Matches off due to Witney's football pitch problem

Witney Town Council said The Leys will be unusable for matches until at least December

Budding footballers are having matches called off or cut short because a town has too few pitches, coaches say.

Clubs in Witney, Oxfordshire, said demand has soared after England's Lionesses won Euro 2022 in July.

But The Leys, a ground with six pitches, could be unusable until the end of the year, so coaches have been left scrabbling for other space.

Witney Town Council, which owns the site and others in the town, said it has tried to move teams elsewhere.

It said pitches on The Leys have been "compacted" by summer heat, a lack of rain and "unauthorised training on the junior pitches on the off-season", leaving them unsafe to use.

Maria Frindle said her club has been frustrated by the lack of alternative space in Witney

Witney Vikings Youth Football Club has about 500 players - 300 boys and 200 girls - but with the town expanding, accommodating all of its players has been difficult.

Maria Frindle, the club's treasurer, said more space is needed as soon as possible.

"We are all working for the good of the kids. At the moment it feels like Steve [Bott, the club's chairman] is hitting his head against a brick wall," she said.

"He keeps asking for more pitches and he's told no, no, no. It's very frustrating."

According to provisional statistics from last year's Census, the district of West Oxfordshire expanded by 9% in 10 years, with its population increasing from 104,800 in 2011 to 114,200 in 2021.

Paul Coombes from Tower Hill Football Club said games are being cut short

"The town has expanded but without any significant investment into sport or recreational facilities," Paul Coombes, from Tower Hill Football Club, said.

He said training games for some children are being cut short or coaches are asked "perhaps not even to play them" because of the lack of pitch space.

In a statement, Witney Town Council's chair of sport and recreation, Vicky Gwatkin, said it accommodated 51 football teams last year and that demand has increased by a further 25%.

"Many [pitches] are already overused and this can result in long term damage. All teams know we are working to bring more online but we are at the mercy of third parties," she said.

West Oxfordshire District Council, which is responsible for housing, has been contacted to comment.