Brigg youngsters who enjoy football kickabout games on one of the town's playing fields are currently having to contend with the loss of one set of goalposts.
Children's matches on the Davy Memorial Playing Field, between Kings Avenue and Bigby Road, are not being helped by the loss of one set of posts, although the framework nearest the railway line remains in place.
Early this year, a children's slide on the same play area was removed by North Lincolnshire Council on safety grounds and has yet to be replaced.
Earlier this week Brigg Blog submitted a request to the council inquiring about the reason for the disappearance of one set of goalposts and also seeking an update about the replacement slide or (perhaps) the return of the old one following repairs.
We'll keep you posted!
Back in the 1960s and early 1970s, Brigg Urban District Council declined to prove goalposts for kickabout purposes.
Near South View Avenue, on the Springbank estate, it erected an extensive and expensive metal fence, topped with barbed wire, on the perimeter of the children's play area to discourage youngsters from using the goalposts on the two grass pitches within the adjacent Recreation Ground which were used for weekend league games by club sides like Brigg Amateurs, Brigg Servicemen, Bowness & Gray and Wrawby Athletic.
Hire charges for matches at the Rec were well beyond the range of council house kids' pocket money, so it was a case of 'coats for goalposts' on the rough grass near South View and the prefabs (now Woodbine Park).
This led to a host of arguments about whether the shot or header that passed between the coats would have sailed over the bar or hit the post and deflected into the net if there had been any woodwork.
So real credit is due to today's local authority for providing some goalposts for use by the younger generation.
A goalpost or two on Brigg's extensive York Road area of public open space would be welcome if any council cash is available in the budget.
Similarly, a couple of wooden or metal frames on the grass near South View would rectify the UDC's omission 50+ years ago.
It's a sad fact that far fewer children today engage in football kickabouts than was the case decades ago.
But the introduction of more posts might help to kickstart a revival and ensure that today's youngsters engage in something that benefits their health and won't cost them a penny.
 |
| When both sets of goalposts were in place on the field. |
