As a Brighton resident and keen seafront footballer, I found your article reporting Brighton and Hove City Council's unhappiness with seafront football rather amusing (The Argus, May 11).

The spontaneous gatherings that occur on summer evenings and weekends are a fantastic example of community spirit that is becoming more and more scarce in modern society. I am not at all surprised to see the council set out to destroy it.

To refer to these games as 'organised' in the same derogatory fashion as one would describe 'organised violence' at football matches is unjust and incorrect. These are simply the "jumpers for goalposts" games that traditionally occur in every park, beach or open space all over Europe.

May I be the first to point out that the Euro 2004 Championships begin in less then a month's time and I have no doubt football fever combined with great summer weather will lead to perhaps the busiest period yet for Hove Lawns footballing community.

-Phil Passera, Brighton