'We are here to stay': Grassroots women's team call for equal access to community pitches
Around 30 women's and non-binary grassroots, amateur teams in England have formed a collective, calling for equal pitch access; it comes after some were kicked off block pitch bookings in recent years; Sky Sports News has spoken to some members of these clubs
Tuesday 14 January 2025 09:46, UK
A group of grassroots women's and non-binary football teams have launched a campaign calling for equal pitch access and regulation of community venues.
Equal Playing Fields was launched in December 2024 by 30 women and non-binary football clubs, as they continue to struggle to find regular training facilities.
It comes as interest in amateur football among this group is at an all-time high following England Women's victory at Euro 2022.
East London club Enjoy FC spearheaded the campaign after they had a block pitch booking cancelled mid-season.
Ellie Vigors, the club's founder, told Sky Sports News that this was not an isolated incident, and several clubs had been affected.
"On the same day that we were supposed to arrive and play, we were kicked off our pitch without any notice and we were replaced with a corporate league, and we were left without a pitch to play on," she said.
"We found that this wasn't an isolated incident and that this has been happening for years. There's been five clubs who've come forward to flag the issue.
"It turns out this is a massive issue for women's, non-binary, trans-inclusive clubs all over the UK.
"It's heartbreaking. This has been incredibly frustrating, incredibly sad to hear other clubs come forward and have the same thing happen. We thought that this would be an isolated incident, and it turns out it's not."
'Men's football is prioritised, but we aren't going anywhere'
Vigors feels that for too long men's football from the top to bottom has been prioritised but teams like Enjoy FC are only growing and there is a great opportunity to support these groups.
"We're here to stay and we're not going anywhere. Men's football has always been prioritised at school from a young age up until grassroots level. Right now, even at the elite level, you can see it on a day-to-day basis," she said.
"We're calling for regulation and policy in holding organisations, national government bodies and the company to account.
"We want to ensure that private companies are not able to operate unregulated and essentially be allowed to do whatever they want to do at public spaces and at schools, because we are being mistreated and we are trying to flag that as an issue."
Liz Ward, who is on the committee for Goal Diggers FC, added that it is "super important" for minority genders to have pitch access, especially at a time when more women are playing football.
"We're coming off the back of a kind of renaissance in women's football, right? We want more women's teams out and about and yet women are denied the opportunity to have some of these spaces at that time," she said.
"So what we're asking for is that these pitches that we see in our areas, in our neighbourhoods, that there is an equal access for men's teams and women's teams to use the pitches at the most desired times."
She added that pitch providers must take more accountability and they are in a position to "actually change the fabric of grassroots sports".
"I would see it as a privilege of being able to open up these pitches to different groups and to people who haven't been able to play on these pitches."
Lionesses changed the fabric of grassroots football
Sokhara Goodall, who played professionally in America and England, is supporting the clubs in this campaign.
She was scouted as a teenager playing grassroots football but has noted a change in women's football since England won the Euros in 2022.
"The game has changed massively. Back in my day, you were barely getting paid for playing and stuff like that. It's just so great to see the women's game growing this much and expanding and what the Lionesses are achieving as well.
"And that needs to be filtered down to the grassroots. Again, grassroots football is the heartbeat. The teams that I'm working with are the people that are keeping the WSL going.
"They just love the sport so much and are so passionate about it. And we need to support them because, again, they are a big community within women's football."
'The root of the issue lies in the systemic lack of government investment'
Hire A Pitch and Play Five Aside are two of the biggest pitch providers in the UK.
CEO Nilesh Pandit told Sky Sports News: "As an organisation with deep roots in the industry since 2010, we deeply understand and empathise with the frustration surrounding the unequal access to pitches.
"However, It's important for all communities to recognise that many clubs, leagues, and private hirers have been operating for over a decade, which has compounded the current challenges.
"The root of the issue lies in the systemic lack of government investment in multisport and 3G facilities across the UK, as well as the inadequate funding for grass pitches.
"The increasing demand, particularly from non-binary and women's teams who have experienced significant growth in participation over the past three years, has highlighted this shortage even further.
"We strongly advocate for greater investment in sports facilities and urge the government to prioritise the creation of community-focused spaces over the continuous construction of flats and high-rises in every available location.
"Our lack of facilities are highlighted vs other countries such as the UAE who continue to invest and nurture development."