Soccer & Society

The Lifeblood of the Game and Communities - Research into Grassroots and Community Football

Grassroots association football holds significant social and economic value worldwide. Globally, approximately 270 million individuals play out their leisure time in this setting, while, in England alone, over one million people volunteer, culminating in an environment which can produce a sense of belonging and community for all those concerned. It is an area that additionally sees players, coaches, and officials introduced to the game and developed within, feeding the elite level through this talent pool. For this, amongst other reasons, grassroots football is, for many, argued as the lifeblood of the game and of communities. 

Yet despite this sentimentalised view, a wave of broad-reaching issues continues to add to the mounting pressure on grassroots football, affecting its sustainability and growth. Strains on finance due to rising costs and cost-of-living; concerns surrounding human resources given increased volunteer burn-out; cases of aggressive behaviour putting at risk the safety and well-being of coaches, officials, players, and spectators; and the effect of climate change through adverse weather conditions that lead to cancellation of fixtures are but a few difficulties that pose a threat to the setting's existence. Indeed, the landscape is one of constant flux, contriving those who love the game being required to stay on top or ahead of such changes to ensure grassroots sport (and grassroots football) survives. This consequently means academia must do the same and stay abreast of current and future challenges in grassroots football. This special issue thus serves to act as a catalyst to not just place grassroots football under the academic microscope - something Jimmy O’Gorman calls for - but also present strategies to navigate the ever-changing challenges it faces, and ultimately ensure a future for what is the lifeblood of the sport. 

To do so, this special issue seeks to explore the diverse set of contemporary challenges grassroots and community football faces amid technological, social, economic, governance, political, and cultural developments and shifts. We therefore encourage and advocate for inter-disciplinary research that is informed through scholarly (and practitioner) collaborations, and welcome submissions from across the globe and those at all stages of their career including early career researchers. All methodological approaches (including conceptual papers) that advance research and can contribute to practice and ultimately allow to create a better grassroots football environment for future generations will be considered. 

Empirical research related to but not restricted to may include the following topics:

• Player development and game formats
• Inclusion, diversity, equity, and marginalised communities
• Infrastructure and facility access
• Technological innovation and integration and use of artificial intelligence
• Mental health and wellbeing
• Referring and officiating
• Match-fixing
• Law
• Volunteering and human resources
• Criminal activity and interference
• Economics and financial sustainability
• Governance
• Environmental sustainability and climate change
• (Social) media
• Marketing
• Politics and government
• Society and local community
• Events 
• Comparative studies of grassroots football across countries and continents