Sport Aberdeen insist they remain “deeply committed to supporting football” in the city, with chief executive Keith Heslop willing to meet Aberdeen Sunday Amateur Football League (ASAFL) representatives over the grass pitch provision concerns reported in The Press and Journal.
On Wednesday, The P&J reported the ASAFL’s fears the 60-year-old Sunday game in Aberdeen was under threat due to claims of “fewer and fewer pitches every year”.
In an earlier joint statement, Sunday amateur club bosses had accused Sport Aberdeen of “throttling” the availability of grass pitches across the city – with frustrations bubbling over when a spell of bad weather, as well as vandalism from youth on electric bikes, left only one pitch at Sheddocksley available for use by the division’s 14 teams.
Golden Tee FC manager Lewis Sharp told the P&J the ASAFL accept the public sports body can do “nothing” to prevent vandalism out of hours, while Sport Aberdeen told us they expect all matches across their sites at both Sheddocksley and Kaimhill, to be able to go ahead this weekend.
However, the Sunday sides also blamed Sport Aberdeen’s cost-cutting decision to shut other pitches at Inverdee, Hazlehead and Aulton for the recent pinch on pitch numbers.
They called for a summit with chiefs to prevent a repeat situation and to discuss rising pitch hire prices.
Sport Aberdeen: Our goal is to provide as many opportunities as possible for people to enjoy football
On Thursday, in a new statement, Sport Aberdeen sought to correct “inaccurate” ASAFL claims – and said CEO Heslop is “open to meeting with ASAFL representatives and club managers to discuss the future of adult football in the city and explore solutions around pitch availability, fixture planning, kick off times and strategy alignment.”
The fresh Sport Aberdeen statement read: “Sport Aberdeen has noted recent concerns raised by the Aberdeen Sunday Amateur Football League (ASAFL) regarding pitch availability.
“While we understand and appreciate the concerns of ASAFL, we believe some statements made were inaccurate and would like to clarify our position.
“Firstly, we want to reassure everyone that Sunday football is not under threat. The claim that we are ‘throttling’ pitch availability is not accurate.
“Unfortunately, due to factors beyond our control —such as waterlogging, snow, and frozen pitches — some matches have had to be cancelled.
“We are sure many will have noted that, due to the extreme weather this year, many golf clubs, for example, are delaying the start of their season to allow their courses to recover from the wet conditions experienced. These weather-related issues have impacted outdoor sports across the city, as also acknowledged by ASAFL representatives.
“In addition to these weather challenges, we are also dealing with damage caused by electric bikes, which have been ridden across the pitches, creating deep gouges and making the fields unplayable. This kind of vandalism, which happens outside of regular hours, further increases the maintenance burden on our team.
“Despite these challenges, Sport Aberdeen remains deeply committed to supporting football in the city.
“Our goal is to provide as many opportunities as possible for people to enjoy the sport, and we continue to invest in the quality of our facilities.
“To highlight our commitment to grassroots football, we run the Active Schools Primary Football League every Saturday morning at Harlaw Road Playing Fields, where over 1,000 young players from 150 local school teams participate each week.
“We operate 12 full-size football pitches across the city, with five of our 10 full-size grass pitches at Sheddocksley and two at Kaimhill available every Sunday for ASAFL games. Based on our discussions with ASAFL, it is understood that these facilities are more than sufficient to accommodate all scheduled fixtures. As such, we are confident that there is no threat to the availability of Sunday football.
“Regarding the financial aspects of pitch hire, we offer an 11-a-side pitch for under £3 per player per match, which we believe is excellent value. Our grass pitch rates are among the most affordable in Scotland, and we subsidise each game at Sheddocksley by over £200 per match. However, with ongoing increases in operational costs and reduced grant funding, maintaining this level of subsidy may not be sustainable in the long term.
“Sport Aberdeen has made significant investments in pitch quality over the past two years. In 2023 and 2024, we invested £40,000 at Sheddocksley, enhancing pitch quality by spreading 240 tonnes of sand and solid tining. Furthermore, we are planning a £150,000 investment in drainage improvements at Sheddocksley to ensure the long-term sustainability of the pitches.
“We understand the frustrations that come with weather-related cancellations and other challenges, but we remain dedicated to working with ASAFL and other clubs to ensure the continued growth of football in Aberdeen.”
Sport Aberdeen – encouraging the ASAFL to contact them via customerhub@sportaberdeen.co.uk – added: “We are committed to working together with all our partners, as we believe that strong partnerships are key to ensuring the long-term success of grassroots football in the city.”
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