Gary Neville launches mission to improve the UK's worst pitches

South Wales Argus

5 hours ago

Former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville has launched a Best Worst Pitch Initiative to breathe new life into underfunded grassroots football pitches.
The Best Worst Pitch initiative will provide line painting and pitch maintenance equipment, as well as maintenance training to 50 UK grassroots clubs.
Specsavers has partnered with Man United and England legend to launch the Best Worst Pitch initiative.
Open to clubs across the UK, the initiative will provide teams who are most in need with professional line painting equipment and GPS pitch mapping, pitch maintenance equipment, as well as maintenance training to help them maintain their pitches through the next season and beyond.
Clear and accurate line markings are vital not just for ensuring structure and fairness in the game, but also for helping players and officials navigate the pitch-enhancing visibility, spatial awareness, and overall safety throughout play.
Gary Neville added: " Anyone who has played football at one point or another has played on a dodgy pitch. Grassroots football is the foundation of our sport and it's great to be a part of the Best Worst Pitch initiative supporting the communities and volunteers who make it possible.'
The announcement comes as UK football governing bodies have recently highlighted that maintaining grassroots pitches across the UK is one of the main issues facing the sport.
With councils stretched for funding, the responsibility for maintaining club pitches, often falls on dedicated members of the grassroots football community.
It's a challenge Specsavers has seen up close, having documented the journey of grassroots teams through the Best Worst Team campaign—highlighting the real struggles faced at pitch level and further underlining the brand's long-standing commitment to supporting the grassroots football community.
Speaking about the struggles of Pitch maintenance, Chairman of current Specsavers Best Worst Team, Tunley Athletic, Craig Doughty said:
'It's a real slog sometimes - every week, rain or shine, I'm out there doing two full laps of the pitch just to get the lines marked.
'The equipment we've got is ancient—it clogs, it leaks, and it takes twice as long as it should. On dark evenings or when the wind's howling, it feels like it takes forever. But I do it because I love this club—it means everything to the community.'
Alongside providing equipment, Specsavers is also offering training and education to the selected clubs—aiming to tackle some of the long-term challenges faced by grassroots teams and the volunteers who maintain their pitches.
The goal is to improve the quality and longevity of these pitches, ensuring local communities can continue to enjoy them for many matches to come.
Kim Bull, PR and Social Lead, commented: 'Over the last two seasons supporting clubs that need a bit of help with their eyes and ears, as well as their game, we've noticed the effort that goes into keeping grassroots clubs running. People like Craig, who quietly put in the hard work behind the scenes to keep pitches playable, is what grassroots football is all about. This initiative means we can support more clubs and communities, like Tunley. By making faded lines more visible, we're helping players see the beautiful game more clearly. And hopefully make fewer mistakes!'