Battling the elements: The unsung heroes behind football’s winter games

dog in close up photography

Football is one of the most interesting games that spectators can witness during rainy days or snowy days. In Europe, games are played in all weather, and a large portion of the season, takes place in winter. In the top five leagues of the game in the UK, we witnessed many times fixtures playing in snow or rain.

One of the recent clashes of The Dale was washed out following heavy rain in Rochdale, Manchester. They were up against Southend United in the National League. Due to extreme rain, the field was not perfect for play, although the rain had stopped, and the pitch was planned to uncover at 3pm.


The referee did not allow the game to go ahead. This created a big gap for Rochdale AFC matches from September 13 to September 23, 2025. Many fans were furious, but nature wasn’t to be moved.

Read more: https://mancsport.com/2025/09/25/rochdale-extend-winning-streak-to-five-with-dominant-crown-oil-arena-display/


Over the years, due to extreme weather, many matches were postponed, like Manchester City vs. West Ham United (Premier League, Feb 2014) and Manchester United vs. Bournemouth (Premier League, May 2016).
On the other side of the coin, we had many matches played despite extreme weather, one of the examples being Manchester City vs. West Ham United (Etihad Stadium, Nov 2021). Here, people attended to witness one of the crucial games of the Premier League despite the poor weather.

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In winter, groundskeepers can spend hours clearing the snow on the pitch. Even during halftime, when fans are enjoying their snacks, staff can be fighting a hard battle against the weather.

It was bad luck for fans that they did not have Rochdale AFC vs. Southend United on September 19.


Got a story? Email us at editor@mancsport.com

For more Rochdale AFC news, click here.

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