The petition, which has more than 50 signatures, asks that as the club has held previous bookings on the original pitch at Dumbarton Academy, before the new school was built, they would like to be able to use them again.

It adds: “It makes sense that the planning position should be reviewed and changed to allow the community to return to the new Astro pitches.” Dumbarton United AFC wish to use the Academy’s astro pitches on weekday evenings and at weekends.

They believe that the pitches could be a great asset to the local community if our club, and others, could book them for training and matches.Gerry Docherty, chairman of Dumbarton United AFC told the Reporter: “It’s a shame because we did have permissions when it was at the old school but the planning that went through on the new school states we’re not allowed to train on these new pitches. The neighbours around the school complained that if we trained there after hours it would create noise pollution, but we’d only be there until 9pm.

“We’ve had a lot of support, and now Riverside FC is involved in helping change the planning permissions too. We started the petition to gauge the reaction and get some credibility behind it. People understand that facilities in the area are scarce and its a shame that the kids can’t train on these new pitches.” Signatories have also commented on the issue, with one user saying: “Teams need the support of West Dunbartonshire Council in being active in safe environments.

“The team used Dumbarton Academy without problems pre-new school and it’s a shame the pitches are lying unused outwith school hours when they could be generating income for the council instead of clubs paying private lets. All councils should support and help kids stay active.” Dumbarton United AFC follow strict guidelines and has been recognised by the Scottish FA where the club has been awarded the SFA Quality Mark status at Community Award level.

The club has more than 270 players from Dumbarton and the Vale and many have to use training facilities outside of Dumbarton due to lack of appropriate pitches in the area.

A council spokesperson told the Reporter: “Current planning conditions mean that the pitches at Dumbarton Academy are not available for use by community groups during evenings and at weekends.”