YOUNG footballers from a village club may finally have a pitch to play on, thanks to one mother's dedication.

The 35 youngsters who form the Middleton Rangers struggled to find a place to practice in Middleton St George after drainage problems forced them off the village playing fields.

When the eight-, nine- and ten-year-olds were then asked to leave their temporary practice space near housing in order to preserve the grass, mother Joanne Moncur set her sights on securing funding for a new pitch for the teams and other village children.

She arranged for a representative from the Football Foundation to visit the water-logged and pot-holed playing fields and has been invited to apply for a grant of up to £40,000 to develop a pitch on the land.

Miss Moncur originally set up the teams after her nine-year-old son, Robert, complained he had nothing to do in the village. She and co-organiser Julie Hall have watched the club grow into three oversubscribed teams, with coaches and regular training sessions, now held in the park.

She said: "This is the first time I've done something like this, but I was surprised by the amount of help that's out there if you just ask. It is early days yet, but the sooner we start, the sooner it will be finished and ready for the children."

Miss Moncur and the parish council hope to use the money to fix the drainage problem and the surface, and to build a small changing hut near the pitch.

Miss Moncur said: "We don't know how much we will actually get, and there will probably need to be some local fundraising to add to the amount, but this is something very important for the kids and for the community and I hope that everyone will support it."

The pitch would also used by the local Killinghall Arms men's team and Neville Johnston, from the team, welcomed the news. He said: "We have applied for a few grants in the past but haven't had any luck, so it would be great if this were to go ahead."