Footballers at Finsbury leisure centre kick out at ‘tragic’ plans to build over sports pitches

Footballers at Finsbury leisure centre. Photograph: Julia Gregory

Footballers who have been using sports pitches at Finsbury leisure centre for decades have warned that building on them would be “an absolute tragedy”.

NRI United are showing the red card to council plans to redevelop the site, which could see the pitches moved to the rooftop of the new sports centre.

The Town Hall recently unveiled early proposals for the multi-million pound scheme as part of a masterplan for 100 “genuinely affordable homes”, a new medical centre, and improved public spaces nearby.

The football club has been going since the late 1980s and players said the plans will “tear the soul out” of the area.

Club organiser Gary Little said the four sports pitches are well used and help build a community spirit, with office workers and residents playing and watching games together.

He said clubs often recruit nearby residents to get involved and invite them to join a game.

“Lots of people will walk through and walk their dogs here, but if it is turned into something dystopian like Blade Runner, that will no longer happen,” he said.

“Locals are not going to go up in the lift to solicit a game off us. We recruit local players from people passing by.”

He said teams, including office workers, also spend money in pubs and restaurants in the area after the matches.

Player Richard Kett has been organising games for the last decade which have involved at least 275 footballers.

He said: “Although we have regular players from different walks of life in London, we also often offer places to younger people who live in and around the leisure centre.”

Players fear they could lose out if the pitches are out of sight on the roof as people would not have the same chance to get involved.

He feared the potential loss of “this key publicly available service will be scrapped, leaving our club members and people living in the area with no equivalent facility”.

He added: “Keeping fit and healthy is such a key aspect of mental health and I truly believe the proposed development would be an absolute tragedy.”

Kett told the council: “Whilst we can fully appreciate housing is at a shortage in Islington, the answer is surely not to build over parks, green spaces and essential sports facilities which serve the existing residents.”

Five years ago, residents staged a football match on “the world’s smallest football pitch” outside Islington Town Hall to highlight concerns over previous plans to redesign the sports centre that they feared would reduce the sports pitches.

At the time, the council planned to build 120 new homes as part of the scheme – 60 less than the current proposal.

Residents said they do not have enough detail about the new proposals but understand it could see a tower of eight or nine storeys and the potential loss of 27 mature trees.

Liza Evers said: “We’re not against development, we are against overdevelopment. The reason people come here is because there is open space.”

Another resident said: “We need open space, everyone’s been talking about it with Covid. Why are you trying to erect huge housing schemes that are only going to benefit the wealthy?”

Islington Council said it was too early to provide details of the plans as it is looking at the consultation feedback.

A spokesman said more than 300 people responded to this summer’s consultation and it would contact them soon.

He added: “The early proposals for the Finsbury Leisure Centre site aim to improve the options and facilities for all users of the leisure centre, with new pitches and courts.

“The proposals also include plans to plant new trees and undertake landscaping work with a focus on biodiversity, creating improved public areas.

“As well as delivering a better experience for visitors to the leisure centre, we want to build much-needed new council homes, to ensure that everyone in the borough has a place to live that is secure, decent and genuinely affordable.”