SPORTS clubs across the district have been found to have a large number of poor quality pitches – with many blaming cuts to Bradford Council’s maintenance programme over the past few years.

A new report on the state of Bradford’s sports pitches says every council-owned tennis court in the Bradford district is poor quality, and that Horsfall Stadium is so bad that Bradford athletes have to travel to Calderdale to compete due to the athletics track being in such a dangerous state.

More than half of Bradford Council-maintained bowling greens and rugby league pitches are in poor condition, and football clubs also said the quality of pitches across the district “has declined in recent seasons due to a reduction in the maintenance programme undertaken by the council”.

A spokesperson for Bradford Council said it was “committed to providing good quality sports facilities”, and the report highlights the council’s priorities for improvement.

The athletics facilities at Horsfall Stadium are perhaps in the sorriest state.

The Bradford Playing Pitch Strategy Assessment Report, compiled for Bradford Council to assess the state of its sports facilities, said the 400-metre running track is “poor quality” and requires resurfacing and an improved maintenance programme.

Over recent years it has been damaged by vehicles being driven on it to clear snow, has suffered “significant moss growth” due to grass cutting and falling foliage, and – due to the slipperiness of the track in winter – numerous runners have been injured.

The jumping event facilities are unusable due to “significant damage” and the stadium cannot accommodate throwing events.

The report states Bradford Airedale Athletics Club, which trains at Horsfall, had to stop teaching jumping events due to safety concerns, has to travel to Calderdale to compete because of the state of Horsfall, and its partnership with the University of Bradford has collapsed because of the state of the track.

The changing rooms at Horsfall are also “poor quality requiring significant modernisation”, and there are no disabled facilities.

The report states the track “should be protected given its value to the wider community” in Bradford, given the only other 400m track in the district is at University Academy Keighley.

Chris Hainsworth, from Bradford Airedale AC, said the track has had a big impact on the club.

He said: “We have to compete in Halifax, Leeds and even over in Lancashire because the track is not up to standard.

“The track has big holes in it and is really slippy in winter as there’s moss all over it, we can only use certain parts of the track for training, but it’s better than nothing.

“We can’t do throwing events, so our reasonable throwers have to go elsewhere to practise, and the changing rooms are quite small so this time of year when it’s colder it puts younger runners off.

“When it’s wet we have to do endurance training because it’s not safe to do sprinting.

“The council staff at the track do what they can, but it’s the councillors who hold the purse strings.

“There were some repairs last year but big holes were still left, and it’s been five years since it was properly repaired.”

Mr Hainsworth said vehicles driving on the track caused the most damage, but following talks with Bradford (Park Avenue) FC that is due to stop. He said vehicles caused the track to lose its ‘give’, causing more injuries as “it is like running on concrete”.

Another shocking revelation from the report is that every tennis court operated and maintained by Bradford Council is of poor quality.

All 23 courts maintained by the council are in a poor condition, suffering from a mixture of slippy surfaces, loose gravel, and litter, moss and smashed glass on the courts.

The report stated maintenance of courts, all of which have macadam surfaces, is “basic and infrequent”.

More than half of rugby league pitches in the district are of poor quality. A number are also blighted by anti-social behaviour, such as damage to goal posts, other facilities, and dog fouling taking place on pitches.

All but one of the 24 league pitches in the district are operated by the council, and 54 per cent are poor quality.

Clubs reported the timing of maintenance by the council as an issue, with grass being cut after lines have been marked out, leaving them too faint.

Other issues noted were cars being driven on pitches, vandalism, litter and dog fouling on pitches, particularly on pitches in public parks.

More than half of the bowling greens in Bradford district are also in poor condition, with just 17 per cent of good quality. Many clubs reported maintenance, and the cost of maintenance machinery, as an issue for them.

The report also notes Bradford Council in 2015 declared it would be reducing its maintenance and clubs would have to be more self-sufficient.

Clubs that chose to carry out their own maintenance, and did not ask for help from the council for two years, would receive a £3,000 grant – an option the majority of clubs opted for. Since 2015, membership of bowling clubs has decreased in the district.

Tony Riley, chair of Bradford Crown Green Bowls Association, said the state of the district’s bowling greens was mainly due to this year’s unusually hot and dry summer.

He said: “A lot of bowling greens have suffered because of the weather, even private clubs.

“We have meetings to discuss what needs doing and we’ve been assured the greens are receiving the maintenance programme they should be.”

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “The Playing Pitch Strategy provides a clear framework for the maintenance and improvement of our existing sports facilities and not only highlights the challenges we face but also where priorities lie for pitch and facilities improvement and how we can best access external funding opportunities.

“We are currently renewing our existing strategy which was first adopted in 2014 and has resulted in a number of improvements to grass pitches.

“This document is a draft assessment report and we are still taking views from National Governing Bodies and local clubs. The new strategy is scheduled to be completed by 2019.”