Football club wants to pay for much-needed artificial turf itself, but encounters a problem: “We can’t keep postponing matches, can we?”

The football field on which the FC Smetlede players have to complete their training and matches looks dismal. It is often unplayable and the access road to it is full of potholes. A full-fledged second site is certainly not available. The club’s executive board is at a loss. “We even want to have an artificial grass surface installed with our own resources, but the municipal council is not keen on that,” it said.