Cycle challenge to help vandal-hit football club

Simon Rampley, a Littleport Rangers coach, said he would help raise money for the club

A coach at a youth football club is due to cycle for 12 hours straight to raise money, after its pitches were torn up for the second time in three weeks.

Littleport Rangers FC in Cambridgeshire spent about £400 fixing a pitch used by the under-17s team after a vehicle drove around it on 9 September.

Two-and-a-half weeks later, a similar incident happened on a pitch used by the under-7s, causing significant damage and making it unusable.

Simon Rampley, one of the coaches, said he would carry out the fundraiser so the club could continue to "provide facilities for the children to play".

Littleport Rangers said tracks had been made across the whole of the under-7s pitch

Cambridgeshire Police has appealed for more information after the pitches at the Sports and Leisure Centre on Camel Road were damaged both times during the hours of darkness.

Both teams have had to relocate while the ground gets repaired.

Littleport Rangers said the initial incident cost about £400 in soil and grass seed to fix, and volunteers spent hours restoring it.

Steve Grindley said the club would ask the local council for fencing as a preventative measure

After completing a Parkrun at the weekend, Mr Rampley said he would then cycle on a stationary bike for 12 hours.

"It will probably hurt, [but] it's all in aid of the club so we can provide amenities and facilities for the children to play," he said.

"We are an inclusive club and we try to keep our costs as low as possible because of the current environment, so anything anyone can do to raise money and add is a good thing."

Steven Grindy, vice chairman of the non-profit club, said vandals had done "wheel-spins and doughnuts and dug the grass up and made an absolute mess".

He added that the club would struggle to afford the work following the first incident and was grateful to those who had offered support.