Boozepark’s got the beer orders in for the weekend, sales of wide-screen tellies have spiked, and an expectant nation is all set to get behind Harry Kane and his England team, including four Palace stars, as they kick off their Euro 2024 campaign.
Eze for England: youngsters inspired by the Palace star have fewer public pitches to play on than in 2010, research shows
But kids wanting to step into the boots of Adam Wharton and Eberechi Eze in the future might struggle to find a place to practice and hone their skills.
That’s according to research published this morning by the GMB public services trades union, which has found almost 1,000 council-owned football pitches have been lost across the country since 2010.
The findings come as Croydon’s Tory Mayor, Jason Perry, is trying to flog off part of the Purley Way Playing Fields, having opted not to repair or rebuild one of the changing blocks beside the public open space in Waddon, after the building was destroyed by arson.
The GMB’s figures show there are 846 fewer local authority-owned or operated football pitches today, while councils said that a further 80 pitches had also been closed – bringing the total to 926 lost pitches.
Fields of dreams: Croydon Council is flogging off a section of Purley Way Playing Fields
Scotland has lost 271 pitches during the 14-year period, while the north of England and Wales have also been hard-hit.
Rachel Harrison, the GMB’s national secretary, said: “The England and Scotland men’s teams are about to begin their European Championship campaigns, with the hopes of the nations resting on their shoulders.
“Yet before a ball has even been kicked, the next generation of footballers have already lost.
“Losing almost 1,000 council football pitches could crush grassroots football and is yet another deeply depressing legacy of the Conservative’s austerity mission.”
Read more: Purley Way sports pavilion destroyed in suspected arson fire
Read more: Locals concerned that Perry plans to sell listed Norwood Grove
Read more: Council’s once-prized listed building Heathfield House left to rot
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ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: In January 2024, Croydon was named among the country’s rottenest boroughs for a SEVENTH successive year in the annual round-up of civic cock-ups in Private Eye magazine
Did we not learn from the sales of school playing fields? If there are no public areas — and in this context subsidized ones — for children/young people to play football, cricket, whatever else takes their fancy how are they supposed to develop the love of these things, stay fit etc.? History doesn’t repeat itself, but it certainly does rhyme.