Residents of Richhill are rallying together to fund repairs for their closed 3G pitch, desperate to get back to playing football.
Richhill: The local community is feeling the pinch after the 3G pitch at the recreation centre closed down. Keith Gillis, who runs a weekly over-40s football session, says it’s left players with nowhere to go.
His group, which has over 40 members, used to enjoy their games on the pitch. But since it was deemed unsafe last November, they’ve had to travel eight miles to find another place to play.
Keith mentioned that the pitch had been fine for years, so the sudden closure caught everyone off guard. It’s not just his group that’s affected; other teams like Ambassadors FC also relied on that space.
Now, with the pitch locked up, locals can’t even have a casual kickabout. They’ve tried to find alternatives, but the options are limited. They found a small pitch nearby, but it’s just not the same.
There’s a little indoor pitch at the recreation centre, but it’s always booked for badminton. Keith feels the closure has hit the community hard, especially for older folks who look forward to their weekly games for exercise and socializing.
In a bid to solve the problem, residents are even willing to raise funds to repair the pitch themselves. They’re not asking for a brand-new surface, just some basic repairs to get back to playing.
Keith expressed frustration, saying the recreation centre is losing money too, as people used to pay to play there. He’s been bringing the guys to a different spot on Sundays, but it’s not ideal.
He believes the community deserves better, and many others feel the same way. They just want some clarity on when the repairs will happen. There’s talk of a new 4G pitch, but that’s still a long way off.
For now, they just need a solution to get back on the field. ABC Council has been contacted for a comment on the situation.
