March Matches

Much of the focus in March will be on Non-League Day 2025 and the many great admission offers and promotions will be in place on Saturday 22nd. Head over to the NLD website for more information and a match finder.

Here's some more games that may be of interest.

Sunday 2nd: A double-header of FAW Youth Cup semi-finals at Park Avenue in Aberystwyth with admission £2 for adults and free for concessions. 

Monday 3rd: Monday night football for a fiver in the National League South when Aveley FC host Salisbury.

Tuesday 4th: National League football for £3 at Eastleigh FC. Buy in advance for their home game with Ebbsfleet United.

Saturday 8th: Reading YMCA vs AFC Winkfield in collaboration with the excellent Football in Berkshire website, who have chosen it as their first 'Hitting the Road' event. Admission to the Thames Valley Premier League game is free but a limited edition programme is available now, priced at £3.

Saturday 8th: Football for a Fiver at National League high-fliers Barnet when they entertain Dagenham & Redbridge at The Hive, concessions £2 and kids £1.

Friday 14th: Walsall Women vs Lichfield City at the Bescot Stadium (7.30pm). Tickets £5/£1 available online and on the evening.

Saturday 15th: Free admission at Redditch United for the home game against Bedford Town as well as a host of family-friendly activities going on.

Saturday 15th: Daggers Celebrate Diversity Day at Dagenham & Redbridge FC when Tamworth visit in the National League. Advance terrace tickets are priced at £2.50 adults and 50p for concessions.

Wednesday 19th: Inter-Services Football at Fratton Park as the Royal Navy take on the RAF. Tickets are free via this link.

Saturday 22nd: Hibernian vs Rangers in the final of the SWPL Cup at Fir Park, Motherwell. Tickets are on sale for the game, priced at £10 adults, £4 concessions and £25 for a family (2 adults, 2 children) and fans of all clubs and women's football in general are encouraged to attend. 

Last Word

I've written a few pieces on Goodison Park recently, highlighted some matches in the FA Youth Cup and WSL that hopefully will have given a few more people a chance to watch a game at the famous old ground.

The clock really is ticking now with only a handful of fixtures to come and memories to be made, like those in a wonderful article by Alexandra Topping in the Guardian this week. 

There is, of course, the final Merseyside derby at Goodison this week but there is also the reverse WSL fixture at Anfield on Sunday May 4.

An early-bird ticket offer is in place until 2pm on February 18 which sees adult tickets priced at £8 and juniors £2.50.

Lisbon Anyone?

Friday saw the quarter-final draw for this season's UEFA Women's Champions League take place, Manchester City and Chelsea being paired together while Arsenal meet Real Madrid.

Wolfsburg, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Lyon make up a heavyweight last eight with all of the teams eyeing the final which takes place in Lisbon on Saturday 24 May.

Tickets for that game, at the home of Sporting, will be available in a ballot (application period 20 to 26 February) with Category 3 prices just €10.

Fir's Fair

Fir Park, home of Motherwell FC, will host this season's Scottish Women's Premier League Cup final (currently known as the Sky Sports Cup) with Hibernian and Rangers meeting on Saturday 22 March at 3pm.

Tickets are on sale for the game, priced at £10 adults, £4 concessions and £25 for a family (2 adults, 2 children) and fans of all clubs and women's football in general are encouraged to attend. 

Before then, Scotland Women host the Netherlands at Hampden Park in a Nations League fixture on Tuesday 25 February at 7.30pm.

Tickets are £10 for adults and seniors with kids going free.

Bouncing Bescot

Good times at Walsall as the Saddlers are racing clear at the top of League Two on the back of nine consecutive league victories.

The February game against Gillingham on the 11th has been designated as Tenner Tuesday with tickets priced at £10 for adults, £5 for concessions and £1 for under-12's.

Also at the Bescot Stadium next month, England Women's U23s take on Germany on Thursday 20th (7.30pm) for which tickets are £5/£3 and £1.

Early For England

I was mulling over an article on prices to watch England at Wembley when I noticed, via the England Football website that an early-bird offer has been put in place for the second of March's Wembley World Cup qualifier, the game against Latvia on Monday 24th.

Tickets, which go on general sale on 28 January, are now priced at £40/£30 for adults (with a £10 discount for concessions available) and £20/£10 for adults and under 16's in the family enclosure section which, looking at the ticket map will be available in around half of the Level 5 area of Wembley.

Given that England host Albania on the Friday before, it is a wise move from the FA as a Monday night in term time against Latvia is a difficult sell.

I don't think it changes the case for such a game to have been played at a different stadium, in another part of the country, and it doesn't change the practicaility or cost of getting to and from Wembley if you live more than a certain distance away, but is worth highlighting as an offer.

Updated 21 January: England Women's U23's have two matches lined up in February, against Germany on the 20th at Walsall FC and against France on the 25th at Stevenage FC. Tickets for each game are priced at £5 adults, £3 concessions and £1 for under 12's.

Red(ditch) Monday

This coming Monday, 20th January, is considered to be the 'bluest' day of the year, as Christmas recedes from memory, but if you fancy getting out to a game then there is football for a fiver at Redditch United when they host Leamington in the third round of the Birmingham Senior Cup with under 13's admission being free.

There are also a couple of Premier League International Cup matches at main stadiums next week.

Reading host Valencia on Tuesday 21st, tickets priced from £1-£4 and the following evening it is Sunderland versus Benfica at 7pm, tickets for non-season ticket holders costing £3/£1.

Not Many More Goodison Nights

Nearly 39,000 were in attendance at Goodison Park on a freezing Thursday night, watching Everton eventually see off Peterborough United in the FA Cup and also taking one of the dwindling chances to take in a game under the lights at the famous old stadium.

James Nalton had a nice piece on Goodison in Friday's Morning Star and there is a good chance to take in the surroundings on Tuesday 21 January when Everton U18s take on Wolves in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup.

Admission to the game is priced at £5 adults and £3 for concessions, cash on the turnstiles as well!

Before then, Stoke City are offering free entry to their FA Youth Cup fixture against West Brom this coming Tuesday, 14 January, at 7pm.