Resident Kelly Burton has four children and says three of them use the football pitch regularly.
She said: “It’s just a place for all the community youths and boys and girls to come and play together. It’s safe and secure for them and it’s just somewhere for them to meet up”.
Kelly’s son, Lewis, 16, said: “I come here a lot with my friends. It’s really social and it’s nice to be around.”
Kelly launched the petition, which has more than 200 signatures, calling for the pitch to be built on land next to the current one.
She said: “They can keep the car park, that’s not the issue, they just need a replacement where it is.”
“It’s over two miles away in a secluded area that is not safe for children,” she said.
In response to behaviour concerns influencing the centre’s decision, Kelly said: “I’ve lived here over a decade and never had an issue with antisocial behaviour”.
Another resident, whose grandchildren use the pitch, said antisocial behaviour had been a problem in the 1990s, but is not an issue now.
