Thousands of euro worth of fence stolen from Limerick soccer club

THOUSANDS of euros worth of security fencing has been stolen from a northside soccer club, leaving its volunteers "devastated, frustrated and demoralised."

In the early hours of this Monday morning, thieves removed approximately 120 metres of security fencing around Coonagh United football club's grounds located at Oakland Drive.

Now, in a joint statement the soccer side and Coonagh Sports and Social Club have issued an appeal for help identifying who might have removed the green palisade structure.

"If anyone has any CCTV footage in your home in the Coonagh area with footage of the road, dashcam footage or any information at all please contact the Gardaí at Henry Street on 061-212400," the club stated.

"Incidents like these are extremely disheartening for clubs like ourselves who work so hard to provide top class facilities for the area," they added.

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Club chairman Trevor Lyttle believes around €10,000 would have been spent acquiring and installing the fencing.

"Security of our site is compromised as a result of the whole thing. We are totally devastated, frustrated and demoralised because you are there working for a community off small funds, to develop things to do for the community and improve the facilities. These facilities cost money to keep and when you have people and doing things that cause you to have to spend your money in places where you shouldn't have to be , it's very frustrating and demoralising," he told Limerick Live.

Mr Lyttle pointed out that it will now mean that instead of the club fundraising for more beneficial things in the community, money will need to be raised for the new fencing.

Local activist Pat O'Neill added: "It's awful to get the call this morning to hear this has happened to a local community soccer club. At the end of the day, we are all volunteers and we all put in a lot of hours, work and time to bring our establishments up to a high standard. For something like this to happen, it's shocking, and I really hope the gardai do formally investigate this."

If you have any information, please telephone Henry Street garda station on 061-212400.