Jamie Carragher 320

He added: “If it was re-opened it would be giving the kids around here something good to do and get involved in because it offered so much - there were so many activities you could do like use the gym and play badminton. It was fantastic.

“Its closure means there is less chance that today’s kids to go on and do what I did.

“And at a time when every council is talking about child obesity being an issue and we're making sure that they eat healthily then that is all the more reason to re-open it.

“The stadium should be saved. It would be a waste if it goes.

"We need to keep it open.

"It's very important for the people of Bootle.”

The site, off Southport Road, offered a variety of activities such as squash, basketball and trampolining and also provided facilities for sports teams using the playing fields opposite the building.

Two weeks ago, the Bootle Stadium Community Group Ltd had a £1.9m lottery bid for funding rejected.

The group’s chiefs think the bid failed because their plans were too detailed.

Calling on the council for help will be a tricky task in light of last week's revelations that Sefton plans to cut back its budget by £10m by April next year as the recession bites.

The council decided the stadium should be bulldozed in April this year following safety concerns, but the decision to close it was taken in 2006 by the Lib Dems and the Tories.