Soccer coach rocked by council’s pay-to-play demand

RED-CARDED . . . Kevyn Gibbons who leads soccer coaching sessions at Shaw Road End Park

A RESPECTED football coach turned up to train youngsters on a park — only to find Oldham Council had changed the locks to keep him out.

The authority says Kevyn Gibbons must pay to use the land on Shaw Road End, Royton, for his soccer school because it is run as a business.

But Mr Gibbons says he has been coaching children for 17 years and the council has never charged him before and even gave him a key to the gate — before it changed the locks.

He admits he makes a modest living from charging for the sessions, but says he ploughs money back into football equipment and taking the budding stars on educational soccer trips abroad.

The council wants to charge £20 a session or £100 for six weeks. Mr Gibbons charges youngsters £4 for a two-hour session on a Saturday or £3 for an hour on a Tuesday. Up to 40 children from the age of four take part. Between October and March, Mr Gibbons says Rochdale’s Football Factory lets him use two indoor pitches for free.

He said: “Oldham Council says I’m running a business on the park so it is going to charge me. A lot of people are absolutely mad about this.

“This is public open space and was left for the children of Royton. I just can’t believe it. The council is just penny pinching. I don’t know what will happen. I’m doing nothing wrong and clean the place up of dog dirt, bottles and cans and leave it cleaner than when we start.”

Mr Gibbons has a UEFA B coaching licence and has got children on to the books of Manchester United, Liverpool, and Latics — and also channels them into local youth teams.

He added: “I’m the guy who gets them into football from four to five-years-old. They get the best coaching and I really look after them — discipline them and keep them off the streets.”

A petition has been started and letters of complaint sent to the council.

Mr Gibbons has hit out before about the state of sports facilities in Oldham, which he says are getting worse, but has also attracted criticism from people who have to pay to train and play on pitches.

He argues he is putting something back into the community.

A council spokesman said there had been no change of policy, and that the free use of the field had just been brought to its attention.

He added: “While we appreciate that the individual in question may have only been charging a fee to cover expenses, in line with council policy it is necessary to charge people for using council land. We must also ensure the safety of those taking part in any activity by ensuring appropriate insurance is in place.”