Pitch battle at amateur club blighted by badger turf war

But, while northern weather and financial restraints are usually to blame, one amateur club’s season has been thrown into turmoil after their pitch was wrecked by badgers.

Aberford Albion, who play their home games at Bunkers Hill in the village outside Leeds, spent £2,000 creating an immaculate turf during the close season.

But, having played just one game of their new West Yorkshire League division one campaign, the side have been left with a major headache after a nocturnal invasion by the burrowing animals.

Manager Phil Sharpe said: “There have been little problems in the past but I’ve been in football for 40 years – including 28 years at professional and semi-pro level – and I’ve never seen anything like it.

“It looked like it had been rotavated.

“Suffice to say, badgers aren’t my favourite animals at the moment.”

The club raised a large amount of money to improve the pitch, which is surrounded by countryside, during the pre-season.

But Mr Sharpe received a call on the morning of their second home fixture – against 
Altofts – following an overnight onslaught.

He said: “You could see the pitch had been badly disturbed – there were indentations and sections dug up. It was unplayable.”

Aberford have been in talks with the league about rescheduling forthcoming fixtures, and Mr Sharpe said: “We’re in a bit of a pickle, but hopefully we can reverse some of the fixtures.

“It will probably be four to five weeks before it will be playable again.”

The club are appealing for materials to help repair the damage. Anyone who can help is asked to email [email protected].