Football pitch - public or private land?

TooManyDogs

My friend and myself bring our dogs on to the local pitch several times a week to throw balls for them, we always pick up after them and today a member of the football club came roaring over saying they were banning dogs from the field because of poo. Now I was on my way back from picking up after one dog, and my friend already had 2 bags of poo in her hand so we pointed out this to him, he said not all the poo is picked up, we told him ours always was. The thing about this pitch is it's completely open, not fenced in so every wandering dog in the area comes into the pitch. When this was pointed out the response was 'yeah well'. We also pointed out that one of the other club people had their dog with them too and he said 'don't you worry about his dog'. Then he said he was going to start fining dogs for being on the pitch.

So my question is - is field public or private? And can a football club fine members of the public?

Jennypops

where is the pitch located? do you have to enter onto their ground to get onto the pitch or is it just an open field?
i would think it depends on the location really, if you have to enter via a grounds into the actual pitch then yes they can tell you no dogs if they want but if its like a public open space then its a bit harder to control. that guy also has no authority to fine you so ignore that!
we have a pitch in the estate where i live and i do notice an awful lot of dog poo around which is horrible. the club have a sign up saying no dogs on the pitch but realistically it cant be enforced as the pitch is not fenced in and there is only one tiny sign in a corner where people probably dont even see it. the way i see it in our estate, residents have to put up with the onslaught of cars into the estate (who wont park across the road in the clubs car park) and the rubbish they leave strewn around, so i continue to use the pitch to exercise my dog, but always ensure i clean up after him.

Jennypops

sorry i mis read your post, if its in an open public space then theres nothing they can do...if they want to keep dogs away then they need to fence off their pitch.
now im curious as to where this pitch is!!

andreac

Not sure about fining, but yes they can stop you coming onto the pitch, its totally up to them as a football club would be considered private property im sure but not 100%.

Most football pitches/gass grounds do not allow any dogs onto them due to dog poo and i can totally see their point and i would never let my dog onto any football/sports grounds.
I have seen signs/notices at most grounds to say dogs are not allowed on so they are well within their rights to tell you to get off the pitch.

Jennypops

true they can say no dogs, but unless they put in place proper fencing etc then that wont stop roaming dogs etc from doing their business on the pitch. i think it all depends on who actually owns the pitch, the local club may use it but is it owned by the local authority? imo, if the club actually own the pitch then they really should put the proper barriers in place to protect their pitch if they are having such a problem with it. also realistically as long as the poo is cleaned up i dont see what the issue is, im sure the cats and rats leave their droppings behind and they arent cleaned up.

i just want to clarify as well that i dont let my dog poo right on the pitch rather that he goes on the pathways around it.

mathepac

The answer really is "it all depends".

If this is local authority amenity land then the club may have no right to try to restrict access to it; if the club owns the land or has it leased to them, then they are perfectly within their right to insist it's used only by members of the club, whether it is fenced or not.

BTW, what is it with dog-owners? The default attitude seems to be "I own dogs therefore the world owes me access to any land I or the dogs choose to exercise on or to urinate and defecate on".

"So my question is - is field public or private?" What a stupid, selfish question. What happened to establishing ownership of the property first and asking permission of the owners to use it in advance? I happen to have a downstairs cloakroom in my house that has a toilet. My front-door (thankfully) seldom needs to be locked. Armed with this knowledge would the OP see it as all right to walk in off the street and use my toilet without my permission on the basis that they cleaned it afterwards?

I think the day is fast approaching when part of the licensing process for pet dog owners (as distinct from the owners of working dogs) / kennel owners / dog trainers / dog walkers will need to be an assessment of the facilities / real estate these people have available to facilitate the dogs' exercise and excretory needs. Licence the owners in other words, not the poor animals.

There is a beautiful little county council owned cemetery in Maree, Oranmore, Co Galway, surrounded by beautiful grounds, woods, picnic areas with seats and tables and the little pebble beach overlooking Galway bay. The entire area is befouled with dog poo, including the private plots in the cemetery. Professional dog-walkers / kennel owners unload their vans of the 6 or 8 dogs they contain, allow them off their leads and the dogs are free to do what-ever they wish, where-ever they wish. Private plots, carefully tended by loving families and friends feature dog-crap amongst the flowers and other tributes. The grassed areas, tarmacadam footpaths, parking areas and woodland trails are poo-traps for the unwary. People with individual dogs stand and chat while their dogs do their business as often as they please where-ever they wish, all of this despite the prominent notices posted by Galway Co. Co.

I love dogs and have had various kinds for most of my life, but I am rapidly falling out of love with selfish, self-centered dog-owners.

toadfly

mathepac wrote: »

There is a beautiful little county council owned cemetery in Maree, Oranmore, Co Galway, surrounded by beautiful grounds, woods, picnic areas with seats and tables and the little pebble beach overlooking Galway bay. The entire area is befouled with dog poo, including the private plots in the cemetery. Professional dog-walkers / kennel owners unload their vans of the 6 or 8 dogs they contain, allow them off their leads and the dogs are free to do what-ever they wish, where-ever they wish. Private plots, carefully tended by loving families and friends feature dog-crap amongst the flowers and other tributes. The grassed areas, tarmacadam footpaths, parking areas and woodland trails are poo-traps for the unwary. People with individual dogs stand and chat while their dogs do their business as often as they please where-ever they wish, all of this despite the prominent notices posted by Galway Co. Co.

I used that park most evenings when I lived in Oranmore and not once;

- was my dog off lead
- was my dog let into the graveyard (or playground)
- did I not clean up after my dog

Please dont assume that every dog owner is ignorant. A lot of us do the right thing and it pi$$es me off that we are all bitched about. :mad:

One of my dogs was attacked down there by a dalmation off lead and not under control so I know how frustrating it can be but we arent all like that.

TooManyDogs

mathepac wrote: »

"So my question is - is field public or private?" What a stupid, selfish question. What happened to establishing ownership of the property

This is what I'm trying to establish, how exactly is it a stupid, selfish question???

mathepac wrote: »

would the OP see it as all right to walk in off the street and use my toilet without my permission on the basis that they cleaned it afterwards?

Ehhh no thanks. A private house is clearly not public land, a football pitch is not so clear.

mathepac wrote: »

I love dogs and have had various kinds for most of my life, but I am rapidly falling out of love with selfish, self-centered dog-owners.

Exactly how am I being a selfish, self-centered dog owner? What made me post this morning is
1 - I dislike being shouted at, what's wrong with being polite?
2 - I don't like being blamed for every bit of dog poo that decorates the village simply because I own dogs
3 - I hate being told I don't pick up all of my dog poo, because I'm extremely vigilant and always pick it up.
4 - I thinks it's very unfair to yell at some people about having dogs on the field when they have their own dogs there too...

sophie1234

THIS REALLY depens is the field just a football pitch and the football club then the chances are they own it! in my local field there is a big field with football pitches and clubs within it but it is no way private as any one can walk there or play there unless there is already a football match or training going on then you just walk around or use another pitch! its this field just a football pitch and the club house?????????

It would depend on the pitch itself, i personally wouldnt have any trouble with people letting the dogs run on the pitch . But at the same time i understand the players being frustrated about doggy droppings on the pitch . It all comes down to bad owners. If your dog goes , make sure you pick it up .

sambuka41

AHHHHHHH this whole thing is driving me MAD :mad::mad::mad::mad:

I am so sick of this attitude that dogs are diseased and a nuisance:mad:There are so many parks where not only does your dog have to be leased to you but you cant play football or cycle a bike :eek: Seriously what do people want?? Why would you go to an area of nature and be so appalled by the sight of an animal:(

My local park is used by EVERYONE, Ive seen people playing sports, a creche bring the kids there, dog walkers,joggers and people passing through to go to work. SHOCK HORROR everyone gets along and respects the place. Obviously theres some people who dont clean up after their dogs or the rubbish from the kids but for the most part its ok.

Its is a bit much that they expect you not to bring your dogs but they can :rolleyes:

ppink

with the best will in the world it is virtually impossible to pick up every bit of dog poo from grass.
people go to great care to get playing pitches looking good and in a comfortable condition to play on. I can totally understand why they would have an issue with dog poo on it. Imagine falling on that pitch and your face landing on a bit of dog poo left over from someone tryign to scrape it off the grass:eek:

If it is private or public depends on the field in question, maybe ask your co co?

IvySlayer

Well it really depends. We have a football pitch near us in a green. It was paid by the Council, so in a way everybody owns it and lets their dogs out.

I hate people who let their dog go toilet anywhere. I know owners who have trained their dogs to only do their business on a football field.

sambuka41

sambuka41 wrote: »

AHHHHHHH this whole thing is driving me MAD :mad::mad::mad::mad:

I am so sick of this attitude that dogs are diseased and a nuisance

Well to be honest , would you like a dog to crap on your leg ? Or would you roll around on dog crap ?

I think players are justified to be upset if they were to roll on the crap .

Jennypops

some of the parents in my estate could take a leaf out of a responsible dog owners book...i have seen, on more than one occasion, parents letting their kids piss on the grass surrounding the playground in my estate.
in fairness i would agree with not letting dogs **** everywhere and if owners feeds their dogs properly then their poo is solid and doesnt leave anything behind.
i think the issue in the op was the fact that the pitch was having issues with owners not cleaning up after their dogs. i also have a problem with people not cleaning up after their dogs. same way as cat owners let their cats roam and piss in my garden and use my gate as a scratching post.
but we live in a world were we should be tolerant and considerate, so if your dog does its business somewhere- pick it up properly. and non dog owners please dont tar all doggy folk with the same brush

sambuka41

Deleted User wrote: »

Well to be honest , would you like a dog to crap on your leg ? Or would you roll around on dog crap ?

I think players are justified to be upset if they were to roll on the crap .

yeah they do,I understand that. The OP was cleaning up after her dog didnt deserve to be accosted. It seems to happen a lot that the responsible owners get abused for the actions of other people. Thats what annoys me,my dog suffers the hostility because of other people

mathepac

TooManyDogs wrote: »

This is what I'm trying to establish, how exactly is it a stupid, selfish question??? ...

You make my case for me. You decided to allow your pets use a property as a toilet and play area without establishing ownership or getting permission first, as a normal, rational, considerate person would.

TooManyDogs wrote: »

... Ehhh no thanks. A private house is clearly not public land, a football pitch is not so clear. ...

and it is your responsibility to clarify ownership and permission first, why do you seem to have difficulty understanding that?

TooManyDogs wrote: »

... Exactly how am I being a selfish, self-centered dog owner? ...

See above

TooManyDogs wrote: »

... 1 - I dislike being shouted at, what's wrong with being polite? ...

Politeness is good - checking if you your friend and your dogs are trespassing or even welcome first, that would be polite, then you won't run the risk of upsetting someone and having them reciprocate your impoliteness.

TooManyDogs wrote: »

... 2 - I don't like being blamed for every bit of dog poo that decorates the village simply because I own dog ....

It sounds like the dog poo issue might have come up before in your locality, so maybe you're on the football field because you and your dogs are not welcome elsewhere in the village.

TooManyDogs wrote: »

... 4 - I thinks it's very unfair to yell at some people about having dogs on the field when they have their own dogs there too...

Maybe it's their field, and if that's the case, they're certainly entitled to do whatever they like with their own property.

Guy:Incognito

sambuka41 wrote: »

AHHHHHHH this whole thing is driving me MAD :mad::mad::mad::mad:

I am so sick of this attitude that dogs are diseased and a nuisance:mad:There are so many parks where not only does your dog have to be leased to you but you cant play football or cycle a bike :eek: Seriously what do people want?? Why would you go to an area of nature and be so appalled by the sight of an animal:(

If I take a crap in your garden and pick in up again, would you be happy enough to rub your face in the spot where I did it?

mathepac

TillyGirl wrote: »

... One of my dogs was attacked down there by a dalmation off lead and not under control so I know how frustrating it can be but we arent all like that.

Sorry to hear that. You've observed that not all dogs are under control / on leads in that area and thus are free to foul at will.

The unfortunate fact is that like with motor insurance where a small percentage of drivers consistently have crashes, everyone has to pay more and I believe the time is now long past where our lax attitude to wide-spread dog mess can continue.

oppenheimer1

TooManyDogs wrote: »

My friend and myself bring our dogs on to the local pitch several times a week to throw balls for them, we always pick up after them and today a member of the football club came roaring over saying they were banning dogs from the field because of poo. Now I was on my way back from picking up after one dog, and my friend already had 2 bags of poo in her hand so we pointed out this to him, he said not all the poo is picked up, we told him ours always was. The thing about this pitch is it's completely open, not fenced in so every wandering dog in the area comes into the pitch. When this was pointed out the response was 'yeah well'. We also pointed out that one of the other club people had their dog with them too and he said 'don't you worry about his dog'. Then he said he was going to start fining dogs for being on the pitch.

So my question is - is field public or private? And can a football club fine members of the public?

No ifs or buts about it, it is highly irresponsible to let a dog defecate on a playing surface.

Would you roll around in the spot just where you had cleaned up after your dog? Is it fair that you expect football players to do this on their own property for your convenience?

Go find a public park or your back garden where dogs are welcomed and leave football grounds and pitches to players.

mikemac

Regardless of it's private or public, stay off the pitch.
Players are going to tripping, sliding and falling face first on that pitch during training and weekend matches.

Walk around it but stay off it
Even if you are a responsible owner then take this opportunity to set an example to others

adser53

OP I agree that you shouldnt have been treated so rudely but I'm going to have to aree with the majority of posters here in so far that you shouldnt be on the pitch in the first place. Regardless of ownership. I can only assume the man who confronted you does it to everyone and has had enough of poop in the pitch.
On a side note, theres a private (I assume) rugby pitch in portlaoise that has signs up forbidding dogs and also signs stating the land is poisoned. I assume poop was such a problem that they had to take these measures.

Gophur

Club grounds can be private, but any club should cover itself with a Public Liability notice. An auld lad shouting at people is not the way to conduct business.

That said, having dog dirt on a playing surface is not acceptable. (So says a lad who played, as a kid, on fields with sheep and cattle dirt all over the place. Nothing like a football landing in a fresh cow-pat three feet in front of you, eh?)