Goal vandalism forces Mudeford Phoenix Girls & Ladies Football Club to launch fundraiser

A FOOTBALL club for women and girls has slammed “mindless” vandals who wrecked a new goal, meaning matches could be postponed.

Members turning up for training at Mudeford Phoenix Girls & Ladies Football Club last Monday discovered the crossbar on one of the two goals for its younger players had been snapped.

A post had also been bent, leaving the equipment, which had been purchased as one of a £1,800 pair only two months earlier, unusable.

The club has now been left having to buy a whole new set again, just weeks before the new season starts in September.

This comes after one of the adult goals was wrecked last year, forcing the club to fork out £2,300 for another set.

Club secretary Stuart Gard told the A&T it was not possible to weld or repair the damaged goal.

“It’s hard work when you’re running a small football club and mindless people come and damage it,” he said.

“They don’t realise the consequences of what they do. We’re going to have to buy brand new goals before the start of the next season in less than a month.

“We don’t get any outside funding, so we’ve got to raise the money.”

The club launched a GoFundMe online fundraising page to collect the sum needed to buy a new set of goals, plus further cash towards improving the ground’s security.

By yesterday (Tuesday), nearly £1,900 had been donated.

Mr Gard said the club was hoping to build a compound to keep the goals safe, although this required investing in costly security sensors.

“We need to keep the goals safe because we can’t afford to keep buying two to three sets of goals per year,” he continued.

“Unfortunately, you expect something to happen sometime as although it’s private land, it’s an open field.

“There’s not a lot we can do about it. We can’t fence off the whole site.”

Other nuisance matters that have plagued the club include spilt bike petrol and bonfires on pitches.

It had a shed vandalised about 10-12 years ago, but this has since been replaced with more secure containers.

Having started in 2003 with a membership of 11 girls, the club, based off Grange Road, currently caters for 172 girls and women aged six to 42.

Stressing it does not charge a joining fee, Mr Gard explained there was a monthly charge of £15 for the training, matches and kit costs.

Also expressing his frustration at the vandalism, club chairman Ian Roff told how it looked like the offenders had swung on the snapped crossbar.

“It’s quite sad,” he said. “We’ve got three weeks till the season starts and we may have to postpone some games for the younger players.

“We can order some goals and get them sent, but it’s not like Amazon next-day delivery – they can take weeks to turn up.”

Anyone with information should contact police online at dorset.police.uk or by calling 101.

Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously at crimestoppers-uk.org or on 0800 555 111.

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