Football teams which help train 130 kids face becoming 'homeless', it has been warned, as council pitches in the north of Glasgow are handed to a new operator.
Coaches said young players at Springburn Park are no longer being offered suitable times for training since Brunswick Community Development Trust began to take over the running of the site.
And Athena Glasgow Women and Girls Football Academy and Ashfield Juniors Football Club and Youth Academy all fear they will have to move impacted teams elsewhere despite playing at Springburn Park's synthetic pitch for a number of years.
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The council is handing over the running of the Springburn Park facility to the Brunswick trust. Part of the Brunswick's proposal to take it on was that local teams would have first priority and there would "be retention of long-standing fee-paying lets."
Instead Athena co-founder and chairperson Craig O'Leary said he fears their players' will be "forced out" by Brunswick after being offered times slots of 9pm to 10pm for kids and 6pm to 7pm - when coaches are just finishing work.
He said: "This has been our base since our club formed" while pointing out they are the "only women and girls club based in Springburn."
He added: "We are a community club set up to ensure women and girls have a safe and welcoming environment in their local community to play football and learn life skills with no barriers."
Mr O'Leary continued: "This has been the case for the past year and a half, we were accepted into the community and were looked after by Partick Thistle Charity Trust who were looking after Springburn Park.
"But now it looks like we will not have a venue to continue to offer what we do to the women and girls of north Glasgow due to being forced out by the Brunswick."
He has also been told there is to be a price increase at the venue, it is understood.
Paul Maxwell, managing director of Ashfield Football Academy, said he has also been given different time options that aren't appropriate for about 30 to 40 kids.
Mr Maxwell said: "It looks like we probably need to move as the times cannot be accommodated."
Pointing out the change is not what was expected as part of the venue operation changing hands, he said: "The verbal information we got from the council is that whoever gets the lease would have to honour existing leases."
Councillor Audrey Dempsey, Labour, said: "For the sake of the community, I would urge Glasgow City Council and the Brunswick centre to look at this again and ensure all decisions consider the impact on the kids, because at the end of the day they are who matter. We simply cannot allow 130 boys and girls to be 'football homeless.'"
The Springburn, Robroyston politician added: "There has been much distortion of information about the process of this particular asset transfer and I am deeply disheartened to hear about the changes that do not accommodate the existing teams and their lets.
"I believe this will affect nearly 130 kids negatively and that's not acceptable.
"I have watched Athena grow over the past year about their development and progress is nothing short of outstanding, so for ward 17 to lose it would simply be tragic. Ashfield I have been aware of since I was a child and the way they have grown and progressed in the work they do in the community with the kids, again would also be a tragic loss."
Fellow ward and party councillor Thomas Rannachan added: "We are starting the summer and there is the potential for 130 kids to be displaced.
"My ward will lose out on a girls' team if this does not get sorted."
He said the situation "highlights there is a flaw in the application process for the People Make Glasgow Communities programme."
He said the scheme is supposed to be about "empowering the community to look after the community" not about "shunting people aside."
A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “The People Make Glasgow Communities programme has been a great success, allowing local organisations to manage and provide services at a number of venues across the city.
"Throughout the process, a key aim of the programme has been to ensure groups who use these facilities continue to do so - and in a number of cases this access has been widened - and we will continue to work with all of our partners so that all those who want to use these venues can do exactly that.”
The Trust submitted proposals to run the venue as part of the People Make Glasgow Communities (PMGC) programme.
The Brunswick Community Development Trust announced on its social media page that it will be taking over Springburn Park synthetic pitches from August 11.
A Brunswick Community Development Trust spokeswoman said: "Regarding the concerns raised by teams Athena and Ashfield, we fully understand their apprehension regarding the proposed changes to their allocated times at the ground.
"We want to assure everyone involved that our aim is to provide equal opportunities and increase accessibility to the facility for all grassroots teams in the area. As part of this process, we have had to review and adjust the existing leases to accommodate a larger number of teams, these proposals were approved by both Committee and Officers via the PMGC process.
"While we understand that some teams may have concerns about the new timing arrangements, we have made every effort to communicate, discuss and offer alternatives to these changes with all parties involved. Our goal is to strike a balance that benefits the broader grassroots football community in Glasgow North East while ensuring the long-term sustainability of the asset.
"It is important to note that the terms of the asset transfer agreement did not explicitly state that previous leases would be honoured without any adjustments nor was any team provided a guarantee at any stage of the PMGC process. We have been in extensive dialogue with the teams and have taken into consideration their feedback and concerns throughout.
"We are committed to working closely with the affected teams to find a satisfactory resolution that aligns with the overall objectives of the original proposal for the asset transfer. Our aim is to create a vibrant and inclusive football facility that benefits the entire community and not just a handful of teams".
