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Festivals planned for one of London’s biggest open spaces will kill off sports played there for more than a century, players claimed today.

Hackney council wants government permission to hold “major public events” on Hackney Marshes every summer until 2017. It comes despite assurances from the borough’s mayor after the Olympics that no more music festivals would be allowed on the parkland, after the grass was “ruined”.

The BBC Radio 1 Hackney Weekend in June saw 100,000 people watch acts including Rihanna and Jay-Z. Today, cricketers and footballers said the grass had not recovered, nearly nine months later.

Footballers sliding into tackles report catching themselves on beer bottle tops in the earth. Roadies’ trucks churning the turf had left pitches “unplayable” and many football and cricket matches have been cancelled.

The council, which owns the 340-acre open space, calls it the “spiritual home of Sunday league football”, with 82 full-sized soccer, rugby and cricket pitches. Hundreds of matches are played there every week. After the Olympics, mayor Jules Pipe wrote in an email to Stoke Newington Cricket Club: “There are currently no plans or proposals for any major events to be held on the marshes in 2013 or any subsequent years.”

But last month, Hackney wrote to the club: “The council is proposing to seek permission for a period of five years to provide the opportunity for a programme of viable events.” Such events would take place between May 1 and the end of August. The council is holding a public consultation.

Tom Tanner, secretary of the cricket club, said: “The festival caused serious damage which led to no further cricket and delays to the football. Cricket only recently returned here after a long absence, only due to a £750,000 investment from the ECB [England and Wales Cricket Board] and Sport England.

“We are concerned this money will have been completely wasted if Hackney gets planning consent and stages numerous large summer events.”

Johnnie Walker, chairman of Hackney and Leyton Sunday Football League, said the pitches were in their worst state since he first played there in 1948. “The concert damaged about 23 pitches,” said Mr Walker, 79. “Ten are still unplayable. Even now we have bottle tops coming through the ground. Two weeks ago we had to cancel 18 fixtures.”

Hackney said it was “committed” to an £18 million boost to leisure and sport facilities on the marshes, although £1.25 million for new changing rooms is being withheld by the Football Foundation until the turf is mended. Mr Pipe said: “I stand by everything I said last year.

There are currently no events planned, however, by applying for Planning Inspectorate consent we can be prepared if we are approached in future. Events would have to meet strict criteria to ensure the land was returned to good condition.”