Dog poo, quad bikes and a North-South divide: The start of the real football season
Briefly

Grassroots clubs in Yorkshire face significant challenges, including a lack of access to youth football pitches and rising costs for parents. Martin Windle, a coach with nearly 40 years of experience at Ecclesall Rangers, reports that funding for sport has declined and that many clubs cannot secure playing space for youth teams. Windle's experiences highlight the need for government intervention and more resources for smaller clubs. Despite some grants, he remains skeptical about the actual support reaching grassroots initiatives after many years of coaching.
During his long tenure as coach, Martin Windle has seen a rise in the number of poo bags collected, showing the challenges of managing pitches for youth football. However, he emphasizes that many grassroots clubs struggle to find available and suitable spaces for youth teams, highlighting a significant issue in access for young players.
Martin Windle underscores the financial strain on parents who support their children in football, stressing that costs continue to increase while funding for grassroots sports has diminished over the years. Despite claims about money reaching grassroots levels, Windle has not observed these improvements throughout his extensive coaching career.
Read at www.bbc.com
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