this photo project is a celebration of the beautiful game of football, but it also serves to highlight its issues and as such functions as a reminder to not take the sport for granted. having grown up in manchester I have been surrounded by football culture my entire life, and whilst the city is synonymous with two globally recognised clubs it is grassroots football that interests me most in my own photography; as without it, none of the multibillion clubs and brands would exist. it is the foundation for the game, the foot of the pyramid on which football stands. throughout the length and breadth of the UK, publicly owned local council run football pitches are at the heart of grassroots football. without them there would be no amateur football, no sunday league, kids would only be able to play at schools which are lucky enough to have their own facilities. the game would be diminished and the future of the sport, both amateur and professional, would be in serious jeopardy. and yet, due to continued underfunding, local councils are being forced to sell off these vital assets to property developers. recent statistics from the GMB union show that between 2010 and 2024 nearly 1,000 local authority owned or operated football pitches across the UK were lost – the worst hit part being scotland, which lost a massive 271 pitches during that period closely followed by northern england and wales. Through constructed landscape photography utilising long exposures and ‘light painting’, I have chosen to illuminate the goal posts at remaining pitches across the north of england and in scotland to draw attention to these important spaces.