The local sports community in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia needs to take a serious view on how the public fields, that are considered as park grounds (leisure) and used for sports, are being used irresponsibly by people who claim to be sportsmen.

If those who use public 'sports grounds' were to act responsibly as how golfers are expected to act during play, then we would not have sports grounds that have been turned literally into muddy grounds with potholes. Footballers who tend to play on "non-designated" areas of the iconic Ipoh Padang and Taman D R Seenivasagam should not use football boots with studs (to be used only during official games or only on the designated football fields). Most of all they should understand that others want to use the field as well, hence they should restrict their use to certain "non-designated play areas" only and not encroach on all areas of the park whilst sheepishly avoiding playing on football "designated" areas.

In the case of field (grass) hockey, IT APPEARS THAT THE ONLY WAY IS TO HAVE A designated "PUSH HOCKEY" PITCH at Ipoh Padang and one at Taman D R Seenivasagam and PREVENT footballers from encroaching on those areas.

Surprisingly floodlights are provided at the two above mentioned parks, and footballers (both local and foreign) are having a field day. Many of the groups of footballers even have "permanently" placed their own metal goalposts on these grounds that are locked with chains. They seem to respect their own football pitches, as they avoid stepping onto those pitches when there is no booking but TAKE OVER WHOLE other AREAS of both these iconic parks. I do not understand this behaviour, as there are so many other public futsal courts and football fields in residential areas being underutilised.

THIS IS AN APPEAL TO THE FOOTBALLERS

LETS BE RESPONSIBLE AND WORK WITH THE AUTHORITIES TO ENSURE OUR PARKS AND PUBLIC PLAYING FIELDS ARE SHARED FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL; AND ENSURE THAT THESE WONDERFUL GREEN SPACES FOR SPORTS WILL NOT TO BE DESTROYED OR "TAKEN AWAY" AS HAS BEEN DONE TO SELANGOR CLUB PADANG IN THE HEART OF KL!!!