Video shows fire raging at £1m Sheffield Wednesday charity facility less than a month after opening

By Alex Miller
Published 23rd Jan 2023, 09:03 BST
Updated 23rd Jan 2023, 09:14 BST
This video shows what appears to be a car burning on the site of a brand new £1m football facility belonging to a charity in Yorkshire.

The 3G all-weather pitch was opened on New Year’s Day at Jubilee Sports & Social Club on Claywheels Lane in Hillsborough as part of Sheffield Wednesday’s Community Programme.

The video shows a fire in the middle of one of the pitches just 22 days after it opened.

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The pitch was a central part of a near-£1m facility upgrade funded through various grants and has been warmly welcomed by the public. It exists to provide quality playing facilities for all – regardless of age, status or disability.

A fire rages at a football facility owned by the charitable arm of Sheffield Wednesday FC.A fire rages at a football facility owned by the charitable arm of Sheffield Wednesday FC.
A fire rages at a football facility owned by the charitable arm of Sheffield Wednesday FC.

Multiple reports, videos and photographs were shared on social media on Sunday evening. Videos show fire fighters working at the scene and photographs posted later appear to show a burnt-out car on the pitch itself.

“It’s awful,” said Marcus Brameld, the Head of SWFC’s Community Programme. “The facility has been so well received since it opened, and we've had Sheffield Wednesday Ladies playing on it, as well as loads of members of the community - kids and otherwise.

“So for somebody to break in, drive a car into the middle of the pitch and set it alight is abhorrent. We'll now be out of action for weeks while it's repaired, and the only people losing out are those that want to use it.

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“The police have been notified and we have CCTV, so that’s now being scrutinised.

“We’ve already been in touch with the company that fitted the pitch and they'll be coming to repair it, but that will take time. It's just really disappointing, and we're all devastated at what's happened.”

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service have been contacted for more information.