A north-east sports club claims complaints about a flooded pitch have “fallen on deaf ears”.
Peterhead Rugby Club has raised concerns about the surface at Catto Park with the council on “numerous” occasions.
Managers want the local authority to step in and sort out the drainage so they can fulfil their fixtures.
Club members have been trying to pump water off their home ground so the derby match with rivals Fraserburgh can go ahead this weekend.
Chris Kerr, captain and fixture secretary at Peterhead Rugby Club, said it is not unusual for him and his team mates to battle with a sodden surface before a BT Caledonia Division 3 North match.
He said: “We have been down there before on Friday nights and Saturday mornings trying to fork the pitch and get the water off.
“I am in the air force and I travel from wherever I am based to play. Other lads come from Fraserburgh, Inverurie and Aberdeen.
“Some of them come all this way just to be met with a sunken pitch and to be told ‘you are not playing now’.
“There have been numerous complaints to sort the drainage. They (the council) always say ‘we will sort it’ but nothing has come to fruition yet.”
Mr Kerr said the problems with the pitch also causes issues with other teams travelling to the north-east often forced to wait for the water to subside before pulling on their rugby boots.
He said: “We complain all the time about the standing water because there are certain areas of the pitch that are always flooded.
“Teams travel down from Inverness and have to wait for the pitch to be drained before a game can go ahead.
“It feels like it falls on deaf ears when we try and get something done.”
An Aberdeenshire Council spokeswoman said that while the authority knows about the rugby pitch problems, it would take a lot of work to resolve them.
She said: “We are aware of the issues at Catto Park, but getting the drainage fixed would be a huge project.”
