top of page
Search

As drought disrupts fixtures - how can clubs respond?

After weeks of little rain, the UK may finally see some relief this week, but the damage from this summer's drought is already being felt across grassroots sport. A drought was declared across half of England last month, with many water companies imposing hosepipe bans.



As the Guardian reported in early August, record-breaking heat has forced a football league to delay the start of its season because pitches have become "rock hard" and dangerous to play on. The Anglian Combination League, which covers 85 amateur clubs across Norfolk and Suffolk, was due to start in early August, however after an urgent board meeting, it postponed the season until the end of August, since most clubs' pitches were deemed too dry to play on safely. Several pre-season friendlies were cancelled altogether, and matches that did go ahead reportedly led to a number of injuries.


The decision follows a run of record-breaking heatwaves and one of the driest periods on record. May and June both brought record temperatures, and July was the driest month since records began.


Football isn't the only sport affected. The BBC reported that the Rugby Football Union has also delayed the start of the community rugby season over player welfare and pitch safety concerns. Officials say 71.3%* of England is currently in drought, and the country has recorded its driest July since records began in 1836. The RFU has reminded clubs of existing guidance on managing pitches in drought conditions and carrying out risk assessments before play. Many grounds are currently unsuitable for safe full-contact sport, and with no significant rain forecast before the community season is due to start on 5 September, conditions may not improve much before then.*National Drought Group


Why is drought getting worse?


Drought is a natural weather phenomenon, made more likely by patterns like La Niña. But there's clear evidence that dry spells wouldn't be this severe without human-driven climate change. This summer hasn't been dry throughout, some periods and areas saw patches of above-average rainfall. The problem has largely been timing and distribution, with persistent weather patterns keeping rain away from the areas that needed it most. England and Wales have now recorded their driest July on record, with parts of southern England seeing their driest month since records began in 1836.


Heat has made things worse. Rising temperatures, driven by greenhouse gases, speed up evaporation from soil and rivers. As the ground dries out, there's less moisture to cool the air, so heat builds up further, a feedback loop that deepens both the heat and the drought. The result: drought conditions now cover the whole of Wales and around half of England.


What can be done about it?


Cutting greenhouse gas emissions is still essential to limiting future warming, but adapting to the change already under way is becoming just as important. Many of the best solutions also bring wider benefits, expanding tree cover and shaded public spaces, for example, helps people gather and cool down outdoors while also capturing carbon.


Sports clubs have their own part to play too. Sport England has put together practical guidance to help clubs manage water and their pitches during drought conditions.


Here's what they recommend…


Minimise stress on the grass

  • Restrict access to key pitches, hold off on fertiliser and pesticide, and limit machinery use to essentials.

  • Accept some loss is inevitable. Outfields may brown off but usually recover once rain returns, so focus your care on the square and other high-value areas.

  • Expect wear areas to develop. Try to minimise this, but leave major renovation until autumn or winter, when rain is more likely.

  • Plan ahead for hard, dry pitches, which can affect fixtures, especially in contact sports.

  • Make the most of any rain: let it soak in rather than aerating (aeration speeds up drying), and roll pitches once the rain stops.

  • Use germination sheets on seeded areas to retain moisture.

  • Fit water butts to downpipes, with overflow diverters, to capture roof runoff.

  • Use covers to shade turf and, where possible, to harvest water.


Irrigation

  • Water only where it's needed, and hand-water to avoid runoff.

  • Irrigate in the evening or overnight as daytime watering can lose up to half the water to evaporation.

  • Water deeply but less often. This helps water reach deeper into the soil and encourages stronger roots.

  • Keep irrigation equipment well serviced. Check for leaks, blockages, and sprinklers that move freely. Never leave a static sprinkler unattended.

  • If water is scarce, focus on keeping one or two pitches well-watered rather than spreading it thinly.


Your facilities

  • Fix leaks, turn off unused taps, and keep showers short.

  • Consider longer-term investments like rainwater harvesting, a borehole, or water-efficient equipment.


Player safety

  • Assess pitch hardness regularly, just as you would for waterlogged or frozen ground, and postpone or cancel fixtures where injury risk is too high.

  • Review how the drought was managed and consider what could be done differently next time.





Sources

bottom of page