Axminster's chairman has revealed his biggest challenge in running a football club.

Andy Hurford revealed finance was his biggest hurdle following a recent report by football equipment retailer FORZA revealing the barriers faced by 6,000 football participants from level six and below.

The 2024 Grassroots Report, which included participants from National League North and South across England and Wales, saw lack of funding emerge as the key issue, with effects on equipment maintenance, winter training costs, poor weather impacting matches and club finance being stretched to breaking point because of 3G hire for match days.

Mr Hurford said: "Finance is the biggest challenge, obtaining enough income throughout the year to keep the club running.

"Winter training is a massive cost to the club, there should be more help in obtaining grants for all-weather training pitches for clubs of a certain size.

"Another challenge is to keep players and members interested when the matches have been regularly postponed.

"Also, extra 3G hire for match days has stretched the club finances to breaking point."

Other major findings in the report indicate that seven in 10 clubs feel insufficiently funded.

A steep 81 per cent of clubs renting pitches reported price increases of at least five per cent.

Adverse weather was named as the biggest threat to match cancellations, affecting a whopping 92 per cent of clubs.

A spokesperson for the FA said: "The FA recognise the challenges faced by grassroots leagues and clubs across the country following this season's exceptional weather conditions.

"Our focus and ambition across grassroots football in England is to transform grass pitch quality and deliver further 3G pitches to improve player experience and ensure that more games are played as originally scheduled."

Further statistics revealed that more than half (53 per cent) of the surveyed clubs rent their pitches, and 29 per cent indicated that their rent had increased by at least 16 per cent this season.

The full report can be viewed at https://blog.networldsports.co.uk/grassroots-report/.