Glasgow outfit named as the best grassroots football club in Europe

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 8 Apr 2026 07:29 CDT
• 2 min read

News

A football club based in Glasgow has been named the top club in Europe for grassroots football for 2025/26.

Pollok United FC, founded in 2011, have been awarded by Uefa for contributions to their community and providing opportunities in football to locals.

A major reason for their award was for "transforming three disused sporting facilities in the city".

This is in reference to the Nethercraigs facility, which was forced to close due to the Covid pandemic. Pollok worked with local authorities to get the venue up and running again and, thanks to the club, 550 players now have access to the pitches and other well-being facilities.

Club manager Andy Elliot said: "It saved a critical facility in the south-west of Glasgow. The facility is absolutely in the heart of the community and we needed to open it up."

Ten thousand patrons now use the facility every weekend for football matches and other leisure activities.

Scottish FA head of community football Paul McNeill added: “We want our community clubs to anchor themselves within the community and provide other services, not just football.

“Football is the key, but we also talk about the ‘power of football’ to involve all members of the community in different ways.

Pollok United will receive around £8,700 from Uefa for winning the award. The club is noted for helping a broad spectrum of members of the community including old people, young people and asylum seekers.

The Uefa website reads: “The Uefa Grassroots Awards are presented each year to recognise community football clubs and projects across Europe that have made outstanding contributions to the game.

“Candidates are nominated by Uefa’s member national associations, with winners selected by our Development and Technical Assistance Committee following recommendations from the UEFA Grassroots Panel.

“The awards are presented in partnership with EA Sports FC and Lidl as part of our wider grassroots partnerships, supporting participation, development and positive experiences through football.

“Gold winners receive €10,000 (£8,700), with silver and bronze winners receiving €6,000 (£5,250) and €4,000 (£3,500) respectively to support their ongoing work.

“Since their launch in 2010, 157 Uefa Grassroots Awards have been presented to winners from 45 national associations.”

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