YOUNG footballers have been turned out of their local York club - because all the pitches are booked up for other teams.

Now Bishopthorpe Community Football Club, which runs three clubs including junior teams, fears hundreds more of its members may face a similar fate.

About 200 youngsters aged from under seven to 15, including two girls' teams, play for Bishopthorpe White Rose Juniors - part of the village's community football club.

But the popular club, which has been awarded Charter Standard Club status by the Football Association, has now had to turn away 39 under- sevens and disband its under-14 team.

A further side, the under-13s, have had to apply to play all their matches away from home as the club has no pitches available for them to play on.

John O'Brien, Bishopthorpe Community Football Club chairman, said: "Football has been virtually knocked on the head and could die in this area within the next 18 months."

Bishopthorpe Parish Council applied for planning permission earlier this year to put football pitches with changing rooms and a car park on land at nearby Acaster Malbis.

The application sparked nearly 140 protest letters to planning chiefs. They complained the club would generate extra traffic, and pensioners living on a nearby estate would be disturbed.

The plans were then thrown out by City of York Council and an appeal was later rejected by a Government planning inspector. Now the village council has applied again to site its club on the land. It fears unless it is granted, all three of the village's football teams could have nowhere to play.

They include Bishopthorpe United, made up of four senior sides playing weekly on a field at Ferry Lane, which has only five years left on its lease, and Marcia Football Club - a senior Sunday side which plays at Moor Lane, a pitch which is loaned on a year-by-year verbal agreement.

Mr O'Brien said: "We're trying to improve standards and improve facilities, and we walk head on into a brick wall. Active York has identified the lack of football pitches in the Bishopthorpe area.

"I can't understand what the council is thinking. It's such a great shame. It's upset a lot of people.

"If York is hoping to encourage an Olympic team to come to the city, why are they not trying to help the children in their own city to play sport?

York planning chief Ann Reid said: "As far as I'm aware, the planning application was dealt with in the normal way.

"It came to a planning meeting, members of the planning committee agreed to refuse it having listened to both sides of the argument, and that decision was upheld at appeal."

Updated: 10:11 Saturday, October 22, 2005