THIEVES have left a youth football club devastated after stealing a £20,000 mower.

The tractor mower is used by Ogwell Youth Football Club to maintain the pitch which is used by 140 youngsters aged between five and 16 every week.

Now, club organisers and players have been shocked after intruders broke in over the weekend and stole the essential equipment.

Unfortunately, the tractor mower was not insured leaving the club to face a significant and unexpected financial burden.

A fund-raising campaign has been set up to raise £10,000.

The tractor and other essential ground had been stolen and the theft was discovered just as the children arrived for Saturday morning’s training.

Club chairman Matheu Gladman said: ‘As a completely volunteer led grassroots club the loss is devastating.

‘The football club exists purely to enrich the lives of young people in the community by keeping them active, motivated and connected through sport.

‘It supports more than 140 children aged five to 16 with seven teams ranging from Under 8s to Under 15s competing in the local Pioneer Youth League.

‘Without the ability to maintain their pitches or repair the damage caused during the break in, we may be forced to make some extremely difficult decisions that could impact opportunities for these young players.’

The thieves had cut through the lock to gain access to the ground, then managed to break into one of the club’s storage containers where the tractor was kept by forcing open heavy duty security doors.

As this was the only container broken into despite others being on site, it is thought the break-in was specifically targeted.

The mower was bought in 2021 and as well as the initial purchase cost, only recently the club has spent a further £8,000 on essential repairs.

A club spokesman added: ‘We are all volunteers who work incredibly hard to raise funds and afford essential equipment like this, which makes this incident especially upsetting.’

Anyone who has information is asked to contact police using crime number 50250318380.