Grassroots sports club special

Type the words ‘grassroots sport’ into Google and you’ll encounter a bleak picture. A recent survey found that 85% of clubs in the UK say they don’t have enough investment to support their activities. More than half have reported a decline in young people taking part as rising overheads lead to higher fees that some can no longer afford. Many organisations are losing access to the facilities where they play their sport. Some are yet to fully recover from becoming forgotten hubs lost in the myriad of digital distractions during the pandemic. 

Footfall, facilities and funds are the holy trinity that keep grassroots clubs alive and you’ll be hard pushed to find a club in the country that isn’t stressing about at least one of them. At first glance, hope is in short supply.

But dig deeper and you’ll find sporting communities that are finding ways to adapt, grow and thrive. They remain the fertile bedrock from which our nation’s most successful sportspeople emerge. From swimming and athletics to triathlon and football, we caught up with some of the most successful clubs across the country to find out what they’re up against and why all is not lost for grassroots sport…