Summer football training evenings are being inundated with soccer-mad youngsters who have been turning up in their hundreds to take part.

But Queensbury Celtic's dream of an indoor training centre, so children can play in the village's notoriously bad weather, remains a distant dream.

Bradford Council granted planning permission for a centre on the ground in Pitt Lane, near the Raggalds Inn, about 18 months ago.

The club is looking to the Sports Council for the lion's share of the funding but the organisation says it needs the building to be six feet higher than the plans show.

Talks among planners at Bradford Council have revealed it will contravene building guidelines on green belt land.

The club's founder garage owner Arthur Peel says the Wednesday night mini soccer sessions show the local need.

"On the first Wednesday we had 206 boys and girls between five and 12 turn up. Every single piece of ground was being used. It was unbelievable and brilliant. Seeing 200 kids playing football is superb," he said.

He thinks that there will be even more youngsters wanting to learn about football during the World Cup month.

"This is why we need this training centre, apart from the fact that the weather is so bad in Queensbury. But we still can't get anywhere."

A Sports Council spokesman said: "When we fund anything we try to maximise its use for all parts of the community."

He has advised Mr Peel to try to reach a compromise between all parties concerned.

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