Do the lads in the youth set up i.e.u18s, u23s etc do the old fashioned chores like cleaning boots, weeding, sweeping the stadium etc or is that considered exploitation these days? The reason I ask is that I walked past the country park and up to Oakwell for a bit of exercise. The doors on the East Stand turnstiles are all pink and some of them are rotten at the base. In the old apprentice days, they'd be given a brush and a pot of paint each and instructed to repaint anywhere that needed it. The ground looks dilapidated and needs a lick of paint. The BARNSLEY FOOTBALL CLUB sign at the back of the Ponty is pink, orange and various shades of red and looks scruffy. I know there's a dispute on with the owners and the council but surely they could extend to 25L of paint between them. I'd nip down myself if they wanted any volunteers.
Wednesday did a lot of community stuff back when the had a local (fan) owner and they (the fans) painted parts of the stadium if I remember correctly.
I think football is a multi million pound business and letting people do anything voluntary is scandalous. If there's a job to be done pay somebody.
