Foul play brings dog muck misery

Jan 13 2009 by Johnathon Menzies, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

Foul play brings dog muck misery

A PERTH football club has called for dog walkers to be shown a red card for allowing pets to foul on their pitches.

Derek Mathieson, chair of Jeanfield Swifts Community Sports Club committee, told the PA that players and coaches of the six teams that use North Muirton’s Riverside Park are wasting valuable time clearing up the waste prior to training sessions and matches.

Derek, a lorry driver and father-of-two said: “I’ve been chair of the committee for six months now and it’s been brought up at each of our monthly meetings, it’s a big issue.

“Local residents have complained in the past about the litter left on the pitches after matches by our players, but we’ve addressed that – the players go round after the matches and pick it up now.

“It’s just the dog fouling we have to get sorted, it’s a bit of a joke to be honest.

Derek added that the long-running nature of the problem is beginning to tarnish the progressive club’s ever-growing reputation.

He said: “Each of our teams have their own changing room at Riverside Park, and there are two changing rooms for the away sides, so it’s actually quite an impressive facility for the North Muirton area.

“But the fouling has been going on for years, it’s not just that it doesn’t look good, it’s a waste of time for the coaches and I don’t think parents like the idea of their children coming home covered in dog muck,” he said.

There are two full-size football pitches and a smaller seven-a-side field in Riverside Park, situated on North Muirton’s Bute Drive.

The facility is used by anywhere up to 70 players, from 11 years of age upwards, several times a week.

A spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Council, who are responsible for the up-keep of the land, said: “Fixed-penalty notices will be issued by Perth and Kinross Council if any incidences of dog fouling are witnessed.

“We would encourage dog owners to ensure they dispose of their pet’s waste responsibly by putting it into a dog waste bin.”