A JUNIOR football league faces fixture uncertainly because of a council cash delay.

The Accrington and District Junior League has been told that it will have its small sided soccer pitches - but not in time for the start of next season.

There had been fears that it may have to abandon an entire age group because work on the purpose built six-a-side pitches on Bullough Park had not yet begun.

But Hyndburn Council said the work will being going out to tender in April and work should begin by the end of May. The first phase plans include improving changing facilities and laying new pitches.

Susan Else, the council's sports development officer, said she hoped that work on the changing rooms would be complete by the start of October.

However the pitches would not be ready to play on by then.

She said: "We have set ourselves a target of completing the work by the start of October.

"We know that the pitches will not be ready for use then as they need time to bed in but we are arranging a meeting with Jim Kenyon of the Lancashire FA to see how we can deal with the problem.

"Second phase work will take place at a later stage for which we have obtained funding."

Alan Greenwood, secretary of the Accrington and District Junior League, wrote to the council voicing his concerns about the pitches. He was demanding answers from the council as to why small sided soccer pitches had not been built - despite funding being made available by Sport England and the Football Association. The league may still consider halting all under nines fixtures from next season until facilities are in place, or even move all their small-sided games to Witton Park in Blackburn where pitches are already being built.

But those details are set to be thrashed out in the meeting with Mr Kenyon.

In a letter to the council, Mr Greenwood said: "At our meeting in January, clubs made observations at the lack of progress on small side soccer pitches within the borough. The original document circulated some 18 months ago has not born fruition on the increase of purpose built pitches, or well drained converted pitches, that were marked out three season ago.

"It would seem however, that the grant awarded to the council for the Bullough Park project from Sport England and the Football Association has not been matched by the council until possibly the start of the new financial year.

"If that is the case, the facilities will not be available for the forthcoming football season."

Last year, the FA drew up a Charter for Quality stating that under 10s teams and below will no longer be allowed to play 11-a-side football and must concentrate on the small sided game - a six-a-side version of football on smaller pitches.

The league has now set up a sub committee to oversee the problem but they clearly want answers as soon as possible as clubs need to know what is going on.

Mr Greenwood added: "Even at this early stage clubs are making enquiries for the 2000/01 season. All junior football leagues have their annual general meetings in June and this is the meeting where teams are admitted to the leagues."

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