I READ with interest your letters regarding location of all-weather pitches and lack of safe, suitable pathways to the pitches along with the one concerning contacts and emergency facilities.

Sadly the malaise appears to go deeper as I drove up from Stoke to scout a young lad due to play on behalf of a professional club I represent. Sadly the games were all cancelled due to the condition of the pitches.

A retired referee, I took a ball out myself, it bounced and rolled very well, I had a good stud grip, there were no obvious pools and the goal-mouth areas were in good order. I don’t know what fees your local clubs (Sunday League) pay but I suppose it’s many hundreds of pounds and they have my sympathy if games are called off this early in what were quite reasonable conditions.

A P Peters Stoke on Trent