THE owner of a local football club who has given his life to support the community admits it was ‘soul destroying’ to find £3,000 had been stolen during a recent break-in - and it’s left him questioning whether it’s worth carrying on.
Peter Goodlad, owner of Athersley Rec, told the Chronicle it was heartbreaking to see the office space at Sheerien Park had been broken into at the weekend.
Around £3,000 was stolen alongside his laptop which has more than 30 years of work on it.
The 68-year-old admits it was devastating turning up on Saturday morning to find the doors of the office wide open.
He said: “Over the last few weeks we’ve had quite a few games on our field because everyone books it for the facilities towards the end of the season.
“We’ve got a big portacabin at the top of the ground and there’s two doors to get through - as well as anti-vandalism locks.
“Last Friday we had a semi-final on and that didn’t finish until late so I ended up locking up at 11.15pm.
“We were back down there early doors on Saturday and the door was wide open.
“We went in and it had been ransacked.
“The safe had gone - as had my laptop which had 30 years of work on it.”
It came off the back of Peter working for 92 hours that week, making it all the more difficult to take.
“It destroyed me,” he said.
“We’d had a good week so there was a lot of money in there.
“This is my 49th year doing things for the community.
“I’ve built the venue up but it’s not cheap to run.
“Every penny we get is used to go back into the community.
“People don’t see what you do behind the scenes.
“It costs £130,000 to run the entire site and that’s before you make any money.”
It’s left Peter questioning whether or not it’s worth continuing running the club.
“When you get to this age it makes you wonder why you’re doing it,” he added.
“It’s just heartbreaking - it’s really getting me down.
“We’ve had a couple of smaller break-ins in the past but this is the biggest.
“I don’t want to have to close it down, it’s the last thing that I want to do, but this is devastating.”
It’s come at a time where Peter was planning to improve the facilities.
“We do a lot for the community,” he said.
“We’ve got big plans for this place.
“We’ve got the room to be able to do things like play parks and a clubhouse.
“We can get people employed.
“But when this happens it’s soul destroying.”
Since the break-in the community has rallied around Peter and the other volunteers at the club.
And a fundraiser - which can be found on the Chronicle website - has subsequently been set up by his eldest daughter, Stacey.
It’s currently raised more than £3,400.
“I don’t like begging,” he added.
“I could kill her for setting it up but at the end of the day it’s a nice thing to do.
“There’s even been someone who has donated £2,500 straight into our account.
“It’s emotional to see so many people donate.
“We’ve had loads of messages and people have been commenting online - it shows that people care.
“I’d say that 99.9 per cent of people respect and know what we’ve done over the years.
“They appreciate what we’ve done.
“But you’ve got a handful of people who clearly have no respect.
“You do all that work and then something like this happens.
“It’s all been done for nothing.”
Coun Dave Leach, who represents the St Helen’s ward, added: ““This break-in is a totally disgusting action against a club that has done nothing but fantastic work for our community and support for kids with grassroots football.
“Any information as to those responsible for this crime please contact South Yorkshire Police via 101 with any information that may assist them in their investigations.”
Police attended the scene but they have since confirmed to the Chronicle that the incident has been filed as no suspect could be identified.
A spokesperson said: “At 9.25am on Saturday, we were called to reports of a burglary on Ollerton Road.
“It is reported the premises were broken into and two safes containing cash were stolen.
“Officers launched an investigation and attended the location to conduct CCTV enquiries.
“No suspect has been identified and the incident has been filed pending further investigative opportunities becoming available.”
To donate: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/stacey-goodlad-1?utm—medium=FA&utm—source=FB&fbclid=IwY2xjawJ-reNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETBEMlFEa3p4ZlJDNjVmZGx6AR7K85IBD-I86zmCzKVi0SJZIjPD6xRYElFbHypTfiJrvJc5BCA27U43dttDdg—aem—IUWWoOWTZgmSjwncJMpe1A
