football clubs in the village and has recently spent a very large sum on a major refurbishment of the sports pavilion for the benefit of all involved."