A community football academy in west London claims it is at risk of closure due to a dispute with the council over a lease.
Football Samurai Academy is based in North Acton Playing Fields and partners with several local schools serving over 360 children from 25 nationalities. The academy director Hideyuki (Hide) Miyahara claims that despite over a decade of investment by their organisation, they are being evicted without prior consultation.
The academy has been served an eviction notice and was told to vacate by April 22, 2025.
Asked whether the academy being evicted by the council could mean it’s forced to close down, Mr Miyahara said: “Yeah there is a risk, 100 per cent, because we are an open space, we recruit people who are just in the park.
“We have lots of events coming up in the summer and winter, and we have to cancel everything… in 2024 [the council] sent us a draft of the lease and we were ready to sign, but all of a sudden they changed their direction towards 2025. I have been asking for the last five months… then we were served an eviction letter. We didn’t know why they are trying to remove us.”
Ealing Council says the academy no longer has a lease for the playing fields, and hasn’t had for several years. As such, the council says it has issued a notice to quit the premises.
Hide believes this raises “serious questions around transparency, accountability, and the treatment of local community organisations”. Ealing Council says it remains in legal talks with Football Samurai and cannot discuss the details.
A letter seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) appears to show that in 2017 there was an indication that the lease would be extended. Hide claims this ‘decision letter’ meant the council planned to extend his lease. He says the academy then received and signed terms and were provided with a draft lease agreement in 2024.
Between 2017 and 2024, Hide says Football Samurai invested over £150,000 into the site, including the £70,000 construction of a 3G pitch and the refurbishment of the building on the playing fields used by the academy. He says this was part of a “long term vision” informed by the council’s indication that it would extend the lease.
However, in a letter to Hide, the council argued it “does not accept that there has been any ‘decision’ creating a binding lease agreement or irrevocable commitment”. Additionally, the council is seeking almost £35,000 in backdated rental payments for the period the academy operated without a lease.
Hide says the he can afford to make these payments if it means the academy could remain on the site. If they are evicted Hide and Football Samurai face deciding between closure or investing in a site elsewhere, which may prove too costly.
Over 1,500 people have signed a petition urging Ealing Council to reverse its decision. Among those supporting the football academy is former Leader of Ealing Council Julian Bell.
Former Councillor Julian Bell told the LDRS: “Samurai Football Academy have made a huge positive contribution to the local community through their work with children and young people at North Acton Playing Fields. I would urge the council to reconsider this decision and I am willing to help find a solution that works for everyone.”
Louis, 21, attended the football academy regularly as a child and has been involved with Football Samurai for 11 years. He attended a state school and a Japanese school nearby and says he made “friends for life” thanks to the football academy.
He said: “It’s a big community really, and the best thing about it is that kids from different cultures can mix with each other, I think that’s the best thing… It’s perfect to be in North Acton because there is the two Japanese schools, the nursery and the primary school.”
He added: “What this club did was bring those Japanese kids together with English kids… I think that’s just amazing, because it’s all about how diverse the city is, and they all come together.”
Ashton, 20, also attended the football academy as a teenager, joining in 2017 when his previous local football team was dissolved due to funding issues.
He said: “I think it’s important because it brings the community together, little kids aspire to be football players and football is the leading sport in this country. It provides them the ability to chase their dreams.
“I’ve had tough situations in my life, and when I used to come and play football it’d take my mind away from things and just let me play the game I love… if it would close down, knife crime rates, drug dealing, all of these bad things that’s going on in the streets, coming to play football is a safe environment… it takes it off the street and does a good thing instead of having a bad impact on society.”
An Ealing Council spokesperson said: “We are committed to maintaining community sports and the continuity of sports facilities at North Acton playing fields, and are currently considering a number of opportunities.
“The director of Football Samurai Academy no longer has a lease for the playing fields. They haven’t had a lease for a number of years and as such have now been issued a notice to quit the premises. We are in legal discussions with the football academy and cannot disclose the details at this time.”
