South Lanarkshire youth football clubs up in arms over price increases for pitch lets

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Youth football clubs across South Lanarkshire are facing “astronomical” price hikes for pitch lets after the council slashed the discount they are entitled to.Coaches and parents are up in arms and a petition to stop the changes has quickly gathered thousands of signatures.And grassroots officials are planning to get together next week for a crisis meeting in a bid to fight back.Up until now, children’s teams enjoyed a discount of 75 per cent for pitch lets – that will now become 50 per cent.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android Chris Hampton from UTD Sports in Cambuslang, raised his concerns over the decision and he will work with other clubs to lobby the council.He said: “The price hike is astronomical, I’ve informed all the members and parents this morning about it, telling them about what this will mean for the club, what it will mean financially, what it means as a community in a wider sense.

And after speaking to some other clubs they’re on the same boat, so we’ve all emailed all the local councillors.”The cost for letting pitches for UTD Sports will go up considerably.Chris said: “We’ve been running since 2016, and the reduction has always been 75 per cent for under-16s, a 75 per cent reduction from the total adult cost.“At this moment in time, our teams use Stonelaw High School’s Community