'Heartbreaking' toll of off-road bike vandalism on sports clubs

"It's gutting. All the work and hours that we put into it. It's more for the kids that can't play, we've got nowhere for them to go and we have to find other facilities."

Junior football coach Adam Johnson is speaking about the impact of the actions off-road bikers who have ridden across his sports club's ground.

Vandals driving their motorcycles and e-bikes over the pitches have damaged them in 10 separate incidents since October, leading to cancelled matches for children.

Johnson and other volunteers at Denaby Main JFC have been forced to hire alternative facilities after the bikers' visits.

They and other sports clubs want more to be done tackle the nuisance bikers, whose tell-tale tyre tracks left across pitches are leaving community teams with high costs.

They include the owner of a Sheffield golf course, who said there had been 20 incidents of vandalism on its greens in 2026 so far.

South Yorkshire Police said it had used Home Office funding to carry out patrols in "hotspot" areas.

At Denaby Main, a club serving a former mining community near Doncaster, the 10 vandalism incidents left the pitch unsafe and posing an injury risk.

Johnson, who is also club treasurer, said they had spent £2,500 to hire a pitch elsewhere last season.

Over the last four years, the club has grown from four junior teams to fielding 11. Coaches try to keep match fees affordable for local families and the added costs were "unwelcome".

Club chair Andy Nota added: "Every penny counts for us, it does for every junior football club. That money could be reinvested in other things for the children.

"It's absolutely gutting. It's really heartbreaking because I think it's people from our own village who are actually doing the damage and it could be avoided. There are plenty of places for them to go and ride motorbikes."

At Concord Park Golf Club in the Shiregreen area of Sheffield, even more pristine turf is required for play to go ahead.

Off-road and e-bike riders performing wheel spins and "doughnuts" on the fairways have caused repeated damage.

Owner Warren Allcroft said due to public rights of way, it was impossible to prevent bikes getting onto the course altogether.

"You could cry. You come in the morning expecting to just rake the bunkers, cut the greens, and you see the damage that's done by these bikes. It takes hours, days, weeks to get it back to its original state."

Allcroft said he would never know the true cost of the vandalism.

"It's not just the repair costs, that's thousands, but a golfer comes and see the damage and decides they're not coming back here. It's on social media, people see there's damage, so they don't even come."

Allcroft, who bought the club in 2018, said he wanted more regulation of ownership of certain motorcycles and electric bikes.

"I think every bike that's bought should be registered. Whether it's a scrambler, whether it's an electric bike, get it registered so at least you have a starting point for the person who had it originally."

The Department for Transport has a register for off-road bikes to assist with tracing stolen models, but it is voluntary for owners to sign up.

Another golf course, in West Yorkshire, which did not want to be identified but did supply photos of damage to the BBC, said it had been targeted more than 20 times in the last two years and made six reports to the police.

Another club, also in West Yorkshire, said motorbike and e-bike vandalism was a "daily occurrence" in early spring.

At Concord Park, Allcroft said the excess on his insurance policy was now around £5,000.

He said he would consider using cameras around the course and drones to capture images of the culprits.

Under the Policing and Crime Act 2026, police forces were given new powers to seize vehicles used anti-socially without the need to issue a warning first.

South Yorkshire Police said that as well as patrols in areas where off-road bikes were causing concern, officers also carry out home visits to known offenders.

The force also runs a Forecourt Watch scheme, which works with petrol stations to identify illegal use of motorcycles and quad bikes.

For frustrated golf course owner Warren Allcroft, the answer lies with the parents of the youths accessing his club.

"Just be aware of what your kids are doing and where they are. It's not just the damage they are doing, it's the danger it creates for other people."

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