THE start of the football season in Aberdeen was red-carded at some of the city’s biggest venues.
More than a dozen Aberdeenshire Amateur FA matches had to be moved last weekend and in midweek because pitches weren’t ready in time.
The Evening Express can reveal that fields at Inverdee and Aulton will not be open for use until Monday, September 20.
Furious amateur teams were forced to play at Hazlehead and Sheddocksley as a result, rather than their home venues.
And the situation will only worsen when the Sunday Amateur and Juvenile leagues kick-off later this month.
The delay occurred after the control of the facilities passed to the Sport Aberdeen Trust.
But today a member of the board blamed the city council for failing to have prepared the pitches for the season’s start.
Labour councillor Willie Young said: “The council knew when the season started.
“They haven’t done the work they should have done.
“The grass hasn’t been cut, there are no goals.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous – the teams are going bananas.”
Brian Derrett, secretary of the Sunday Amateur League, hit out at the delay.
Inverdee is the traditional home of the association.
But the league will now kick-off at Sheddocksley on Sunday.
He said: “It is really not fair for any of our players. I actually think it is a joke.
“We are having to move our games to pitches at Sheddocksley as the others are not going to be ready.
“And we can’t go anywhere other than Sheddocksley to play.
“It has been nothing but hassle. We were originally told the pitches would be ready by Tuesday, August 3 and then we were told the 15th.
“So I moved everything back to the 15th and last week we found out that it is going to be the end of September. We are all absolutely fuming.”
An Aberdeen City Council spokesman explained the delay, while stressing he was not responding to Mr Young’s criticism.
He said: “The grass seed laid at Inverdee and Aulton pitches failed to germinate and as a result the pitches cannot be played on at present.
“There will be a programme of phased return to these pitches and in the meantime we are providing alternate bookings at Sheddocksley and Hazlehead.”
“The grass hasn’t been cut”