Their ground which is at the top of our road, looks as though it might have to be sold to pay a legal bill. In 2015, a fullback playing for Radcliffe Borough broke his ankle on Ossetts pitch and took legal action against the Club. He has now won his case and been awarded £20k in compensation. Unfortunately for Town, the insurance policy recommended to them by the league they play in, does not cover them for damages or legal fees if they lose any legal case in question. As a result, they now have to pay legal fees totalling £115k and they haven't got the funds to meet the total bill of £135k. They have started a crowd funding page and have raised in excess of £2k in a single day.
Town merged with Ossett Albion to form Ossett United but Albions former ground was apparently not fit for the league they are in. It will be such a shame if the Ings Field complex is sold to pay their legal bills and after all these years Ossett ends up without a team in the Town. I suppose they could Ground share with nearby Dewsbury Rams Rugby League Club.
I heard about this on the news earlier and thought there must be more to it than just the headline. I mean I wasn't sure how somebody playing football could sue a football club if they break their ankle playing football. Was there a dangerous pothole in the pitch or something? I must read the story.
Yeah I've just been reading about it. It's concerning because bad tackles are part of football, at all levels. Proving intent is very difficult in a game like football and surely that has to be the key factor. I think this could set a very worrying precedent.
Must be extreme circumstances, surely... A particularly aggressive tackle deemed some form of assault or a shitty pitch they shouldn't have been playing on but someone made the decision that it was fit to play on?
Surely it should be the player being sued then? Dangerous precedent here if a player can sue a club for an injury on a pitch. Also, if the policy/insurance company was recommended by the League, then they should pay the bill. If the pitch wasn’t fit for the league either, same again league shouldn’t have allowed them to play from there.
You would think so, as has been the case in the past with injuries. Don't know the full ins and outs.
