School had to close the "billion-dollar" soccer field because people were annoyed by the whistle.

(Dan Tri) - Cornwallis Academy High School in Maidstone, Kent, England, was forced to abandon its £700,000 football field (equivalent to VND 22.5 billion) after only 2 months of operation.

The reason is that people living near the football field often complain about... the referee's whistle. The football field of Cornwallis Academy (Kent, England) was built according to the standards of the International Football Federation. This is an artificial turf field with flood-proof ability, just put into use in 2023.

The school had hoped that the football field would become an attractive sports center in the locality. However, the "billion-dollar" football field has fallen into a state of silence after only 2 months of operation.

Cornwallis Academy football field (Photo: DM).

During the construction process, local authorities expressed concerns about the potential noise impact on the quality of life of nearby residents, as the football field would remain open after school hours. The school agreed with the authorities that they would ban the use of whistles on the football field after school hours.

However, when the pitch was finally opened, it attracted local sports clubs to sign up. The rule against whistle use outside of school hours was severely violated, with local residents complaining to the authorities about the noise outside of school hours and on weekends.

Not only the whistle, people also have to endure the shouting, the sound of balls hitting, the sound of fences shaking when balls hit... 7 days a week. The noise makes many households not dare to open their windows and feel that their quality of life has seriously decreased.

Due to receiving too many complaints from local people, authorities have warned that they will apply strict sanctions against the school.

Because the school violated the agreement that was made during the construction of the football field, the football field is currently not allowed to operate, even during school hours.

Cornwallis Academy High School's board of directors has invited an independent expert to survey the noise levels on the football field and has installed additional noise barriers to reduce the nuisance to nearby residents.

The survey results showed that the operation of the football field did not cause unacceptable noise levels. However, local residents living near the school still objected to allowing the football field to operate again.

People living near the football field often complained about... the referee's whistle (Illustration: DM).

A local resident living near the school said: "It will be easy for households who do not live near the school to agree to the football field being operated again. Only those who live near the school understand the problem. We come home after a day's work and still cannot rest in our own homes because of all the noise coming from the football field."

Some families with young children report that their children’s routines are disrupted, with children unable to go to bed on time. Lack of sleep affects mood stability and learning ability at school.

Meanwhile, Cornwallis Academy High School is also facing many difficulties in implementing the physical education program, because the football field is still forced to stop operating. Currently, there is no unified solution among the authorities, the school and the local people.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/truong-phai-dong-cua-san-bong-tien-ty-vi-nguoi-dan-kho-chiu-voi-tieng-coi-20250303113531814.htm