Penalty kicked on home pitches

By John Hill on September 5, 2007 12:00 AM

A CUP-WINNING youth football club involving up to 200 children has been slapped with a huge bill for its home pitches.
Millwall Albion FC on the Isle of Dogs were shocked when Tower Hamlets Council told them it had hiked up the cost for the use of Millwall Park this year by nearly #3,500 and then threatened to boot them out in favour of other teams if they did not pay up.
But a council spokeswoman said the rise was not as high as first indicated, due to an administrative error, and any rise was down to increased pitch usage.

Club chairman Ronnie Bender said: "It's not nice to get that sort of ultimatum. We're trying to provide football for youngsters on the Isle of
Dogs, and we won't be able to keep the club going if we have a rising bill every year. We're looking to build a relationship with the council and this isn't very helpful."
Millwall Albion runs training and league matches with 15 teams playing in Albion colours, from the seven-aside under-8 teams to the senior team. The under-16s won the London Cup for the third time in March.
The teams practise on Saturdays and play on Sundays, using Millwall Park and the enclosed pitch on Stebondale Street. But the council said it had raised the price of their permit from #2,000 to #5,357.60 on August 16, and gave them until August 31 to cough up. The club would also have to pay a fee for the Stebondale pitch, despite the fact other users sneak in for free.
Mr Bender said: "We don't turn away any kid from sessions if they want to play football. How am I going to encourage kids to play football if I have to turn them away when they're too poor to pay the subs? It shouldn't be about finance."
Blackwall and Cubitt Town ward councillor Peter Golds has advised the club to pay last year's rate and push for negotiations.
He said: "It's absolutely ridiculous. We're obviously interested in finding out how they reached this figure. I was horrified when I found out."
The council spokeswoman said: "We have a good relationship with Millwall Albion and they are a brilliant football club within the community. We are aware of problems with pitch quality and we are working to improve this."
The revised permit cost is #4,697, she said.
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