The poor state of grassroots football risks depriving England of future stars despite a pledge to plough hundreds of millions of pounds into the game at a local level ahead of Euro 2028, campaigners have warned.
The decision to award the next Uefa European Championship to a joint bid by the UK and Ireland was accompanied by a promise from successive Conservative and Labour governments to dedicate at least £400m to rejuvenating community sports facilities, including all-weather football pitches.
But critics argue underinvestment has left the beautiful game in a shabby state across the nation despite England hosting the world’s richest football league in the shape of the Premiership, which last year generated revenues of some £7bn.
The Football Foundation, the charity which channels funding from the government, the Premiership and the Football Association back into the grassroots game, has ploughed more than £1bn into community facilities since 2000. But it has also acknowledged “shortfalls” in provision of community pitches and all-weather surfaces.
Fewer ‘maverick’ stars because of ‘rigid’ grassroots system
