A POPULAR junior football club has started a fundraising appeal to replace vital equipment stolen and damaged during a break-in.

Youngsters at Gomersal & Cleckheaton FC are counting the cost after goals, balls, bibs, cones, poles, ladders and essentials from a tuck shop were vandalised or taken.

The break-in happened between 7.30pm and 8.30pm last Wednesday, when someone forced their way into a locked metal container on fields off Nibshaw Lane, Gomersal.

The equipment was used by children from seven of the club’s teams, ranging from under-sixes to under-12s.

Billy Bingham, who is one of the coaches of the under-tens team, said it was hard to put an exact figure on the cost of the break-in.

He said: “Sadly, somebody thought it would be a good idea to break into our lock-up and destroy all our equipment and essentials for our tuck shop.

“It is an absolute nightmare.

“It has left us all feeling quite devastated as we work extremely hard as a club for the local children.

“We are good for the community of Birkenshaw, Gomersal, Cleckheaton, Birstall, Liversedge and Batley.

“We get a lot of kids coming from round those areas.

“On Tuesdays we can have 150 to 175 kids training. Now they’ve got to train with no equipment.”

He added: “In the container we have all the equipment you need to train and play - goals, balls, bibs, cones, poles and ladders. Many of these were either vandalised or taken.

“We also store in the container our tuck shop necessities. These were all stolen or thrown around our car park, leaving our children’s football club devastated. The tuck shop helps to fund our teams.

“We pay for everything ourselves, but we don’t have stacks of spare cash so we need to raise some money quickly to replace the equipment and tuck shop items we have lost.

“We are totally self-sufficient as an age group and every bit of money we raise goes back to our boys for new equipment, trips and galas.”

He added: “The only saving grace we have is that our match goals were not damaged otherwise we would have had to cancel our upcoming training and friendly matches.”

A police spokesman said : “Police were called at just after 10pm on Wednesday June 15 to a report of a break-in at a metal container on fields off Nibshaw Lane, Gomersal.

“It is believed suspects broke in between 7.30pm and 8.30pm and stole sporting equipment and sweets.”

Mr Bingham added: “Gomersal & Cleckheaton junior football team has been established for almost 40 years, coaching kids in the local community to play and love the game of football.

“We are a non-profit organisation that pumps all the monies we raise back in to the kids.”

Anyone who has information about the break-in is asked to contact the Batley and Spen neighbourhood policing team on 101.

Information can also be given, anonymously, to the independent Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555111.