Police have renewed their appeal for information after a blaze caused around £300,000 worth of damage to a community football team’s pitch.
We told in Wednesday’s Observer how chiefs at Dunipace FC had been left “heartbroken” to discover that the 4G pitch at their Westfield Park home, located in Townhouse Street in Denny, was set ablaze.
The fire, which caused an estimated £300,000 of damage, was reported at around 8am on Saturday, May 20.
The East of Scotland league side’s Facebook page posted a photo of the badly burned pitch on Saturday, just hours before it was due to host a match.
Police launched a probe and have renewed their appeal for information. Inspector Colin Sutherland said: “We’re treating the fire as wilful and our enquiries are ongoing. This fire has caused a significant amount of damage and will have a lasting impact on the local community.
“We believe the fire was burning for a time before we were called and I am appealing for anyone who was in the area on Friday, May 19, into Saturday, May 20, who may have seen anything that could assist us to get in touch. Additionally, I would appeal to anyone who was driving in the area and who may have dash cam footage which could help to contact us.”
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The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service extinguished the fire and there were no reports of any injuries.
Club secretary Stephen Tait said: “To find the pitch vandalised by fire on Saturday morning prior to our youth matches commencing was heartbreaking for everyone involved at the club.
“The time and work put in by the committee and wider community to upgrade Westfield Park to a facility we could all be proud of took years to achieve and for the surface to be vandalised in this manner is so disappointing.
“It has caused the dispersion of our youth section, girls section, senior ladies and senior male sections. As well as this, we support our amateur section, over-35s, and numerous other local clubs, who all now will need to find new venues.
“AVA FC are also based at Westfield Park, who are a club formed to assist males suffering from mental health concerns. They also now have to source alternative playing and training venues.”
He added: “What has been remarkable and such a comfort is the messages of support and offers of help from so many football clubs, businesses, and individuals. We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who has sent a message, offered support, and even gifted to our Go Fund Me page, something the club set up after numerous suggestions from individuals who wanted to help.
“In terms of repairs, we hope to have a better understanding later in the week with regards to cost and timescales, however the club and the community are determined to do all we can to allow everyone to enjoy Westfield Park again as soon as possible.”
The club set up an online fundraiser to cover the lost revenue due to the damage. At the time of print, the effort had raised more than £16,000.
Stephen said: “Donations to the Go Fund Me page – which was set up by the club in response to so many individuals expressing how keen they were to help – has been overwhelming.
“This support makes the club and the committee even more determined to have Westfield Park back up and running as soon as possible.”
To donate, click here.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting incident 1088 of May 20, or, Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
