An East Sussex football club has been left counting the cost after vandals caused extensive damage, estimated at around £1,000. The incident, described as "mindless," saw Rye Bay

FC’s pitch-marking paint smeared across the playing surfaces, while equipment and a storage shed were also damaged.

The club reported that the shed’s door had been torn off, and replacing both the shed and the paint would incur significant costs. Kaye Lax, the chair and a coach at the non-profit club, expressed her dismay over the vandalism during an interview with BBC Radio Sussex, stating she was "absolutely gutted" by the act.

Rye Bay Football Club, founded in 1996 and originally known as Winchelsea Beach Football Club, runs several children’s teams, from under-7s to under-15s.

The damage occurred at the team’s weekly training ground at Rye College, further straining the "little rural" club, which was already facing challenges, according to Ms. Lax. Despite the setback, she said the club has been "incredibly grateful" for the outpouring of support from the local community following the incident.

"We don’t have the funds to replace things," the club shared in a statement on its GoFundMe page. The post expressed their disappointment that "certain individuals show zero respect for our property, which exists solely to help develop young people in a fun environment."

The club, however, remains proud of its impact on the local community, noting that many children have enjoyed their first football experience at Rye Bay FC. The club added, "Many players have continued to play football, many within the local district, all applying skills that were first acquired at this club." Photo by Weloc, Wikimedia commons.