An amateur football team say they were forced to disband after they were kicked off Tooting Common by Wandsworth parks police.

A parks police van pulled up at the entrance near where Athletico Balham, a group of about 12 casual players, were playing and “approached with handcuffs” in August last year.

Players say they were “threatened with fines and arrest” unless they left the area and were told “not to go to any other parks in Wandsworth”.

Adam Love, one of the players, said: “We have been playing together for eight years.

“It’s just a social game and the spot we play on is not a particularly used area.

“They told the team they weren’t allowed to be there and that they were trespassing.

“They wanted us to pay a fee to stay use that patch.

“We have never had any complaints, we don’t leave any rubbish behind and always tidy up after ourselves.”

The team said they were told to take any complaints to the council. They say an email was acknowledged but nothing further happened.

Adam said the group had to stop playing as they could not find another suitable location and the owner didn’t want to take the risk.

He added: “It was really sad since we’ve been playing together for nearly a decade.”

The group has more than 100 members on Facebook but “only a handful meet regularly”.

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Wandsworth Guardian approached the council last week for comment and the council has since arranged for the team to be allowed back on the Common.

A spokesman for the council said: “We had received a number of letters of complaints from residents living close to Tooting Common about large groups playing football on the common, which was impacting on them in terms of noise, litter and swearing.

“It was around this time that this particular team was asked to stop playing as the parks police were acting on residents’ concerns in the light of these complaints.

“Having reviewed the situation we accept that this particular team was not the subject of the complaints as it is a much smaller group playing football socially.

“We are happy for this team to continue playing on the Common as long as it is on an informal basis and does not impact on park users or residents.”

Adam said he was happy with the outcome but that the whole situation was “very poorly managed”. 

The team’s organiser, Cosmo Cheng, said he was “very pleased Wandsworth Council has come to a sensible decision”.

He said: “We can only hope that the use of open green spaces in public parks for general non-profit recreational activity remain free.

“It is important for the public to use the park freely for general health and wellbeing.

“Football and other sports should not only be accessible to the privilege and middle class who can afford to pay.

“Charging the use of the parks, especially when it is sub-contracted out by the council to a third party, with complex booking paperwork, advance payment and inflexibility cancellation policy as well as unreasonable cost pretty much discourage any kind of organised team sports except for groups of people that are relatively privilege or semi-professionals in their sport.”

Mr Cheng said he appreciated park police have “a duty to enforce park bylaws” and since the group “respect the law”, they didn’t return without permission.

He added: “However, I do think that the park police should focus more attention on anti-social behaviour and drugs and alcohol issues in the park late at night.”

This news comes a week after the council faced scrutiny over its newly updated by-laws and promised not to fine anyone unless it was for anti-social behaviour.

See more: Wandsworth Council hits back at claims it will fine children £500 for flying kites and climbing trees