Salford’s sports facilities are not affordable for some families and should be subsidised, a councillor has said.
Kersal and Broughton Park councillor Andrew Walters claimed the cost of using some of the city’s sports pitches is putting people off, and leading to an increase in crime as teenagers find ways to avoid boredom.
Mr Walters, who is leader of the Unwhipped opposition group at Salford City Council, represents an area next to the £5m Salford Sports Village.
The leisure centre based on Littleton Road has a range of 3G astroturf pitches, grass pitches, fitness suites and studios on site, as well as a gym, library, and public library.
Run by Salford Community Leisure (SCL), hiring an outdoor astroturf five-a-side football pitch at the sports village costs £24.50 at off peak times and £49 during busier periods, with the price for a group of juniors at £35.25, according to the website. Larger pitches can be booked for higher costs.
But the price of booking sports facilities is not affordable for struggling households, Coun Walters said, adding that a football pitch in Broughton Park is often not usable due to drainage problems.
At a town hall meeting on October 21, he called for a major shake up to make sport more accessible around Salford.
Mr Walters said: “People who really need those facilities unfortunately are unable to do so. I would want to see what provisions could be made to subside that.”
The councillor added that many young people are looking for easy access to sport, rather than having to reserve a space in advance.
“Informal access, such as having a kick around, would be better [for young people] instead of vandalising or doing other things,” he explained.
There are more than 20 football pitches maintained by the council around the Kersal and Broughton Park area in total, a report revealed – the highest number across all wards in the city.
The report also stated that the ward has the highest number of green spaces in Salford, with six parks across 73.35 hectares.
Salford City Council and SCL were contacted for comment.
