A west London football academy has accused Ealing Council of trying to force them out of local playing fields with a huge bill for repairs, in an ongoing dispute about extending their lease.

Football Samurai Academy, based at North Acton Playing Fields, has been engaged in an ongoing dispute with the council over the lease of the land and building it operates from. Hideyuki (Hide) Miyahara, the director, claims the council is trying to intimidate the academy.

He claimed: "They [Ealing Council] have given us this new figure of £490,000 for dilapidation costs; after saying we are going to court I think they are trying to scare us off. I've thought maybe I should just listen to them because I want us to have a good relationship, but suddenly now they are saying we have to pay half a million pounds, it's not possible."

In June, Hide told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the council was attempting to evict the football academy without prior consultation, and despite over £150,000 of investment in the site by the academy.

A letter seen by the LDRS at the time appeared to show that in 2017 there was an indication that the lease would be extended. Hide claims this 'decision letter' meant the council planned to extend his lease. He says the academy then received and signed terms and was provided with a draft lease agreement in 2024 – however Ealing Council rejected that any binding agreement had been made.

Ex-councillor and former Ealing Council Leader, Julian Bell, has urged Ealing Council to rethink its position. He told the LDRS: "Football Samurai Academy have made a huge positive contribution to the local community through their work with children and young people at North Acton Playing Fields. I would urge the council to reconsider this decision even at this late stage and let Samurai continue to provide their excellent sports activities for local families."

Shortly after the publication of Hide's interview with the LDRS in June, he claims Ealing Council warned him against talking to the press in a meeting, threatening to "expose [the football academy] for not maintaining the place well" – an accusation Hide rejects. Ealing Council has rejected the accusation or any suggestion the repair costs are a tactic to push them off the site. The council says it's standard practice to seek such costs from leaseholders to maintain a public site.

Hideyuki (Hide) Miyahara, Director of Football Samurai Academy (credit: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon).

Hide claimed: "I don't think it's right how they behave, how they threatened us with such a huge figure like half a million for dilapidation. It made me feel like I should never have gone against them in the press, but that is what they wanted."

Prior to speaking to the LDRS, Ealing Council had sought £35,000 from the academy in backdated rental payments, however in the months after, this has risen to £490,000 for what Ealing Council say is the degradation of the site on Hide's watch.

Hide says that Football Samurai Academy has taken steps to maintain and improve its facilities, but reiterates the difficulty in securing investment to do so without the council agreeing to a long-term lease. He says recent health and safety assessments provided to the council show that the site is currently safe.

He added: "We are ready to invest and get private investment for all of the things they want us to invest in. We just need a lease, they want us to do all of this without a lease."

If Ealing Council is successful in evicting Football Samurai, Hide says it is likely the academy will be forced to shut down, meaning 360 children will no longer have a football team. Hide said: "They so clearly do not think about how it will impact the kids… I started thinking we are going to have to close now."

An Ealing Council spokesperson said: "The council has a duty to ensure public assets are properly maintained. There are significant dilapidations, which has put the facilities into serious disrepair over the duration of the lease at the North Acton Playing Fields site. The council is pursuing the recovery of costs associated with these dilapidations, as is standard practice, which is a necessary step, under the lease, in managing public property responsibly.

"Any assumptions regarding money, in relation to removing the tenant from the North Action Playing Fields, are wholly inaccurate. The council is committed to safeguarding North Acton Playing Fields for leisure and community sports use. We acknowledge the contributions made by Football Samurai Academy to the local community.

"The council must regularise leases and ensure any current or future tenant is able to meet their obligations under a lease, including health and safety responsibilities. We have had numerous meetings with Football Samurai Academy representatives and are in legal discussions with them which are confidential. The council is committed to maintaining community sports facilities at North Acton Playing Fields."