Looking back... Football pitch shortage highlighted across Carrickfergus

A Carrick-based councillor claimed that a spell of bad weather had highlighted a football pitch shortage in the area in March 1980.

Cllr Stewart Dickson said that cancellations over the winter months meant that the local season would have to be extended by up to six weeks.

The Alliance representative accused council officials of calling-off matches which could have been played.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: “A number of pitches have been lost at Eden, while the two pitches at Greenisland are not much more than cow fields.

“The pitches at Woodburn are more unplayable than playable because of the weather.”

He said that the situation had showed how susceptible temporary pitches are to the rain and highlighted the need to press ahead with the council’s football pitch programme.

The council’s recreation officer, Alan Phair, said teams in the borough would have to plod away while the new pitches were being built at Eden, Greenisland and Carrick Leisure Centre.

He said in an effort to clear the backlog of matches the council was planning to increase the number of mid-week games which were being played.

Related topics: