Campaigners are calling for greater support for clubs adapting to changing weather conditions.
Round Our Way co-founder Roger Harding said: “Clubs shouldn’t be left to navigate this alone, with some having to find thousands of pounds to make pitches playable.
“Government and sports bodies need to come together and develop an easy-to-navigate support system so clubs can get the advice and funding they need.”
Harding said the inequality across elite and grassroots teams meant that local clubs were suffering.
“It is a good moment to ask whether enough money is flowing down from elite levels to help pay for this, especially with Premier League clubs harnessing the technology that makes them more inoculated from weather extremes,” he said.
Adaptations could be made by clubs to lower the risks for players, but these come at a cost, according to Stringer.
“Players may need to adapt their footwear, making sure they are wearing boots suitable for harder ground, with shorter studs,” she said.
“Using machines that mechanically de-compact the soil, and making sure the turf comprises more drought-resistant grass cultivars can also help.
“It’s tricky though as some of these adaptations require re-engineering the pitch altogether, and then of course, the costs rise.”
Salter said that governing bodies could subsidise a switch to artificial pitches, designed with rubber or cork surfaces to absorb shock.
“Artificial pictures do get warm but it doesn’t affect the interaction with the ground in terms of the shock absorption,” he said.
“It’s about increasing accessibility to those facilities for teams who can’t afford these adaptations.”
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has been contacted for comment.