An amateur footballer who was injured while playing five-a-side football has been awarded £13,404 in compensation.

The man, 29, was playing football at the JJB Sports Soccer Dome in Derby. Although the game took place indoors, the pitch was waterlogged. The man claimed that staff told the two amateur league teams that the pitch was still playable and so they decided to continue with the match because otherwise they would have had points deducted and would have had to pay to stage a re-match.

During the game, the man slipped during a tackle and fractured his shinbone and tibia. Afterwards, he was unable to work for 15 weeks while he underwent treatment.

When the man pursued a personal injury compensation claim against JJB Sports, the company denied that the pitch was unsafe. They argued that the tackle could have resulted in such an injury in any football game and the condition of the pitch was not a factor.

In court, it was argued that JJB Sports had exposed the player to considerable risk of injury by ignoring the obvious dangers. The judge agreed and the injured player was awarded £13,404 in compensation.