Why we have to save these grassroots

Climate change means more and more football fields are threatened with flooding. Lovers of the game are determined to do something about it.

A while ago I was invited to play in a very special football match (or soccer game, if you must call it that) on Hackney Marshes in London.

It was a pretty wacky game: we were all wearing rubber rain boots. The idea was to emphasize the looming wet danger that our green spaces face, and the players were all wildlife and environment champions of one kind or another. We even had Arsenal legend Paul Merson coaching us from the sidelines. The day was full of fun and laughs.

Hackney Marshes is a place that means a lot to me. The very first youth football team I coached played here every week. They – and I – are among generations of football lovers with memories of this place, which is so important to the grassroots game.

Footballers on Hackney Marshes in 1987. Photo: Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy

Opened in the 1900s, Hackney Marshes has the largest congregation of football pitches in Europe. Serving as a community hub for London’s post-war working class, there were once 120 pitches marked out on the green – today there are around 60.

The marshes are a shining example of green spaces facilitating sport, nature and wildlife. But the changing climate is putting places like this under threat. One in four of England’s league football pitches are predicted to be underwater every season in 25 years.

What if grassroots players find themselves without a place to stretch their legs?

“I just can’t describe what my memories of these pitches mean, and will always mean, to me”

Nadeem Perera

The sports stars of tomorrow

Michael Cole is the lucky man with the job of overseeing all football on the marshes for Hackney Borough Council. Michael told me the winter of 2024 was in the top 10 wettest since records began in 1836, while the south of England as a whole experienced its wettest February since records began. This means that the leagues, teams and, ultimately, players (including kids) missed out on a huge amount of fresh air, exercise and, for some, chances to follow their role models on TV.

It’s particularly sad for the fastest-growing part of football: the women’s game. The number of girls’ youth teams registered in the league for the 24/25 season was up 50% on the two seasons before it. Clearly there is a massive hunger among young girls to play the game, and they deserve the chance to enjoy the game just as men and boys have done, undisturbed, for so long.

Climate change means more games hit by flooding. Photo: Paul Gilbey

But Michael worries that changing weather patterns mean that the pathways to the professional game are at increased risk of being taken away. The work that people like he and his team have done to facilitate growing interest from girls could all be in vain, as, more and more, they find themselves having to call off games due to waterlogged pitches.

So many memories

It’s heartbreaking to think of places like Hackney Marshes at risk. I’ve seen players go from boys to young men on these pitches. I’ve formed lifelong friendships with parents who helped me out when I was a young coach. I’ve seen players leave football behind – but still come and watch their mates play every week. I just can’t describe what the memories I have on those pitches, in that green space, mean, and will always mean to me.

Nor is it just a place to play football. I’ve walked dogs here, been on dates here, and together with Ollie Olanipekun, led walks with our birdwatching group Flock Together.

Sometimes all on the same weekend.

Luckily Michael Cole from Hackney Council isn’t fighting this battle alone. Save Our Grassroots is a campaign focused on garnering public attention to the impact that climate change could have on not just the youth community but the growing adult game too.

Taunton Town is one club that has had increasing problems with flooding, forcing them to move to a new pitch. It’s not just a money issue – the club believes the disruption contributed to them getting relegated. In London, clubs whose stadiums face the highest risk of flooding include Chelsea, West Ham, Fulham and Millwall.

On the day of the rubber boots game at Hackney Marshes, I met the founder of Save Our Grassroots, Paul Goodenough. Paul believes that MPs have the power to take charge and hold those damaging our environment to account – we just need to put pressure on them. He recognized that football and wildlife are being impacted in similar ways by the same issue, so it’s high time that the two unite to create a voice that any politician will have to take notice of.

Climate change means more flooding and extreme weather, which is bad news for sports. Photo: Sandra Mickiewicz

The campaign has already attracted high-profile support (see sidebar) – we even had Arsenal legend Paul Merson coaching us from the sidelines.

We owe this to the kids

When I began writing this, it was coming as much from my love of wildlife as from my love of football. But I’ve realized it’s really the football hat I need to have on. After all, everyone knows that wildlife people value green space and care about the state of the climate and weather patterns. We go on about it all the time. But did we really appreciate how closely affected football is by this?

At the age of 31, I’ve coached hundreds of kids over several years. I want to have children of my own before long. I would hate to think that when my daughter asks me why she can’t go outside and play football, that I’ll say, “because I didn’t hold leaders to account”. Engaging with what’s going on in the environment is key to keeping our game alive for all to cherish.

Lace your boots up, support Save Our Grassroots and hold your representatives to account, for the love of our beautiful planet and our beautiful game.

Save Our Grassroots: The campaign

England football legends Gary Lineker and Paul Merson, cricketer Joe Cooke and Olympic rower Helen Glover all have vivid memories of the grassroots venues where they got started in sports. And they’ve all thrown their weight behind a campaign to help protect those places from flooding. Save Our Grassroots draws attention to the risks of weather disruption due to climate change. It urges people to contact their representatives, demanding action on climate to help keep sports grounds in good shape.