Tadcaster Albion need to raise over £8,000 to repair their flood-hit ground

Tadcaster Albion need to raise over £8,000 to bring their facilities back into use after the River Wharfe burst its banks on Sunday.

The club, which hosts Leeds United under 23s games, has been unable to obtain flood insurance since it was hit by extensive flooding in December 2015 - when the town's main bridge collapsed.

Albion posted footage online over the weekend showing their pitch and other areas of the ground completely submerged.

Staff are currently pumping water away, undertaking a deep clean and repairing damaged equipment. The floodlights, tractor and lawn mowers have all suffered damage.

They have launched a Justgiving appeal with a target of £8,500 and public donations have already been coming in.

A statement by the club read:-

"Tadcaster Albion Football Club on Sunday 17 March was hit again by terrible flooding from the River Wharfe. Unfortunately following the devastating floods in 2015 the club is no longer able to obtain flood insurance. The video link shows you just how bad it was in 2015 and 2019

"We are now in the process of pumping away the water, undertaking a huge deep clean of the facilities and repairing the damaged fixtures. We also need to repair the tractor, lawn mowers and many other pieces of equipment used for pitch maintenance; which were all damaged from being under water. The pitch itself also needs maintenance work and preparing for future fixtures.

"Your help and support in reaching our target is hugely appreciated and we offer our sincere thanks to you and the football community for your tremendous support."

The flooding has brought back memories of the Christmas 2015 floods, which saw Tadcaster Bridge partially collapse and split the town in two during Storm Frank. The bridge did not re-open until 2017.

The football club's efforts to drain their pitch were hampered when a pumping system became blocked by fish.

A temporary footbridge built to reconnect the town was named after Albion fan Sonny Lang, 23, who died shortly before it was erected.

Tadcaster Albion chairman Matt Gore confirmed at the time that the club would be erecting a memorial garden near the bridge’s entrance as well as a commemorative plaque in her memory.

He said: “We urge the community of Tadcaster to refer to this as Sonny’s bridge in recognition and honour of her brilliant life. Naming the bridge after Sonny means everything to us and everything to her mum Anna and dad Marc. Every time somebody crosses the bridge they will be reminded of her. Sonny would have loved this. Tadcaster is a special place and the community is second to none, there’s a special feeling in this town.”

To donate to the appeal click here.