Hope for summer tournament at Warwick football club after travellers leave

Hope has been restored that the biggest fundraiser of the year for a Warwick football club could still go ahead after travellers leave the site.
The entrance to the Central Ajax Football Club site, which is on Hampton Road. Photo by Google Street ViewThe entrance to the Central Ajax Football Club site, which is on Hampton Road. Photo by Google Street View
The entrance to the Central Ajax Football Club site, which is on Hampton Road. Photo by Google Street View

On Tuesday evening travellers broke onto the Central Ajax Football Club site, which is on Hampton Road.

Club members were becoming increasingly concerned that their annual summer tournament, which is due to take place this weekend, would have to be cancelled because of the traveller encampments.

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The tournament helps bring in thousands of pounds of revenue for the club and also sees around 1,000 children taking part over the weekend.

The travellers had created donuts on the football pitches, broken into storage containers, damaged equipment and broke into another container to use the club’s spotlights.

The police were initially called on Tuesday evening and returned to the site yesterday morning (Wednesday).

By the afternoon officers had served a Section 61 notice, which meant that the travellers had to be off the site by 10am today (Thursday).

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At around 8.30pm last night the Travellers began packing up and left the site.

A spokesperson from Central Ajax Football Club said: “We can confirm, we have regained control of Ajax Park.

“We have taken steps to secure the site and the hard work begins to prepare our tournament.

“We’ll confirm times for supporting but we’d just like to thank everyone as the response has been overwhelming.

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“We are also looking for a company to assist with permanently preventing this - so if any industrial fencing companies can assist, please get in touch...we need new gates.”

Club members will be assessing the site later this morning to see if the summer tournament can go ahead and a clean-up operation will then take place.