Shrewsbury football club scores big in national competition
A Shrewsbury grassroots football club, Saha FC, is reaping the benefits from new line painting equipment after being identified as one of 50 clubs across the country in most need of support.
Thanks to Specsavers’ Best Worst Pitch initiative, which is backed by Gary Neville, the club has now received professional line-marking equipment, GPS pitch mapping technology and expert maintenance training to make their playing facilities visible once again.
Saha FC, which has 47 teams and plays at 12 different locations, impressed Specsavers with its unwavering commitment and community spirit, despite facing significant challenges in maintaining pitch quality across their multiple sites.
As a result, Saha FC, along with 49 other clubs from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, will now benefit from the campaign which aims to tackle one of the most pressing issues facing grassroots football in the UK – poor pitch conditions.
With local councils stretched for funding, the responsibility for maintaining club pitches increasingly falls on dedicated volunteers from the grassroots football community, often using outdated or inadequate equipment.
Lee Dowley-Smith, who performs a number of roles at Saha FC, including vice-chairman, says: "This is absolutely massive for us. To be selected as one of 50 clubs from across the entire UK is just fantastic. The new equipment is already making a huge difference and when I used it recently, it took me just ten minutes to do a job that would previously have taken up to half a day. Everyone involved in the club is a volunteer, so that was a big ask and hugely time consuming. It’s going to make a transformational difference to our club and the footballers we serve. We’ll be keeping it at our site in Condover but anyone at the club can use it when they want."
The Best Worst Pitch initiative was launched by Specsavers in partnership with Manchester United and England legend Gary Neville. It builds on the brand's long-standing commitment to grassroots football through its Best Worst Team campaign.
Over the past four seasons, Specsavers has documented the journeys of struggling grassroots teams like Somerset's Tunley Athletic and Brentwood's Warley FC, highlighting real challenges faced in local footballing communities while providing elite-level support including coaching from football legends and expert eye and hearing care.
Neil Liddle, brand partnerships and sponsorships lead at Specsavers, says: "Since we have been 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. Clubs like Saha FC, who quietly put in the hard work behind the scenes to keep pitches playable, embody what grassroots football is all about. This initiative means we can support more clubs and communities across the UK. By making faded lines more visible, we're helping players see the beautiful game more clearly."
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.
For Saha FC, whose 52 teams start from U6s all the way up to senior level, the improved pitch markings will provide a significant boost to match-day experiences for players, coaches, and officials alike.
To learn more about the Best Worst Pitch initiative, head over to Specsavers’ social pages.
