Coaches have expressed fear for the future of football in Wales as heavy rain causes a string of cancellations for local youth leagues.

Eight Saturdays have been cancelled this season across the Aberystwyth Junior League due to weather, with players dropping out as a result.

Players at the waterlogged Blaendolau Playing Fields described the ball getting “stuck” in mud, making play impossible - the under-13s now haven’t played in five consecutive weeks.

The waterlogged pitch at Blaendolau Playing Fields.
The waterlogged pitch at Blaendolau Playing Fields in Aberystwyth. (Deb Luxon)

Darren Thomas, head coach for the under-14s, said: “It’s very frustrating, we should’ve finished in early February and have four games still to play.

“More games get cancelled, kids lose interest.

“This year has been terrible, my average has gone from 16-18 to 12-14 players a session.”

Aberystwyth’s astroturf pitches are heavily oversubscribed with adult teams taking priority, meaning most of the junior league plays their matches on the river and stream-adjacent fields at Blaendolau and Penweddig School.

These photos were shared after matches were cancelled this season at Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig School.
These photos were shared after matches were cancelled this season at Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig School. (Aberystwyth Junior League)

Tom Robson grew up playing in Aberystwyth and now coaches the under-13s: “As a kid, it was never this bad. It flooded once or twice, but this type of rain I’ve not seen before.”

One in five matches is now cancelled every season in Wales due to increasing rainfall and flooding.

Aberystwyth Junior League supports play for 750 young people, with cancellations affecting teams from Tywyn to Tregaron.

League chair Russell Hughes-Pickering says they do all they can for the teams who can “catch up in spring”, but “we can’t change the weather” - eight Saturdays were also cancelled last year due to weather conditions.

The players, meanwhile, are becoming “visibly upset” by the cancellations.

Jonas, 13, said his friends have stopped playing football because it's "too rainy for football in this area".
Jonas, 13, said his friends have stopped playing football because it's "too rainy for football in this area". (Deb Luxon)

Thirteen-year-old Jonas is one of many who join with aspirations of going further in the sport: “The weather’s been bad before, but this season has been horrible.

“It just brings the mood down because we always look forward to playing, seeing other teams, seeing our friends. It lets our hopes down.”

Robson said matches are the only time his teams play on a full-sized pitch: “We’ve got some children with separate parents who plan handovers at matches, some teams travel over an hour away - [the cancellations] create a growing nervousness. It’s a lot harder to keep track of how they’re developing; you can’t replicate the intensity of a game in training.”

He described this season as an “eye-opener” for the changing weather patterns: “If the rain continues to increase, then it won’t just impact west Wales; there are lots of rural places that don’t have all-weather facilities. We’ll struggle to develop the quality that Welsh football needs. I am quite worried.”

Tom Robson, under-13s coach.
Tom Robson, under-13s coach. (Deb Luxon)

Thomas said it feels like “more games are cancelled than ever before”: “My boys go all over Wales to play, they’re all on all-weather pitches. It feels like Ceredigion is the worst for accessible pitches.”

The season began wet - in November, rural communities flooded, and Storm Claudia brought 159 per cent of the average rainfall.

In January, Wales saw 113 per cent average rainfall, with Storm Goretti bringing ice and snow.

According to the Met Office, one third of grassroots pitches lose six to eight weeks a year from flooding due to severe weather linked to climate change, and predict one quarter of football grounds will be underwater by 2050.

Parent, Sarah Jenkinson, suggests pushing back the season to give kids a better chance of playing.
Parent, Sarah Jenkinson, suggests pushing back the season to give kids a better chance of playing. (Sarah Jenkinson)

Concerned parent Sarah Jenkinson said the games don’t just keep the kids happy: “It’s heartbreaking seeing the kids disappointed week after week.

“Living rurally in the Dyfi Valley, when we get out, we connect with each other. Parents and children come away feeling better about the weekend ahead.”

The league involves an incredible cross-community effort with 130 volunteers making play possible for young people.

The coordinators do the mammoth task of organising matches across five age groups between teams across the region, the coaches do all they can to keep the motivation in their teams, whilst parents support from home, the sidelines and with the mum and dad taxi service.

Under-13s team captain Morgan said cancelled matchdays are "rubbish and boring" with nothing else to do.
Under-13s team captain Morgan said cancelled matchdays are "rubbish and boring" with nothing else to do. (Deb Luxon)

Morgan, captain of his under-13s team, said being part of the team doesn’t just give them friendship and technical skills, but “discipline” too.

Under-13s winger Bowen said he likes playing for the “nice community” that surrounds him and his teammates, but said the cancellations “slow everything down”: “It’s a new feeling again, so your confidence is lower.”

Jenkinson added that “everyone works really hard” to take care of the fields and support young people, but it currently feels like “a losing battle” against rain: “If wetter, more extreme winters are becoming the norm, we should consider moving the season into early spring - it would be the cheaper, easier option, and might mean children actually get to play.”

In spite of the last few years of cancellations, Hughes-Pickering said that access to all-weather pitches has actually improved in recent years, gaining access to Aberystwyth Town Football Club and Plascrug Leisure Centre opening a pitch in 2024.

Bowen, 13, suggested better drainage as a solution to the Rheidol-adjacent Blaendolau Playing Fields.
Bowen, 13, suggested better drainage as a solution to the Rheidol-adjacent Blaendolau Playing Fields. (Deb Luxon)

Instead, Hughes-Pickering called for investment to upgrade facilities in rural clubs like Penrhyncoch and Llanilar so they can host games.

Aberystwyth University, which owns Blaendolau Playing Fields, said it was one of many facilities impacted by the heavy rainfall and was proud to have supported the junior league for over 30 years.

A spokesperson said: “Our staff work very hard to avoid cancellations by preparing the pitches thoroughly; rotating their use, spiking, and sanding the ground.”

Though cancellations haven’t been above average this season, the recent weather has “inevitably had an impact”.

Goals sitting on the sidelines during a rainy February Saturday on Blaendolau Playing Fields.
Goals sitting on the sidelines during a rainy February Saturday on Blaendolau Playing Fields. (Deb Luxon)

Whilst all-weather pitches are out of budget for many clubs, which also rely on regular fixtures for income to keep afloat, the Football Association of Wales (FAW) are responding to the community's call for action.

Eighteen months ago, a “game-changing” Grounds Management Association initiative funded by FAW launched to transform grass pitches, so far supporting the improvement of over 200 playing surfaces after finding only 20 per cent were rated “good” or above.

Cymru Football Foundation (CFF), FAW’s charitable arm, invested £840,000 in the last three years in Ceredigion alone, and is currently working with local authorities to plan for future needs, “directly supporting access to quality football facilities where they’re needed most”.