Disgust after further vandalism at Carrickfergus youth sports pitch

A Carrickfergus football club is being forced to add extra security measures after another incident of vandalism at a pitch used by young children.
By Helena McManus
Published 26th Jan 2022, 11:38 BST
Updated 26th Jan 2022, 11:53 BST

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A football net was broken during the latest incident at the 3G pitch.A football net was broken during the latest incident at the 3G pitch.
A football net was broken during the latest incident at the 3G pitch.

Barn Youth Academy discovered that damage had been caused to football nets and advertising signage, with broken glass and litter strewn on the pitch, after young members turned up for a training session at their 3G facility on Monday evening.

It is not the first time that vandals have targeted the training ground, which is used by boys and girls aged 6-18.

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“We think it may have happened sometime on Sunday evening, as it was fine during a training session on Sunday morning,” said club secretary, Mark Rickett.

Damage was also caused to advertising signs.Damage was also caused to advertising signs.
Damage was also caused to advertising signs.

"We discovered [the damage] when a group of seven-year-old kids turned up to train on Monday, and we had to spend time clearing the pitch so that it was safe to be used again.

“It’s particularly frustrating as this has happened a few times before over the past year, and there aren’t any other facilities for us to use for training purposes; we also use the hockey pitch at the leisure centre but it's not really suitable.

“We have upwards of 260 kids in our youth section and have taken on a new girls’ team, so it’s a very important facility for the community, funded purely by ourselves and parents - we have put over £40,000 into it.”

Security measures

Fire damage at the dugout in 2019.Fire damage at the dugout in 2019.
Fire damage at the dugout in 2019.
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The club is now having to consider measures such as CCTV to deter further acts of vandalism from occurring at the pitch.

A post on the Barn Youth Academy Facebook pageread: “We try our best to leave this area at Barn usable for the local kids to have somewhere safe to kick ball when it’s not being used by the club.

“Unfortunately we will now be forced to add some further restrictions and inform you that anyone found to be using the pitch without permission is trespassing on private property and will be reported to the proper authorities.

“We will also be adding security cameras so that the small majority ruining it for the others can be identified.”

A fence was damaged in a previous incident at the grounds.A fence was damaged in a previous incident at the grounds.
A fence was damaged in a previous incident at the grounds.
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The incident was met with condemnation on social media, with many in the community calling it a “disgrace”.

Local organisation Carrick Connect, which supports young people aged 11-25, said: “I struggle to understand why anyone would do this when it is so used and needed in our community.”

East Antrim MLA, John Stewart said it was a “totally unacceptable and mindless attack on the Barn Youth faculties”.

He added: “I just don’t understand the mentality of those who would deliberately vandalise children’s football facilities.

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“If anyone has any information please contact the Barn Youth Academy [Facebook] page.”

Local support

Despite the disheartening episode, the club has since seen a generous response from the local community with several offers of financial support.

“We have had local shops who have got in touch offering to help towards the cost of repairs,” Mark added.