England has enough football pitches to cover the Isle of Wight - 45,000.

And if you were to put the white lines on those pitches end to end they would to stretch to Australia.

Bradford has its fair share of grounds - 1,618 - but it is the state of many of them that upsets players and club officials alike.

There are huge problems with drainage and lack of changing rooms.

Publicity officer for the West Riding County Amateur League, Phillip Rhodes, is scathing about the state of some of the area's pitches.

"Bowling Park should be condemned," he said. "Northcliffe Playing Fields are hell to play on, the Apperley Bridge pitches are over-used and the pitches at Marley in Keighley are always flooding."

"We know the money is there - it is meeting the criteria that is the problem.

"Next month, a spokesman from the Football Foundation is coming to talk to us to tell us what is available.

"Two or three clubs in the County Amateur League are already applying for funding."

He added: "One problem is that players often have to walk several hundred yards to pitches from the changing facilities. And most of the grounds are overused.

"The Football Foundation has the money - the problem is getting hold of it."

The Football Foundation, Britain's largest sports charity with a £53m annual budget, is highlighting the problems in a nation-wide survey and pleading for local councils and organisations to apply for grants to improve the situation.

Last year, the Foundation gave out £4m for a whole host of football initiatives throughout the country, including £135,000 for Nacro Leeds and £165,000 for a floodlit pitch at Huddersfield New College.

One Bradford soccer club has applied for £750,000 and is keeping its fingers crossed. The club does not want to go public until a decision has been made.

"It's important that Bradford gets its fair share of money. Grants are available," said Simon Taylor, communications officer at the Foundation.

"Ninety per cent of grass-roots footballers know the problems in their areas - and they would agree with our findings.

"Bradford Council should read our findings. They should be coming to us. Grants are available.

"Drainage is a problem in Bradford. And there is a lack of female changing facilities. There are hardly any five-a-side pitches and few floodlights."

The survey says there are 868 football sites in the Bradford area. Forty three per cent of them have no changing rooms. Only three per cent have female changing facilities.

David Talbot, Bradford Council's Head of Parks and Landscapes, said: "The Council has been working with the Football Foundation to help produce this study.

"We are hopeful that now this audit has been carried out we can continue to work with the Foundation to identify where the priorities for work are and get more funding to make improvements."