By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

NOT even the local playing fields are now safe from the alleged copper wire thieves.

The Bahamas Football Association have become the latest victims as the Roscoe Davies Development Centre was hit twice in a week. Now they are forced to postpone their soccer games and the men’s national team practice sessions in the evening until they can get the problem rectified.

“Last Thursday, February 26, our men’s national left the park after their training and when we came back on Friday, February 27, I was called to the park because they couldn’t get the lights on,” said Fred Lunn, BFA’s secretary general.

“We found out that some creative thieves came in and cut the wiring for the floodlights that light up the field and took the copper wiring out.

“They didn’t take it all out because there was some portion that you have to dig into the ground and take it out. It required some work. So we were in the process of getting that all sorted out and getting the lights back on and working. We poured some concrete to make it more secure. But they came back, dug up the hole and cut the wires again.”

Lunn, clearly peeved, said it’s obvious that the culprits are equipped and know exactly what they are looking for as they cut into the middle of the conduit and removed the copper wiring.

“We don’t leave the electricity on, so this person or persons obviously know that the wires are not live,” Lunn said. “They are trained electricians.”

It’s estimated that it will cost at least $8,000 to $10,000 to repair the wiring, but in the meantime, Lunn said they are forced to postpone their youth development league and the men’s national team.

“I just don’t know what to say. Obviously now they are going to not just go after our sporting facility, but all of the other government facilities with this sort of lighting,” he said. “It’s just so sad with all of this copper exporting going on.”

As a non-profit organisation trying to do its part to help keep young men in some wholesome sporting activities, Lunn said it’s disheartening because there was a great youth sporting league on Friday night with both parents and friends of the players coming out to cheer and now they have to postpone the games.

Lunn said the men’s national team, who are preparing to play Bermuda on March 25 at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier, is also affected as they won’t be able to practice in the evening when they get off from work.

“We have for the first time, the Lyford Cay Club competing in our league and they are scheduled to play in Haiti in April .So they are also training there in the night,” Lunn said. “So they don’t have a place to train at night. Not only are they affected, but the kids are affected and our own men’s national team is affected.

“Everyone is disappointed because they know that they are going to be told that they can’t play or practice again because the facilities are vandalised once again and they have to wait until we can replace the wiring.”

Lunn has joined in the businesses who have been hit by thieves to abolish the exportation of the copper wiring.