‘We’re here to stay’: Grassroots women’s team calls for equal access to community grounds | Football news

A group of grassroots women’s and non-binary football teams have launched a campaign calling for equal access to the playing field and regulation of community pitches.

Equal Playing Fields was launched in December 2024 by 30 women’s 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’s victory at Euro 2022.

East London club Enjoy FC led the campaign after having their block booking canceled mid-season.

Ellie Virgos, the founder of the club, told Sky Sports News that this is not an isolated incident, and that several clubs were affected.

“On the same day we were supposed to come and play, we were kicked out of our field without any notice and replaced with a corporate league, and we were left without a field to play on,” she said.

“We discovered that this is not an isolated incident and that this has been going on for years. There were five clubs that came forward to flag the problem.

“This is turning out to be a huge issue for women’s, non-binary, trans-inclusive clubs across the UK.

“It’s heartbreaking. This has been incredibly frustrating, incredibly sad to hear that other clubs have come forward and had the same thing happen to them. We thought this was going to be an isolated incident and it turned out not to be.”

‘Men’s football is a priority, but we are not going anywhere’

Virgos feel that for too long top-to-bottom men’s football has been the priority, 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 soccer has always been a priority at the school from a young age all the way up to the grassroots level. Right now, even at the elite level, you can see that on a day-to-day basis,” she said.

“We are calling for regulations and policies in holding organizations, national government bodies and companies to be held accountable.

“We want to make sure that private companies can’t operate unregulated and basically be allowed to do whatever they want in public places and in schools, because we’re being bullied and we’re trying to label it as a problem.”

Liz Ward, who sits on the board for Goal Diggers FC, added that it was “extremely important” that minority genders had access to the pitch, especially at a time when more women were playing football.

“We’re coming off a kind of renaissance in women’s football, aren’t we? We want more women’s teams out and about, and yet women were denied the opportunity to have some of these spaces at the time,” she said.

“So what we’re asking is that these courts that we see in our areas, in our neighborhoods, that there is equal access for the men’s and women’s teams to use the courts at the most desirable times.”

She added that playground providers need to take more responsibility and are in a position to “actually change the structure of grassroots sports.”

“I would see it as a privilege to be able to open these courts to different groups and people who have not been able to play on these courts.”

Lionesses have changed the structure of grassroots football

Sokhara Goodall, who played professionally in America and England, supports the clubs in this campaign.

She was scouted as a teenager playing grassroots football, but has noticed a change in women’s football since England won Euro 2022.

“The game has changed a lot. Back in my day, you barely got paid to play and stuff like that. It’s great to see the women’s game growing and expanding and what the Lionesses are achieving.

“And that needs to be filtered down to the core. Again, grassroots football is the heartbeat. The teams I work with are the people who keep the WSL going.

“They just love the sport so much and are so passionate about it. And we have to support them because, again, they’re a big community within women’s soccer.”

‘The root of the problem lies in the systematic lack of state investment’

Hire A Pitch and Play Five Aside are two of the largest advertising providers in the UK.

CEO Nilesh Pandit said Sky Sports News: “As an organization with deep roots in the industry since 2010, we deeply understand and empathize with the frustration surrounding unequal access to pitches.

“However, it is important that all communities recognize that many clubs, leagues and private hires have been operating for more than a decade, which has exacerbated the current challenges.

“The root of the problem lies in a systemic lack of government investment in multisport and 3G facilities across the UK, as well as inadequate funding for grass pitches.

“Increasing demand, particularly from non-binary and women’s teams who have seen a significant increase in participation over the past three years, has highlighted this gap even more.

“We strongly advocate greater investment in sports facilities and encourage the government to prioritize the creation of community-focused spaces over the continued construction of apartments and high-rises in every available location.

“Our lack of facilities is highlighted compared to other countries such as the UAE which continue to invest and nurture development.”