Stevenage: Bedwell Rangers FC seeking new football pitches

It follows interventions by local leagues and the Herts FA.

FA rules dictate that matches can only be played on 3G pitches when the venue is on a national register - and the pitches at Marriotts School are not on that register.

However, Bedwell Rangers had played matches at the school for a decade without any local leagues or the Herts FA taking action. According to the club, those organisations have only recently decided to enforce the rule about playing matches on registered pitches.

In Stevenage, there is a lack of alternative 3G pitches - only the pitch at the Valley School is on the national register. It has meant a struggle for Bedwell Rangers to get games on.

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Neil Finch, club chairman, said: “We’ve had to try and hire park pitches, and cancel a number of our games.

“The pitch at Marriotts is really good, but we’ve now got six to ten-year-olds having to play on muddy pitches instead, or not at all.

“The biggest issue is that Stevenage is so short of 3G pitches. A few years ago the FA’s Local Football Facility Plan for Stevenage indicated that the town needs four more.

“We’ve had no assistance from Stevenage Borough Council.

“We’ve got nearly 800 players at the club and 250 children on the waiting list, and a permanent home is our dream.

"We have an average of ten new applications per week to join our waiting list - all those kids may never have the opportunity to join a team because we don't have the space."

Bedwell Rangers have nearly 800 players on their books. (Image: Bedwell Rangers)

In response, Steve Maker, head of football development and investment at Herts FA, said: "It was brought to our attention that Bedwell Rangers have been using a facility that does not meet the required standard for matches, and we reminded them that this is contrary to the rules of the various competitions in which their teams play.

"Use of such a facility could also affect the validity of the club's insurance, meaning that they may not be appropriately covered should a young player be injured during a game.

"We fully agree that more capacity is needed in the area, and have worked to have this reflected in the Local Football Facility Plan for Stevenage, which identifies priority projects for potential investment.

"We stand ready to assist clubs in accessing significant funding that is available from the Football Foundation and continue to work with the local authority to identify suitable sites for new football facilities to be built.

"At the same time, we have reached out to the operators of the facility in question to support them in having it assessed and getting any necessary improvements made.

"While we appreciate the frustration that demand for football facilities in the local area exceeds current provision, and urge all involved to work together to address this, our number one priority must always be the wellbeing of those taking part in the game."