We are disappointed to have received confirmation from Burghfield Parish Council (BPC) that the cost of pitch hire at Burghfield Recreation Ground (The Rec) - for both the children’s 9-a-side and adult 11-a-side pitches - is to increase for the second time in the past 12 months.

Regretfully these increases are due to take effect from 1st April 2023, mid-way through the current season, without any communication or discussion held prior to the decision, and with no justification yet provided to us. This surprising decision by BPC left us with just 11 days’ notice to budget for managing these vast increased costs.

The 9-a-side pitch used at the Rec by our U11s age group has already seen a 60% increase in cost to us implemented by BPC last April, with this now having a further 20% increase imposed from April 1st this year, meaning a total increased cost per game to us of 92% since this time last year.

Unfortunately, with the scale of these increases, we could now be forced to start looking for a new home ground for our U10s teams that would have been moving to the venue from the start of the 2023/24 season.

The cost of the adult pitch used by our Saturday and Sunday First and Reserve Teams saw increased costs to us of 50% last April, with another 20% increase implemented from 1st April 2023, giving a total cost per match increase of 80% since last year.

BPC have confirmed that following a change in the rulings applicable to local authorities and the charging of VAT for the provision of sports pitches, VAT will no longer be charged to us. Had this ruling not been implemented by HM Revenue & Customs it would have meant a total price increase of 130% for the children’s 9-a-side pitch and a 116% increase of the adult pitch per match since this time last year.

The scale of these huge price increases seems inconsistent with recent positive messaging from BPC around cost savings they have been able to make, most notably £15k from the signing of a contract with a new electricity provider.

Whilst we appreciate that costs are increasing and the rate of inflation remains at over 10%, the level of pitch hire increase we have seen applied appears excessive and disproportionate to the level of service provided, which includes responsibility for both pitch marking and matchday set up remaining with the club.

Worryingly, these extortionate pitch hire increases appear to demonstrate an agenda from BPC to force the removal of Burghfield Football Club from the Rec. We have already had to overcome several complications and stumbling blocks put in place on numerous occasions to allow us continued use of the venue over recent months and years.

In order to cover these highly inflated costs, allowing the continued use of the Rec by our U11s and senior teams, the only option left to us would be to pass on these costs in the form of increased membership fees. However, in the midst of a serious national cost-of-living crisis this is a measure that we are loathe to take.

We fully understand the challenges many families are facing and would not feel comfortable or community spirited to be passing unnecessary costs on to members of the community. We also appreciate that the provision of football offered by us to over 650 members - including over 500 local children - is important for both physical and mental well-being, and we are extremely reluctant to have to increase costs and make this potentially inaccessible for those that rely on it.

We would strongly urge BPC to reassess these excessive pitch hire increases, as unfortunately without positive discussion we find ourselves in a position that regrettably may mean the football club will lose the presence of both youth and senior teams in the heart of the village.

This would be a highly disappointing move, with the Rec having been home to a sports club within the village for over 60 years, and the current sports pavillion built in 2004 using grant funding from the Football Foundation to facilitate its construction using the Burghfield Football Club name.

We had envisaged being able to deal with all matters with BPC behind closed doors, however the scale, timing and unjustified reasoning into increased costs has left us no option but to make this public and fully explain the potential loss of both youth and senior football from Burghfield Recreation Ground from the 2023/24 season.