Rain Stops Play - How Storm Eunice Affected Grassroots Football
Football in the UK was devastated in the past fortnight as three extreme weather events struck in the space of just six days. As tens of thousands of homes lost electricity and transport across the country was ground to a halt by Storm Dudley, Storm Eunice and Storm Franklin in quick succession, grassroots football institutions also suffered widespread damage from gale-force winds and flooding.
The impact was extensive across the football pyramid, causing seismic levels of economic disruption, as well as causing a long list of cancelled matches, adding another layer of complication to a schedule already muddled with Covid postponements.
These extreme weather events have been linked to climate change in the past. Recent studies have shown that Storm Desmond, which hit Cumbria in 2015, was 59% more likely to occur because of climate change.
Shrewsbury Town FC showed their followers what the excessive rain had done to their pitch at the aptly named Montgomery Waters Meadow:
Playing in the 8th level of the English football pyramid - Northern Premier League Division One Midlands - Belper Town FC are based in Derbyshire where the River Derwent burst its banks and flooded the surrounding area. Take a look at their ground Christchurch Meadow after the storm:
Understandably their home game the next day was canceled but the fans rallied around their club to help with a big clean up, and incredibly they were able to play their tie with Spalding United on Saturday 26th Feb just 5 days after the flooding pictured above. What a fanbase!
Bedfordshire based Barton Rovers FC also play in the 8th tier of English football, the Southern League Division One Central. Thankfully some parts of the stadium managed to avoid damage:
Moving up to the 7th level of English football, Basford United FC play in the Northern Premier League Premier Division just outside of Nottingham. Their chairman Chris Munroe has said they’ve sustained around £10,000 worth of damage, and he got stuck in straight away with the repair work:
In the Northern Premier League Division One East, Tadcaster Albion up in Yorkshire have been hit by the floods for the sixth time in the last two years. The Brewers are unsure their ground will have recovered even by this weekend’s fixture. Here’s what one fan volunteer had to say:
How you can help
Tadcaster Albion are seeking £4,999 to help fix up their ground, the Global Stadium, where Leeds United Women F.C. also play their home matches. Donate to support them here if you can.
Shoreham FC received damage throughout their ground in the recent storms. They’re asking fans to help with the repairs, and their fundraising page is well on the way to their target of £1,200. Donate to support them here if you can.
Staying on the south coast, Pagham FC saw their main stand collapse from the gale force winds, and they’re around two thirds of the way towards the £3,000 they’re seeking from fans to build a new one. Donate to support them here if you can.
Over in Hertfordshire, Potters Bar Town FC are past half way in their fundraising goal of £4,000 to repair and re-install their stand which was completely blown over by Storm Eunice. Donate to support them here if you can.
The costs of the storm for these 5 clubs already exceeds £12,000. These extreme weather events are becoming more common as carbon emissions increase, and the threat to the beautiful game is becoming paramount. Football is not separate from the rest of society in this fact.
Impact on the Beautiful Game
The whole pyramid of English football is incredibly vital to the health of the beautiful game in England. Players have emerged from obscurity in the pyramid to eventually feature for the national team. For example, alongside the previously mentioned Tadcaster Albion in the Northern Premier League Division One East, you’ll find Stocksbridge Park Steels F.C. where one Jamie Vardy began his senior career.
Another team in crisis after the recent storms, Basford United are in the Northern Premier League Premier Division alongside Stalybridge Celtic F.C. where Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored 6 goals while he was on loan in 2014-15.
Whilst these events may affect players careers, they also highlight the need for greater protections, guidance, and support for our clubs.
As football reels from another round of destructive events, there are few structures in place to help clubs affected by damage. The Football Foundation is offering “grants of up to £10,000 available for emergency repairs, clean up and replacement of facilities damaged” by the storms. Grants of up to £25,000 may be awarded in exceptional circumstances. These are significant outlays in response to a climate event.
Moving forward however, there is little policy in place to mitigate the coming future damage that will be done to clubs across the country. The government announced a £50million package for grassroots football last year that made no mention of environmental protections for the game. The scientific community agrees that these weather events will only become increasingly destructive and occur more frequently as climate change continues to become more severe. We need urgent action across the beautiful game to mitigate the worst affects of climate change.
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Football For Future is building a more environmentally sustainable culture in English football. Follow us for more reporting on how the changing climate will impact our sport.