Vandals destroy sponsor boards at Clenchwarton FC
Young footballers who gifted kit to fellow players on the other side of the globe have been targetted by vandals on their own home ground.
New sponsorship boards set up around Clenchwarton Football Club's pitch were destroyed in an overnight attack.
It happened only days after the players sent eight full kits, footballs and other equipment to teams in Africa through KitZ4Kidz which helps less fortunate youngsters.
The club now faces a bill, which it can ill afford, to replace the damaged sponsor boards.
Chairman, Karl Tordoff, explained that the club, which has more than 100 players, had come up with a deal with sponsors which included promotional advertising on boards around the pitch.
He said it cost money to have the signs and frames made but that would be recouped in time.
"Then someone decides to come in under cover of darkness and smash some of them up.
"They looked really good, really professional, and this is very disappointing," said Karl, who offered £200 out of his own pocket to try to trace the culprits.
"We have teams from under-sixes up to the men's teams and every penny we have goes to them. Then this happens."
Earlier this month the club sent kits to Africa. Karl, who has been chairman for eight years, said that these were kits which had been replaced in latest sponsorship deals.
He said: "We have done this in the past to help young football enthusiasts who are not fortunate enough to have the kit that we do."