The final whistle sounds at the city's biggest indoor football centre

The demolition of Chesser's World of Football highlights concerns about sports pitch provision in the Capital

James Bremner outside Chesser’s San Siro

Laughter, yelling and the sound of footballs - and occasionally footballers - being thumped into wooden hoardings echo through the vast hall.

It is a Tuesday afternoon in the former cattle auction mart at Chesser. The hard ground underneath its historic glass roof, which was once filled with cows on their way to slaughter, now plays host to five-a-side football. The transformation nextdoor, where Corn Exchange has become a top music venue, has been arguably more dramatic.

Inside are eight individual pitches, each bearing the names of one of the world’s great football arenas, from Brazil’s Maracana Stadium to Milan’s San Siro. Simple signs on the doors ensure the players know they’ve arrived at the right venue.

“Inside” is a bit of a misnomer. The sides of the World of Football are basically open to the elements, meaning a cold wind can cut across the pitches on many wintery Edinburgh days. But the cover offered by the roof means the pitches are always playable. As long as the weather isn’t severe enough to stop you getting to Chesser, then the game will be on, despite any amount of rain, ice, snow or sleet.

At the most popular times, at the weekend and evenings, the old cattle mart is as busy and noisy as it ever was in its commercial heyday.

Today, thirty men are spending a free afternoon playing walking football. For some, this has been the highlight of their week for more than ten years. Several of the players are well into their seventies. Their enthusiasm for the game as bright as when they were schoolboys.

This is all about to change. Soon, the final whistle will sound on the last game at the World of Football.

The Scottish Government has approved plans to demolish The World of Football, after calling them in for special consideration over noise complaints, to make way for hundreds of homes. The housing is of course desperately needed in Edinburgh, but the development comes at a cost. It spells the end of the Capital’s biggest indoor football centre, with pitch space for more than 100 players at any one time, which have been at the centre of friendships, football and memories for decades.

With developer interest in some of the city’s other five-a-site football centres, concerns are growing for the availability of playing space, particularly affordable and accessible pitches which are covered and able to open throughout a Scottish winter.

A weekly ritual

“We come here one to two times every week with a good squad and everyone really enjoys it,” says James Bremner, who has been playing walking football for ten years.

He and his teammates are now joining many other groups in looking for an alternative venue to continue playing. “We are not happy with the decision but there is not a lot we can do about it,” the seventy-seven-year-old says with a shake of his head.