Youth teams give councils red card over pitch delays

BIG KICK-OFF GETS GREEN LIGHT

- KEITH McLEOD

YOUTH football has been given the nod to start up again – but many relying on council facilities will not be able to train properly for more than a month, leaving those involved in the game furious.

Each local authority is charting its own way out of lockdown with the gradual reopening of resources.

Scotland’s biggest local authority – Glasgow City Council – will not see the first of its football pitch facilities open until next month.

And in another big urban council area – North Lanarkshire – there are no dates yet for pitches to re-open, though golf and tennis facilities have already started up again.

One coach in North Lanarkshire said: “It has been 17 very long weeks since grassroots football closed and the kids were absolutely elated when they heard news that training could resume from Monday.

“However, it seems their joy will be short-lived.