Conditions of football pitch hire

Conditions of hire 2023 to 2024

  • a season is no more than 34 weekends, starting at the beginning of September each year

  • if you've been successful in securing a pitch and facility, you'll be told in writing of an allocation and given an allocated A or B weekend. The A and B allocated weekends correspond to the 34 weeks of the playing season and are allocated in accordance with league fixtures

  • if you've been granted the allocation of a pitch you're liable for the full payment of the facility. This must be made within 30 days of the account being posted by the Director of Finance. The hire charge is determined by Public Realm. Subject to application and approval, arrangements can be made with the Neighbourhoods Team to pay invoices by instalments. We can offer 4 instalment payments and invoices must be settled in full by the end of March 2024. If instalment payments are missed, the full amount will become payable. Non-payment will lead to court action. Lack of games is not an acceptable reason for none payment of instalments

  • if you withdraw from a facility following confirmation of allocation, no refund will be given. The full charge for the facility will be made regardless of the number of fixtures played

  • in the event of an invoice not being paid, in accordance with the above condition, your bookings may be cancelled without notice and the appropriate league informed accordingly. We will not compensate you for the withdrawal of facilities resulting from none payment of an invoice

  • if you wish to report an issue with a pitch or pavilion, you can use the online venue report. You can also call Stockport Direct on 0161 217 6111. If you wish to claim a refund as a result of problems experienced with facilities, you'll need to submit a written claim within 10 days of the incident occurring. Email stockportdirect@stockport.gov.uk or write to the Neighbourhoods Team:

    Neighbourhoods Team – Place Directorate
    Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
    Town Hall
    Edward Street
    Stockport, SK1 3XE

    If we receive a claim at the end of the season which refers to previous incidents within the season it will not be accepted for refund payments.

  • if you're allocated a facility you must not sublet the facility for use by any other club without prior permission of the Neighbourhoods Team

  • you should provide all equipment, apart from the fixed goal posts

  • pitches are marked bi-weekly during the 34 weeks of the season, except when a Christmas and New Year break is agreed between us and the leagues

  • you should leave all facilities in a clean and tidy condition. The ‘home’ club is responsible for making sure that all litter and rubbish is cleared. Any touch line rubbish left by players or spectators should be removed following the completion of the fixture. Repeat offenders will be fined by the Neighbourhoods Team

  • any repairs resulting from vandalism or damage to facilities caused by players or spectators will be charged to your team. This may also result in your bookings being cancelled without notice. The appropriate league will be informed. We will not compensate you for the withdrawal of facilities resulting from these incident

  • as the hirer you are responsible for:

    • clearing the premises of all spectators, officials and players
    • where appropriate, securing associated buildings and car parks after the conclusion of the hire period
  • all correspondence, including emails, phone calls, etc, should be between us and the secretary of your club

  • if there's a change to the secretary, club or team name, or if your team folds or leaves the league, you must let the Neighbourhoods Team know

  • if the person who signed the application leaves your club, a new application form must be completed. It must be addressed and signed by the new signatories along with a signed letter accepting liability for any outstanding fees by your club. Failure to do this will result in the original signatories to the application form being held liable for the full settlement of the account whether or not these individuals remain associated with your club

  • when teams arrive at venues they must take care when parking vehicles. They must make sure they're not obstructing access to emergency vehicles and local residents.

    Attention should be given to the following venues:

    • Davenport Playing Fields: park responsibly on Highfield Close. Do not obstruct residents' driveways
    • Lavington Avenue: do not park on York Close. Use the parking provided at the bottom end of Lavington Avenue
    • William Scholes Playing Fields: do not park on Beech Close. Use the car park provided
    • Woodford Recreation Ground: do not park on Highfield Parkway. Use the parking provided at Woodford Recreation Ground, main entrance
    • Brabyns Park: do not park on the driveway linking the car parks as this prevents access by emergency vehicles. Use the car parks provided. There's usually plenty of space in the first car park
    • Bridgehall Hall Playing Fields: do not park in the garage area on Handley Close / Alvanley Crescent or obstruct residents driveways

    Failure to carry out the above may result in the facility being withdrawn.

  • facilities within public parks and recreation grounds should be used responsibly and only at the times and days your teams have been allocated. There are 2 exceptions:

    1. friendly games may be permitted on the first 2 weekends of the season or on a weekend slot already allocated to the club when a league or cup match is not scheduled
    2. evening and additional league or cup games are only permitted if league secretaries tell us
  • find out more about pitch availability on our football pages or on our Twitter and Facebook pages

  • if we cancel a fixture or a designated match official, such as a referee, the facility must not be used. If the facility is used it may be withdrawn without further notice. You may also be charged pitch re-instatement costs. Repeat offenders will have the facilities withdrawn

  • we cannot be held liable for property or personal items brought onto premises. We also accept no liability for injury

  • we reserve the right to cancel fixtures and terminate the agreement without any compensation being paid