To Chris Davey
Devon & Exeter League secretary
Monday 1st August
Can we please request that your clubs are made aware of the current issues of training on Exeter City council pitches. I have looked at a couple of sites this morning and on two pitches at King George V playing fields for example we might as well have not bothered carrying out any remedial work as they look like last season has just finished. The obvious conclusion here will be a rapid deterioration and playing on mud by Christmas.
If teams really feel the need to start training in early July and into early August why not take up an option on the multitude of 3Gs and astros that are unused as the school holidays kick in. If teams cant be bothered to make such a booking then training sessions do not have to be where the pitches are and a goal area could be anywhere other than on a patch so obviously reseeded and trying to establish. Any team complaining about bare areas, bumpy surfaces or puddling will getting quite a short response from me this winter. Three side issues have also come to light which my chargehand has pointed out to me this morning.
1. The amount of litter, specifically bottles, left behind after these sessions is getting out of hand and if our guys are spending an hour walking the pitches picking up litter after every session they are will not be painting goal posts. If the posts are not ready for week beginning 23rd August and 31st August the games will have to be deferred. Last week bottles, tape and food wrappings had to be collected every morning as well as packaging for fitness ladders and cones on Tuesday morning. The same group that left this litter on the KGV plateau also attracted the attention of residents in Topsham Road who have complained about noise and bad language. They have a point. Out of season they should be able to sit in their gardens and enjoy the evenings.
2. Some of the behaviour in our car parks is disrespectful to our neighbours and other park users and is potentially dangerous. The guy in the sporty Fiesta attempting wheel spins last Tuesday night at KGV is nothing short of a moron and just because they, the players, are making use of a site in the evening the general concepts of speed limits and due care and attention still apply. Thursday night at KGV was, by local accounts, quite bad on all fronts and I will lock the gates if local residents make a substantiated complaint about noise, lack of respect or using the car parks as a race track. I have had to ask our Community Patrol to make passing visits over the next couple of weeks and if problems persist with particular groups/teams the Licences that are just going out can be easily terminated.
3. All of our sites are what we term operational. Last Tuesday evening our tractor and other vehicles could not gain access to the garages at KGV circa 8pm because of some ludicrous parking in front of the main entrance. The red barrier off of Topsham Road was also blocked by a vehicle so time we had to pay for was lost whilst these vehicle owners were found. If the work pattern for cutting pitches dictates that some work will be required out of hours then a tractor with gang mowers and a follow up vehicle will be on site and they will have to cut the grass. If they cannot do it because access is impeded or someone plays the Ive got a right to be here card they will pull off and the pitches will not be cut until the route they have been given is completed, usually a ten day cycle.
It seems ironic that after the worst winter for pitches I can remember we still had some complaints about playing surfaces being bumpy and sitting wet. Our attempts to rectify these actual and perceived problems are being undermined by the same people who made them.
I will have a similar discussion with the Sunday League boys and although no Junior teams have been mentioned in despatches I will be in touch with the EFL as well.
Galvin Short
Exeter City Council Parks dept |
