SIR — When I read about the problems of Minehead Football Club (Free Press June 19) I was reminded of similarities leading up to the tragedy of destroying Aquasplash swimming pool a year ago.

Jim Butterworth recalls that the promise of a new pool by the county and district councils using the sale of the site has not been pursued in any way likely to replace it.

The football club premises has through lack of maintenance sustained water damage through a leaking roof, and now the bar which was an important source of revenue has been closed.

The club building and site belong to the town council, Aquasplash belonged to the district council.

The town council cannot afford to repair, maintain or run the club, just as the district claimed it could not the pool.

It looks inevitable that the club premises will be declared unfit for use.

There are insufficient members to raise the money needed to repair or replace the premises and run it at sufficient profit unaided by subsidy, yet it is a major sporting asset and a means for many to keep fit and participate in a club activity.

Why can't councillors find the resources to support the football club or build a new pool? Answer - because too few of them are interested in sport and the maintenance of health and fitness. They have other priorities.

Well done to Cllr Parbrook and friends for getting the Minehead EYE project under way and very many thanks for help in keeping PALS afloat and subsiding the provision of a new hoist for getting handicapped people in and out of the pool at West Quantoxhead.

This has been done in the face of diminishing council resources but the prospect of a new pool now seems like a pipe dream.

The great tragedy is that the precious land on which these buildings stand or stood is sold off to pay for other demands instead of resiting and rebuilding better sporting premises nearby.

We are after all a seaside resort and 25 per cent of ratepayers live in outside villages. The tourists also seem to be forgotten - they do not all go to Butlins by any means, even if they could afford to do so.

We now need an up-to-date positive policy from all local councils and a concerted effort made to obtain Government and charitable funds for the purpose of encouraging physical activity of young and old.

Perhaps our MP could draw the attention of the Government to what is happening here and other counties far from London where vast expenditure on the Olympics is occurring.

I would like them to include football, rugby, swimming, diving (not tombstoning though!) tennis, badminton, rowing, kayaking and canoeing, sailing and athletics, all of which are Olympic sports and desperately short of funding and satisfactory premises and consequently new participants.

At the present rate, there will be no sport left other than skateboarding and trainspotting!

Dr John Godrich,

Court Green,

Minehead.