Police visit AFC Fylde after academy players squirt public with water pistols

AFC Fylde has apologised after a number of its academy players allegedly squirted water pistols at members of the public in Kirkham.
AFC Fylde has apologised after a number of its academy players allegedly squirted water pistols at members of the public in KirkhamAFC Fylde has apologised after a number of its academy players allegedly squirted water pistols at members of the public in Kirkham
AFC Fylde has apologised after a number of its academy players allegedly squirted water pistols at members of the public in Kirkham

The teenage culprits were identified after the club launched an internal investigation into recent reports of anti-social behaviour involving some of its young footballers.

The club said it had received a number of complaints about their behaviour in public, including one incident where a family was soaked with water pistols by teenagers dressed in the club's tracksuits.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Academy manager Chris Ganner said the incident has been treated with "the utmost seriousness" and added that a community police officer attended the academy to speak to the young lads about their behaviour.

Those involved in the incident have since been identified and were banned from last week's matches as punishment, said Mr Ganner.

Mr Ganner has apologised to the family and the community, saying the club "do not condone this type of behaviour".

A club spokesman said: "The incident was brought to our attention on Tuesday morning (September 21), and we immediately launched an internal investigation to identify the students involved.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"After gaining a detailed understanding of what had happened, our Academy Manager Chris Ganner reached out to local police and numerous members of the public who have been affected by their actions.

"AFC Fylde Football Club do not condone this type of behaviour and have banned the students involved from this week’s games.

"The Club would like to reassure people that allegations such as this are treated with the utmost seriousness.

"Finally, we would like to extend our apologies to the family affected and will continue to educate our students on their behaviour and responsibilities in the community."

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.