A football club is at risk closing down unless it can raise £6,000 to save their pitch from becoming a “muddy swampland”.

Belstone Football Club, in Butterfly Lane, on the Elstree and Radlett boundary, constantly has to cancel games because the ground is too wet for them to play on.

The issue affects the pitch that the under 16s, 15s, 14s and 13s play on and the boys are always left “devastated” when they are turned away from the grounds on Sunday morning.

Players are now hoping to raise £6,000 – either through a single donation or various ones – to install a draining system.

Jeremy Pepper, who coaches the under 13s team where his twin boys, Ed and George play, says without it, the club would have to shut for good.

The 51-year-old said: “It is soul destroying when we have to cancel a match, and it happens near enough every week during the football season because it constantly rains.

“There’s so much muck, gunk and sludge on the ground – it’s disgusting. We can never predict the weather so cancelling the matches is always a last minute thing.

“The boys train so hard every week and all they want to do is play a game on a Sunday, that’s what they work towards, and it’s frustrating when they can’t.”

When it rains, people are often left ankle deep in four to five inches of water, which also attracts ducks and herons.

Teenagers have been playing for the club since 1992 and it is completely self supported, bar the odd grant from Hertsmere Borough Council and Aldenham Parish Council.

In contrast, the seniors team, who play on a different pitch are “thriving” and regularly win trophies and cups and league tournaments.

Groundskeeper Glynne Cherington, 54, said: “I always give up my Friday to tend to the pitch and all my hard work is ruined because if it rains Saturday night, there’s nothing I can do.

“I try to keep spirits high because it’s a great little community club but it’s just unfair on all the boys who love playing here.”

Ed and George Pepper said: “We love the club and we love coming here and would hate for it to have to close, we’d be devastated. We hope we can raise enough money to sort the pitch out.”

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