Community rallies round after vandals wreak havoc at Calderdale village football pitch

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Donations have been flooding in after a Calderdale village football pitch was torn up by vandals.

Midgley United Football Club took to social media yesterday to say the pitch at Midgley Recreation Ground, off Green Lane, had been left unplayable.

They described the damage as “extensive”, saying there were deep tyre tracks covering a large area of the pitch.

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A fundraiser was launched to help pay for repairs which has had a huge response, raising the target of £750 in just over an hour and more than £1,500 in less than 24 hours.

The vandalism at the football pitch at Midgley Recreation GroundThe vandalism at the football pitch at Midgley Recreation Ground
The vandalism at the football pitch at Midgley Recreation Ground

"We are overwhelmed by the response and generosity from our local community,” posted Midgley United.

"We have surpassed our target of £750 in just over one hour! To everybody who has donated and shared, thank you from everybody associated with Midgley United!

“It is reassuring to see the good people of this community pull together.

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"It looks like the earliest we can close the Just Giving page is March 5. For any additional donations received, we will be looking at putting towards preventive measures to stop incidents like this happening in the future.”

The pitch is used by Midgley United’s senior and junior teams, as well as other Calderdale teams.

Midgley United had said immediate repairs were needed as they are mid-way through the season.

"It is hard enough to keep football teams running (for the enjoyment of local people), without having to deal with the financial implications of issues such as this,” they had said yesterday.

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"We have set up a Just Giving page to try get as many donations as possible to contribute to the repairs of the pitch.

"It is our hope it will be in a playable state by our next home game on February 15.

"Any donations no matter how small are greatly appreciated.

"A lot of effort from many volunteers across the local community goes into the maintenance of the pitch. This latest incident is a real kick in the teeth but we are determined to bounce back!”

Anyone with information about the vandalism should contact police by calling 101.

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