Hundreds of pounds worth of equipment belonging to Rye Bay Football club was damaged by vandals on Wednesday October 9. The team’s shed was wrecked and paint strewn over the pitch during the afternoon attack at Rye College. The club has launched a fundraising appeal.
Writing for the club on the Rye Bay FC Facebook page Liz Byrne explained what happened: “We have been lucky enough to collaborate with Rye College for a venue for some of our teams to train during the week. In the last 24hrs our shed has been vandalised, equipment damaged and expensive line marking paint thrown across the field costing us hundreds of pounds. As a non for profit club we take a huge hit in situations like this. We don’t have funds to replace things and more than anything are genuinely gutted that certain individuals show zero respect for our property that is purely to help develop young people in a fun environment. We will be reporting this to the police and checking local CCTV. We ask that anyone with any information about this comes forward to us or the police.”
Parents of children who play for their team have shared their thoughts on the damage, amongst them Flipflop Jess: “I have supported two of my children through their love of the game through Rye Bay Football Club over the last few years. We were really fortunate to collaborate with Rye College to use their field and it’s heart-breaking that someone has trashed our storage shed and equipment. We rely on extra fundraising as a non for profit club to pay for the extras. All our coaches are volunteers (often parents) who give hours of time to help over 160 young people in the area.”
A Go Fund me page has been set up. Please help support this amazing club which offers so much to so many children: https://gofund.me/d09709cc
Image Credits: Rye Bay FC .