Vicky Park Rangers FC: Girls' team given access to training facility after initial ban

Tower Hamlets Council said awarding the contract to the club in the first place was a "processing error"

A girls' football team have been given a training facility, after losing access to a 3G pitch.

Vicky Park Rangers FC had been awarded a weekly Thursday training slot on the Stepney Green pitch for three years.

They discovered this had been withdrawn last Thursday, two weeks into the club using the facility.

On Friday the club issued a statement saying it had reached an agreement allowing players access to a training facility midweek.

Tower Hamlets Council had said awarding the contract to the club in the first place was a "processing error".

The statement on the club's social media said: "We have reached an agreement that will provide our girls with a facility that allows them to train midweek.

"We recognise the involvement of the Mayor's team has had an impact in us resolving this matter."

There are about 120 girls in the club, ranging from ages six to 16.

The club's chairperson, Taner Baycanli, said: "For a number of years the club has found it difficult to secure training facilities for midweek training sessions. The club was therefore delighted to be successful in the allocation for the 3G Astro pitch at Stepney Green."

He added that the club had gone through a "fair application process" based on criteria including the number of Tower Hamlets residents, whether the club provides for women and girls' football and the club's achievements over the last five years.

Varsha Bailey-Gunputh said there was a lack of access to training for girls and women's teams as boys and men get priority

Varsha Bailey-Gunputh, one of the coaches at the club, said the girls and coaches found out about the issue when they showed up to train to discover the gates were locked.

She told BBC London: "Imagine the impact it has had on these girls and on the coaches as well.

"After last year, the Lionesses winning the Euros, that was a turning point for all of us when we were told: 'Girls matter, we can do it too'."

She added: "Everyone was saying we'd be leaving a legacy but when it comes to the facts, we're back to square one."

Ms Bailey-Gunputh, who was named female coach of the year by the Amateur Football Alliance, said there was a lack of access to training for girls' and women's teams as boys and men get priority.

A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Council said it had offered the club a slot at a different venue, but Ms Bailey-Gunputh explained this was on Saturdays which is when they play league games.

A different time slot was also offered for another day, but this was too late at night for the club.

Ruth Herbert, whose daughter Ivy is in the Vicky Rangers, said the council's decision was "really frustrating".

Vicky Herbert, pictured with her daughter Ivy, said: "They issued a contract for three years, they can't just rescind that"

"I don't get how they can make a processing error, they issued a contract for three years, they can't just rescind that," she said.

Ms Herbert explained the team had given up access to their old training ground in Mile End and now had "nowhere to go".

Ivy added: "I just really love football and I'm trying out to do it at school, but I want to keep doing it [at Vicky Rangers] because I have loads of friends and it's really fun."

A council spokesperson said it "fully supports and encourages women's participation in sport in Tower Hamlets".

"In this case, a processing error meant that Vicky Park Rangers were originally given a slot which was intended for another group and this was corrected as soon as possible," they added.

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