A rugby team’s temporary clubhouse has been targeted by vandals in the south of the island.

Southern Nomads RUFC has a cabin on temporary loan at its new Ballakilley pitch in Rushen.

Several windows on the cabin were smashed some time between Saturday and Monday.

The site at Ballakilley is part of plans to build a new home for the club in the south.

Club chairman Dave Parkes told the Manx Independent: ’Firstly, it is obviously very disappointing and upsetting for all involved in Southern Nomads to see the level of damage caused to the cabin, which Castletown Ale Drinkers’ Society have lent to the club as the starting point for the facilities at the Ballakilley site.

’The project has been very much taken to heart by the local community; only this summer, the club had 50 to 60 local volunteers, many of whom had no previous association with Southern Nomads, present on several nights clearing stones in order to allow grass to be sown.

’Thanks to them, and also in no small part to the recent summer weather, we now have two excellent rugby pitches which we hope to start using in the near future.

’Why anyone would want to cause this level of damage is very difficult to understand. With the Rugby World Cup as a current focus of interest in the game, it is unfortunate that a grass roots level club is the topic for negative local news.

’Rugby is a sport which is founded on some simple core values which can be seen at all levels in the game and, while those are reflected so often in society as a whole, this seems to be one of those unfortunate occasions when the opposite is true.’

Since the damage, the club has had offers of support to repair the damage and help with security of the site, particularly as the club wants to move the training of its youth teams to Ballakilley in the coming weeks.

Mr Parkes added: ’This weekend’s incident will certainly not deter the club from continuing with its work on the project. We still have much to do at Ballakilley, and gratefully welcome any support from island businesses to help us with the development of the site and this sporting amenity for the south of the island.’

Anyone with information should contact Castletown police station on 822222.