AMATEUR footballers are angry about a whopping 20 per cent jump in the cost of a council football pitch. Maidstone Borough Council has announced that its charge for use of a football pitch by adults will soar by more than 20 per cent to £48.20 per match.

Maidstone and District Football League chairman David Izatt said: “We are very disappointed and concerned. It’s difficult for some clubs to survive.”

A council spokesman said it had discovered that taxpayers were subsidising local footballers to the tune of £76,000 a year, the difference between the cost of maintaining the pitches and revenue from them.

“We carried out a review and we found we were undercharging quite considerably compared to others,” the spokesman added. “It was felt that it was reasonable to raise the fee by £8.20.”

But KM Group inquiries reveal that Maidstone’s pitches will be more expensive than most others in the region. Tunbridge Wells has just increased its pitch charges by £2.50 to £52.50 on a Sunday, but Saturday teams only pay £42.

In Tonbridge a pitch can be hired for a whole season for £300, with a one-off cost of just £38. Medway council rents out pitches by the season, with a cost of £310 for 18 matches, which works out at a mere £17.22 per game. Swale Council charge £363 for a block of 10 bookings or £42.70 per match.

The Maidstone Sunday League was horrified at the decision. “For the last 40 years the MMKSFL (Maidstone and Mid-Kent Sunday Football League) has tried to promote a vital link with the Maidstone Borough Council,” commented League press Officer Pete Sutton.

Mr Sutton said the league would be seeking negotiations with the council "so that already draining financial resources can not only be sustained but hopefully improved for all member clubs".

Ivan Flischer of Maidstone League side The Saxon Chief, who play at Mote Park, said: “We thought the fees were pretty high already. I’m not at all happy about this.

“It’s a lot of money for a group of lads running around for an hour and a half.”

As well as shelling out for pitch costs, teams also pay for qualified referees.

Some team kits are sponsored, although others have to buy it themselves. With travel and laundry costs, football teams will face a cost of around £75 for each home match.

Mr Flischer said the quality of service at council-owned pitches was not always up to scratch. Referees were often not satisfied with the way nets were put up, their condition or with the way pitches were marked out.

Mr Izatt said the Saturday league had written to the council seeking a meeting to discuss the price rise. He said: “There was no consultation. The first we heard was a few weeks ago.

“The clubs do not know about it yet and it’s going to be quite a surprise for clubs playing on local pitches.”

THE methods used by Maidstone Borough Council to support the decision for a 20 per cent leap in football pitch hire are difficult to comprehend. The council compared prices with a range of 17 other councils across England. Two of these only hired pitches out by the season.

Of the remaining 15, the average cost for hiring a pitch with a changing room was £38.60, almost £10 less than the amount Maidstone says teams will have to pay next season.

Of the councils that surround Maidstone, only Tunbridge Wells, the most expensive, was chosen for comparison. The borough council also compared Maidstone prices with the likes of Windsor and Maidenhead, Reigate and Brentwood, Essex, some of the most affluent spots in southern England.

Canterbury charges £30 per pitch, Ashford charges £40 while Horsham in Sussex charges a meagre £22.25 to play a football match.