Councillor pledges to push for progress to revamp Bonhill football pitch

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Leven councillor has pledged to act on the concerns of Bonhill residents over rundown football pitches after a petition neared 500 signatures.Outdated red ash parks at Braehead and Pappert have become unused eyesores, with residents calling for action to give local youngsters somewhere to practice their skills once again.From the mid-1950s onwards, almost every school and scheme had multiple blaes football pitches.

The parks were cheap to maintain and allowed for not only football use but use as for athletics and other outdoor activities.However, the gritty surfaces were unpopular with players, with broadcaster Chick Young even joking: “They treated cattle better than they treated young footballers.

At least the cows knew what grass was.”Over the years their use declined, with parks falling into disrepair.Residents in Bonhill took matters into their own hands earlier this summer, launching an online petition calling for renovations.It read: “Council cuts means that the grass is now being cut less frequently and parts have been left to biodiversity.“In turn there is nowhere for children of Bonhill to play football and other sports on an adequate playing field, as both pitches in Pappert and Braehead are extremely rundown and overgrown with grass and weeds.“We believe that children should have a safe place within their own community to play sports and exercise as it promotes healthy living and good mental health.“We know that a lot of children who enjoy playing football are travelling to Levenvale for a decent football pitch to play on.

In today’s climate we would rather they were able to play in their own community.”And last week Leven councillor Michelle McGinty confirmed to the Lennox that she would be pushing for