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I agre with Tom , the LDA and Hackney Council have failed the football community misserably . they have no idea what issues we face every week as no one is bothered to turn up and actualy see at present the bookinf system is a nightmare with no proper allocation just turn up and take the nearest pitch god knows how they will cope when the east marsh goes

- Kevin Doolin, london england

I play in an established League on the Marshes and regularly attend the commitee meetings. Our League has seen a steady rise in team applications over the last 3 years because of the excellent manner in which the League is run and organised. By putting the East Marsh out of action for 3 years, Hackney council undermines the efforts of volunteers who provide a structure within which competitve team sports can flourish at a grass roots level.

Admittedly, the changing facilities could do with a lick of paint, but a multimillion pound investment is wholly unnecessary. To banish the best pitches we have to build a car park makes no sense. Especially when there's a huge field on Homerton Road that could be used and this houses nothing but a giant rock (or art installation as I've no doubt it was sold).

I understand that the council's bright idea is to stagger kick off times to enable all matches to be played on the South and North Marshes. Maybe these people should pay the Marshes a visit on a matchday. There's already parking issues which cause players to park up the length of Homerton Road. By staggering kick off's you're only going to exacerbate the problem - with teams kicking off alternately at 9,10 and 11 o'clock, we'll have twice the amount of cars and one less car park (East) to use.

Before deciding upon ways to 'improve' the Marshes, it might be worth asking the 1,500 people who use them about the ways in which it can be done.

- Tom R, Finsbury Pk, London

Another crazy idea the aim of which is to keep everyone under the watchful eye of new labour and their administrators. Thousands of people hve used these pitches over many years. They were quite able to organise their events, catering and transport. In addition, the area was widely used by many different sections of the various communities in this area. Now, it will become a deeply controlled, corporate facility (and that includes schools), with a great big expensve to maintain building that will also wreck the view.

- Helen, norwich

As a player who has played and still does, good news for the Marshes, but why the East Marsh best pitches over there, 3 years, too long, shame they couldn't park somewhere else...
i Completely agree with Paul, why?
I don't think 26 changing will bve ok for over 3,200 footballers from different leagues and parking for at least 2,000 cars... can't wait to see this..

- Adrian, london

Rule One - If it ain't broke don't fix it. Years of football on Hackney Marshes suggests it ain't broke.

- Paul, London

#The best chance of upkeeping the new area is to get West Ham involved in the legacy site. If the ridiculous running track stipulation (not in general but in this instance) is unavoidable then tear it down (as they are anyway) and rebuild a new WHU stadium with the club being a constant in the area rather than the gradual negligence that creeps in with many things left for the council to maintain and safeguard...

- Dean F, Bethnal Green & Grays

'the restoration is intended to compensate players for the upheaval of the Olympics' - The only thing that will compensate for the loss of these facilities (already used by thousands) is alternative pitches. With no alternatives being offered the biggest participation sport in London could irrepairably suffer while well run, well respected, sixty year old local football leagues die out. Yet another case of people being ignored. Tell us where the thousands of dedicated local sportsmen and women will play while this ridiculous white elephant consumes more and more of our money for no tangible benefit?

- Steve B, N. London

What a bunch of miserable negative comments. Why is everyone so cynical these days? Why not just take this at face value: a much needed redevelopment of a much-loved community resource. It's not a conspiracy. You people.

- Mike, Hackney

I can imagine a few years later Hackney Council will say they do not have the money for upkeep and the clubhouse, cafe and community centre will be boarded up and vandalised. Net result one very expensive car park! Sorry to be so negetive but the people in the area are let down continuously by their MPs and councillors.

- Man U Fan, London

A source said: “This is designed to sustain and grow participation in sport in east London. Long after the Olympics there will be thousands playing football on Hackney Marshes.”

Thousands WERE playing football long before the Olympics were thought of. This sounds like another attempt to claim credit for the Olympics for anything beneficial. What matters is that people have affordable access to space for recreation of their own choosing: is there now some bureaucratic target to boost the numbers of football players? What effect will the cost of these new installations have on the cost of access to pitches? All-weather surfaces almost certainly means access charges.
In Waltham Forest the adjacent pitches are being taken over for a coach park for the Olympics - temporary, of course! That's all we are actually getting from the Olympics: tarmacced green space. And a wind turbine. No improvement to the already dangerously congested tube station at Leyton, where thousands of Olympic visitors are intended to arrive.
Only a few days ago the ES told us that many companies forced out by the Olympics have not yet been compensated, and that they will not benefit from the enhanced values of the land they were made to leave.As a result, announcements like this, which should be welcome, are greeted with wary cynicism .

- Mdj E10, london uk

Sounds like all they are going to get is a big car park. End of Sunday League as we know it, and probably the beginning of a large retail park.

- Charlie, London

exactly! look at the WWoderry Down regeneration, masterplan after masterplan, the entire community completely lost hope!!! Diane Abbott has done precious little for Hackney in all the time shes been MP!Hackney council are notorious for inefficiency

- Mark, london england

Sounds impressive enough but we're talking about Hackney here.

- Steve, London

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