Break-in at Surrey soccer clubhouse ‘a difficult setback’ for volunteers
Published 10:52 am Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Members of one of Surrey’s oldest soccer clubs are scrambling to replace equipment stolen over the May long weekend.
Thieves made a mess of Guildford Athletic Club’s headquarters at Hjorth Road Park, off 104 Avenue, and hindered their ability to play games and hold practices.
“We had a significant amount of equipment stolen including our TV, POS system (for payments), soccer balls, nets, ball pumps and other club supplies that support our programs and teams,” club president Jennifer Woodley told the Now-Leader.
“It has been a difficult setback for the club and our volunteers,” she added.
“Unfortunately, we also did not have insurance coverage for the stolen equipment, which makes replacing these items even more challenging for the club financially.”
Thieves left behind bolt-cutters, found on the Tuesday afternoon following the long weekend.
“We’re still discovering things as we go along that are that are missing, compressors and things like that,” Woodley added. “We’re like, ‘Oh, where’s this?’ They took all of our our nets for our minis programs.”
Guildford Athletic Club, home to around 800 young soccer players, was founded more than 60 years ago, in 1965.
Volunteer members now appeal for help to replace close to $5,000 in equipment stolen by thieves.
“We’ve never had a break-in here like this, and I’ve been here a long time, nearly 30 years,” said Manjit Basra, club registrar.
“We’ve had to buy some equipment, otherwise we couldn’t run some programs,” she added. “Some parents have had to take balls home to blow them up because they have a compressor at home, things like that. That’s all time-consuming, all of those things. We’ve had to really scramble.”
Club members say they’ve had increasing safety concerns at Hjorth Road Park including the discovery of drug paraphernalia in bathrooms and vagrants camping out.
“We have lots of volunteer coaches who don’t feel comfortable dealing with those situations including female coaches,” Basra noted.
“Like many community clubs,” Woodley added, “we rely heavily on volunteers, fundraising and community support to keep programs running. While (the break-in) is discouraging, the support we have already received from families and the soccer community has reminded us why local sports organizations matter so much.”
Photos of the break-in are posted on Guildford Athletic Club’s Facebook page. Learn more about club activities, including free sessions in June, a summer soccer series and fall registration, on guildfordac.com.