Don't get me started

I live near a school. This has never been a problem because kids voices are actually quite quiet. Well if I'm honest, except for lunchtime when there's screaming and shouting, but that's just for an hour and on the whole the noise is quite joyful.

The school finishes at 14:45 (I know!!!!!) and by 15:15 the grounds are empty.

On occasion the school rents out its pitches on the weekends for daytime football. This is always annoying. It's not the football or the footballers - it's the loud mouthed coaches and the over zealous dads on the side line. Who still dream their kids will become professionals, despite the fact that they still haven't been scouted by a team.

A few weeks ago we suddenly heard that there was a planning request for a huge multi purpose pitch (4 of them) to be built, with floodlights. This would be open until 22:00 EVERY DAY. We live in a semi-rural valley. Except for the points I mentioned above, it's silent here.

We've been fighting it for a week and last night was the first part of our attempt to get it stopped. The local village council meeting. About 40 of us turned up and put our points of view forward. I left the meeting feeling that we'd put a strong argument. It included noise, light pollution in a designated dark sky area, the fact that the pitches they were intending are under a current review for environmental purposes, the impact on the local human population and the impact on the extensive local animal population.

Fast forward 2 hours and the council approved it. I literally can't believe it. The fury I feel is second to none. It took me hours to get to sleep last night because of the adrenalin pumping through me. Though it looks like I need to get used to that because I don't think I'll ever get to sleep again. 

I FUCKING HATE FOOTBALL. Not only has it, for years, given men an excuse to ugg and leave their partners looking after the kids whilst they go to their all important match. Ruined Boxing Day for many families because the all important match means that the family is one person short, but it also clogs up local roads whenever their is a match. Because football always comes first. Screw the people that are local and the impact on them, it's all about this stupid meaningless game.

I know that more women are playing now and I'm sure that patronisingly that will be used as an excuse. However, I would put large amounts of money on the fact that if we fast forward 20 years women will still not be paid the same amount. They will still need to juggle what they do alongside other jobs and parenting responsibilities. It's all absolute nonsense.

I remember when I started work in the 1980's we were told that at last all was equal. Well I've been working since 1989 and I can tell you loud and clear - it has not been equal. We never stood a chance.

You may be able to tell that I am literally fuming. If football was predominantly a women's game nothing like this would ever happen.

I'm not a man hater - I love men - sheesh I'm even married to one and adore him. I have a wonderful son as well. It's the injustice and the fact that because so many men have had easy passes to leadership it's only the men's POV that is accepted.

And I can't stand the sound of people shouting. It sets me on edge. The prospect of having to tolerate this late into the night ever day is distressing. Plus my house will be impossible to sell and so I'm stuck with it for the rest of my life potentially.

I'm not going to proof read this because it will just make me angry again.