Grassroots football clubs in England believe adverse weather conditions, the cost of living crisis and insufficient funding present grave threats to their existence, according to a new survey.
Data compiled from more than 180 clubs showed that seven out of 10 expressed concerns about having sufficient funding to sustain their activities.
Of the 54% of clubs who rent pitches, 81% said those costs had increased by at least 5% this season and 29% said the increase was of at least 16%.
Bad weather and the cost of fuel were cited as key reasons why clubs are struggling. One of the consulted clubs, Witham Friary, based in Somerset, a county badly affected by Storm Ciarán last November, said of problems they face: “Availability and cost of pitch hire when weather is poor, while rising fuel bills mean parents don’t want to travel as far.”
The club’s secretary, Zahoora Ponari, said: “If a game is local, everyone is on board. However, for away fixtures, we often find ourselves short of players willing to travel.”
The clubs surveyed play six divisions or more below the Football League and just over half of the respondents (54%) also have women’s and girls’ teams.
The report by the football equipment retailer Forza also focused on the quality of facilities and access to equipment, with 71% of clubs saying they shared equipment across age groups. Only 12% of clubs described their facilities as below average or poor but volume can also be an issue. An increase in participation levels was reported by 69% of clubs.
Tracy Croker, chair at Hadleigh United in Suffolk, said they were “so squeezed” that training is done largely outside the area, with the various teams training in more than six different locations, including the “very old and worn-out” local school’s astroturf pitch.
Croker said the club were “desperate for a solution” and that several challenges had complicated matters: “Lack of funding, ageing volunteer force, keeping all officials compliant with statutory and regulatory requirements. Space, space, space. We have outgrown our facilities in Hadleigh and are desperate for a solution. We engage with the town council with regard to possible solutions but none have come to fruition yet.”
The Football Association said that through the Football Foundation grass pitch maintenance fund it was helping clubs, towns, parish councils and school sites in England to improve, maintain and manage their pitches – and would encourage anyone eligible for this fund to come forward.
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An FA spokesperson said: “We recognise the challenges faced by grassroots leagues and clubs across the country following this season’s exceptional weather conditions. Our focus and ambition across grassroots football in England is to transform grass pitch quality and deliver further 3G pitches to improve player experience and ensure that more games are played as originally scheduled. We currently support around 7,000 pitches up and down the country with the ambition to extend this number significantly over our next four-year strategy.”
It said a partnership with the Premier League and government through the Football Foundation had invested more than £1bn into grassroots facilities since 2000 and supported more than 66,000 teams last season.
The FA also said it was mindful of the price of participation: “The cost of living is affecting many people across the country and we are very mindful of the effect that it is having in the grassroots game. Our County FA network and leagues and clubs are all playing an important and proactive role to make football as affordable as possible. We want to make sure that everyone who wants to play the game can continue to do so.”