Tragedy as man in his 40s found dead on children's football field

24 June 2024 , 20:56

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A man in his 40s was found dead on the playing field (Image: Whiston Juniors)

A man in his 40s has been found dead on a junior football club playing field.

The man's body was found on the Whiston Juniors FC playing field, off Abour Road, Whiston, by club staff at around 11.15am on Sunday, June 23. A spokesperson for the club said Merseyside Police and paramedics were called, and the man was taken away in a private ambulance.

A Merseyside Police spokesperson told Liverpool Echo: "It was a non-suspicious death which was referred to the coroner." Further information surrounding the tragedy is scant in the early stages of the investigation.

Whiston is part of the Knowsley area of Merseyside, just east of Liverpool. Last year, Whiston Juniors FC called out the "disgraceful" actions of off-road bike riders who destroyed their pitches.

The club - where Steven Gerrard started his career - posted that a man and a woman riding a quad bike and a small motorbike had driven across the community football pitches on Friday March 10, 2023. The club said a "very young child" was also perched on the knee of the quad bike rider.

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The team posted several photos showing the extensive damage, with tyre marks clearly visible where the riders had repeatedly driven in circles on the grass, churning up the surface of the pitch. The club told the Liverpool Echo several training sessions and matches had to be cancelled over the weekend due to the "disgraceful" damage on the council-owned pitches.

Karl Phillips, groundskeeper at Whiston Juniors FC, had said the club had recently spent £800 of its own money, raised through fundraising, to have work done on the grounds. He added several of the pitches were badly damaged and the club had to pay for its junior teams to train at a separate venue.

Wesley Holmes