AMATEUR football bosses have given the red card to Bolton Council, claiming some soccer pitches are in a "disgraceful state".

Alan Johnson, general secretary of the Bolton & District Sunday League, says that between them, the 40 teams in his league, fork out £9,040 a season to use council owned pitches and pavilions.

But he says they are getting poor value for money.

"We are now into the fourth week of our season and we are still finding the park pitches not up to scratch," he said. "As a league we feel the pitches are totally unacceptable."

His catalogue of complaints include:

No line markings on pitches.

Uncut grass and badly maintained pitches.

No access to pavilions where the teams can change.

The council owned pitches that have come in for particular criticism are New House Farm, Leverhulme Park, Fern Street, and Longsight Park.

In one instance, which was reported in the BEN earlier this month, Ellen Goodinson, team boss of Rawson Rangers, spent more than six hours with a petrol mower preparing the pitch at Fern Street, Farnworth, because the grass had not been cut.

Mr Johnson stormed: "Is it the council's intention next season to put up the prices yet again and tell each club to buy their own mower and do the job themselves?" Teams pay £250 per season to use pitches and pavilions and £150 for pitches only.

He added: "It makes you feel ashamed. When we play matches in Wigan and Salford their teams' pitches are well maintained. They look like football fields. I can't describe what Bolton's pitches look like."

A spokesman for Bolton Council said: "There is machinery set up if people are not happy with the state of some of the pitches. If it's an operational matter people can ring and report it and we'll go and put things right as quickly as possible. If it's not operational, there is the football league consultative group involving all the local leagues which meets regularly and is the correct forum to bring up issues.

"Last year we spent well over £100,000, with help from the lottery, improving five pitches and money is being spent all the time to maintain and try to improve the playing facilities."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.