'A fantastic new facility but where do the football teams go?'

Artist's impression of the proposed new Heywood Sports, Culture and Leisure Village

Up to 11 local football teams could be without a home when work starts on the new £10.3 million Heywood Sports, Culture and Leisure Village.

The development, on the site of Heywood Sports Complex at West Starkey Street, will see the existing pitches drained and reseeded and new all-weather pitches built, but teams that already use the facilities say they have nowhere to play while the work is carried out.

One of the officials from Hooley Bridge Celtic FC, who have three teams based at the Heywood Sports Complex, said that so far the Council had not found them any replacement pitches to use. "We have been in touch with Council officials about the problem and we are very concerned that when the league has its AGM next month we won't be able to tell them where we are playing.

"As a club we think the new sports village is a great idea and we certainly don't have a gripe with any aspect of the new development. We know as well as anyone that those pitches need to be improved but in the meantime what are we going to do and where are we going to go?"

The council says it has a number of possibilities for where teams can play in the meantime and hopes to get a definitive answer to all clubs that use the pitches over the summer.

Heywood Councillor Colin Lambert said: "We have 11 teams playing football on those pitches and we should have 11 pitches for them while this work is being carried out without having to farm them out here there and everywhere. They all deserve a proper answer as to where they are going to go before the start of next season."

The Sports, Culture and Leisure Village is expected to be completed by July 2010.