Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Nino Williams

The Swansea football club where people think it's fun to smash glass bottles on the pitch

Running a sports team hasn't been easy during the coronavirus pandemic and associated lockdowns, but for one football club, it's people, not viruses, that are making life extra hard right now.

Every time they turn up, they wonder what they will find that day - and it's rarely anything good.

Morriston Town AFC said it had experienced a string of destructive incidents, with bottles being broken, bins set on fire and youths gathering in the pitch’s dug out to take drugs.

The issues have got worse ever since a fence around the ground fell down earlier this year during bad weather and was then trampled over, making it impossible to be re-erected and forcing its removal.

Club treasurer Cloe Morgan said: “It seems like something is happening there two or three times every week.

“Bottles are being broken on the pitch, so we have to send out people to clear that up.

“People are taking drugs in the dug out, and leaving paraphernalia behind."

Find out about crime in your area

She said people took a risk leaving their cars there, and yobs had even driven vehicles on to the pitch, causing significant damage.

Earlier this year a motorcyclist was caught on camera causing damage to the pitch by riding across the grass.

“There’s criminal damage, and if people leave their cars behind at the weekend, then wing mirrors might be broken," she added.

“We’ve had motorbikes turning up and cutting up the ground.

“We are a committee-run club and everyone here are volunteers, and we have to go out there and tidy up every time some damage is done.

Windows have also been smashed at the clubhouse (Morriston Town AFC)
More damage at Morriston Town's clubhouse caused by vandals (Morriston Town AFC)

“We’ve been training recently through lockdown, but we have had to go out and clean up, or remove glass from the pitch.

“It’s a danger to all who use the club, especially the young children in the junior section”.

Morriston Town AFC has three senior teams, a youth side and three junior sides, as well as a darts and pool team outside lockdown.

Its pitch, The Dingle, is behind residential housing off Clydach Road.

Get Swansea stories straight to your inbox with our newsletter.

Bins have been set on fire at Morriston Town's home (Morriston Town AFC)
Items thrown onto the playing field at The Dingle (Morriston Town AFC)
Marks left on the grass caused by vehicles (Morriston Town AFC)

The club are now looking to fund a new fence around the site, in order to keep people away, but that will mean a big bill.

“There is now no fence around the premises at all,” said Chloe.

“We have neighbours so we don’t want it to be too high, so it will have to be an anti-climb fence.

“We have priced up a new fence which will cost £8,800 for materials alone, which we simply cannot afford”.

Police have been asked to comment on the problems at the club.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.