RESTRICTION ON SUMMER FOOTBALL AT BRIGG REC BEING LIFTED

North Lincolnshire Council is lifting its restriction on summer football at Brigg Recreation Ground.
The authority is now rescinding its original directive and allowing training sessions to proceed.
Local groups that are involved will be informed.
Someone involved with local football who has expressed concern about the initial situation at the Rec involving keen young players recently furnished Brigg Blog with a letter sent out by the council, explaining its reasons for initially suspending football sessions.
We understand copies were sent to some local groups involved in coaching/training.
The letter said the council had decided to restrict all organised activities on the grass football pitches "outside of the football season May-August inclusive, due to overuse."
The authority realised this would affect some clubs and users, and apologised.
But it stressed: "The decision has been made to be fair and consistent with everyone and will make the pitches of a good standard for the new season."
Brigg Blog has been in touch with the council about this issue since Thursday.
Yesterday afternoon (Friday) we were informed that the situation had changed and the council was now rescinding the original directive and allowing training sessions to go ahead.
When alerted to the summer football suspension at the Rec, Brigg Blog immediately thought back to the 1960s and early 1970s while Brigg Urban District Council still owned and managed the ground.
With dozens of football-made kids from the Springbank estate and the Hawthorn Avenue/Central Square area wanting to play among themselves and hone their skills literally EVERY day, the UDC allocated a small area adjoining South View Avenue.
However, it was a case of 'jumpers for goalposts' (no wooden frameworks being provided) and the grass was not cut very often.
Therefore, some of the youngsters eyed the goalmouths at the adjoining Rec with longing and were sometimes tempted to use the sportsground for kick-abouts.
The council erected a lengthy wire-mesh fence, topped with rows of barbed wire, to divide the kids' playing area from the Rec.
Young footballers had the option of paying the same hire charge as local 'adult' teams like Brigg Amateurs and Brigg Servicemen's Club if they wanted to play matches.
However, limited pocket-money not stretching very far among council house kids in those days, we can't recall any games being booked through the proper channels.
There were then two full-sized football pitches at the Rec and they were kept in top condition by dedicated groundstaff, with re-seeding and refurbishment undertaken every late Spring/Summer, as it is now by the North Lincolnshire authority.
Brigg UDC was keen to reduce wear in the goalmouths, and kids using it every day over many months would not have helped.
Glanford Borough Council ran the Rec from 1974 (when the UDC was abolished) through to 1996 when the North Lincolnshire unitary authority was created.
Kids who used the South View Avenue grass in the late 1960s and early 1970s used to organise games of football among themselves between early August and mid-May, then switch over to cricket.
On one memorable occasion they called at the groundsman's house, rang the bell and hired the cricket square for a friendly.
The cost, from memory, was 22 shillings (5p per player) and they actually sneaked in two matches, as the first was over fairly quickly.
We think some cricket kit, owned by the council, was included as part of the hire fee, plus use of the changing facilities.
An official written receipt was issued when the £1-10p collected was duly handed over to the council's groundstaff.
This created a bit of a problem as there was no club name to enter in the box provided. So 'Brigg Boys' was inserted.
The picture of Brigg Rec (above) comes courtesy of Neil Stapleton.