A community football club has been left devastated after “mindless vandals” targeted their ground and caused around £5000 worth of damage.
Officials at Arthurlie FC say the damage done at Dunterlie Park, Barrhead, between Saturday evening and Monday is "sickening".
People at the West of Scotland Football League Premier Division club have been left stunned by the reckless vandalism spree and had to launch a clean-up operation on Monday.
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Damage included glass scattered around the place after the windows of the ticket booth were smashed, furniture was strewn about the ground, pieces of rubble were thrown onto the pitch and locks were knocked off off doors.
Club secretary Jim Hannigan says the club has had trouble with youngsters intruding on the pitch recently. They were told the turf had just been relaid, to the tune of £6,000, and that they weren’t allowed to play on it, but they kept coming.
Eventually the police were called and it was arranged that they would check in on Dunterlie Park more frequently to try and deter the youngsters.
Jim said: “We’ve been having trouble with them for the last couple of months.
"We got the police in because we’d spent £6,000 on the playing surface in the close season to get the pitch up to the standard that we were looking for. We explained this to them again and again but they just kept coming.
“It’s sickening actually, because we are all volunteers and when you think about all the hard work that’s been put in trying to improve the place. It’s just mindless vandalism.
"We have a great relationship with the local community, we’re heavily involved with the Barrhead Youth Club. We tried to explain to the boys ‘if you want to get involved, get involved in the Barrhead Youth Club’, but they’re more interested in wrecking stuff.”
A fundraiser has been launched to help the club recoup the cost of the damage. A statement from Kenneth Robertson, who set up the fundraiser on the Gofundme page, reads: “Arthurlie FC have been around the community for a long time.
“As a junior team they are restricted due to funds and unfortunately the ground was vandalised recently.
“I want to raise funds to help them pay for the damage and maybe even CCTV.”
Jim added: “There’s only so many times we can go to the well [of public generosity] and all they’ve done for us, we really appreciate it.
"But then again, they’re that type of people that will put their hands in their pocket again, I’m quite sure.”
Jim also has a message for any disengaged youths out there: “If you’re looking for something to do, please come and join our youth club, you’re more than welcome, it’s a fantastic club.
"And Arthurlie is in the pyramid system now, you can go from five years old right up to senior football. The opportunity is there."
A link to the fundraiser is available here: https://bit.ly/3DXoXH9
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