Twelve Games of Christmas

Twelve matches with free admission, special ticket offers or reduced prices over the coming weeks.

Stoke City are enjoying a good season to date in the Championship as Mark Robins once again demonstrates his ability to put together a good squad of players capable of playing entertaining football.

The Potters have reduced ticket prices to £12 adults and £6 concessions for the home game against Swansea City on Saturday 13th.

On the same afternoon, in League One, Cardiff City have taken 50% off ticket prices for the visit of Doncaster Rovers if purchased by midnight on the day of the game and there are reduced prices at Barnsley (£15 for adults, £10/£5 and £3 for concessions).

And on Saturday 20th it is £10 for all tickets (free for U12s) at Port Vale against Peterborough United.

Free football in the week before Christmas.

Dover Athletic host Eastbourne Borough in the National League South on Saturday 20th. Admission is free for the game but the 90 minutes on the pitch is just part of a whole afternoon of festive fun.

On a similar theme, Redditch United are opening their doors for the Southern League fixture with AFC Sudbury on the same day with fairground rides, Christmas stalls and more.

And Matlock Town are offering free admission to their game against Lincoln United in the Northern Premier League, with Santa's grotto open 12-2pm.

On Tuesday 23rd there is Kent Senior Cup action at Chatham Town. Admission is free for the tie with Bromley but with donations welcome to the Wisdom Hospice Charity.

2-for-1 at Bramall Lane

Sheffield United Women are at home to Southampton in WSL 2 on Sunday 21st (1pm kick-off) and have a 2-for-1 ticket offer in place for the game. Bramall Lane also hosts an FA Youth Cup tie between Sheffield United and Ipswich on Thursday 11th at 7pm. Free tickets can be claimed online.

#DeckTheHall

Roots Hall that is, Southend United having reduced prices for the FA Trophy tie with Truro City to £10 on Saturday 13th, the Shrimpers only December home game before Christmas.

Also on Saturday 13th, prices have been reduced at Eastbourne Borough for their National League South clash against Chelmsford City with all adult and concession tickets costing £5.

Week Ahead - 1st December

Monday night sees international football at the Wham Stadium in Accrington, England's Women's U23s against the USA in a 7pm kick-off. Tickets are priced at £5 for adults, £3 for concessions and £1 for under-12's.

Goodison Park hosts Everton U21s against Real Madrid on Wednesday 3rd at 7pm. Tickets are £5 for adults and £3 for juniors.

On the same evening there is Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup action at Hillsborough as an Owls XI take on Stocksbridge Park Steels. Admission £5/£2 for a 7.45pm kick-off.

And also on Wednesday there is FA Youth Cup action at the Stok Cae Ras as Wrexham host Port Vale (kick-off 7pm).

Ticket prices for that game are £5/£1 and they are the same for Millwall versus Everton in the same competition on Friday 5th at 7pm. 

Keep up to date on our X page and to support Affordable Football, now into our 13th year, click here.

Week Ahead - 24th November

Scotland's Women's U19 team host a round of European Championship qualifiers next week and have matches against Norway on Wednesday 26th (3.30pm at Broadwood Stadium, Cumbernauld) and the Netherlands (Saturday 29th at Kirkintilloch Sports Complex) with free admission.

England's Women U23s are at home to Norway on Thursday 27th, 7pm, at Manchester City's Joie Stadium. Tickets are priced £5/£3 and £1.

Rochdale AFC continue to offer free tickets for their matches in the National League Cup with Everton U21s the next opponents on Tuesday 25th at 7pm.

Keep up to date on our X page and to support Affordable Football, now into our 13th year, click here.

Honours Even in S2

 

Pre-match at Bramall Lane on Sunday afternoon ahead of the FA WSL 2 clash between Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest.

A decent game between two well-matched teams, Forest having more of the possession but the Blades coming closest to getting a goal during a dominant spell midway through the second-half when they were denied on more than one occasion by the excellent Emily Batty in goal.

Both sides are at home to WSL 1 opposition in the League Cup next Saturday. 

At Bramall Lane the Women's Euro trophy will be on show when Liverpool are the visitors for a 6pm kick-off. Tickets are priced at £10/£5.

Forest take on Manchester City at the City Ground in a 2pm kick-off with a kids for a quid offer in place.

Week Ahead - 17th November

Monday night is alright for some cup football at Redditch United where prices for the Birmingham Senior Cup tie against Sutton Coldfield Town are £5 for adults and free for U13s. 

More football for a fiver the following evening at St Albans City as they host Cheshunt in the Velocity Cup (7.45pm kick-off, concessions £3, Under 17's £1). 

FA Youth Cup action at Wigan Athletic on Friday evening (21st November, 6pm kick-off). Tickets for second round tie against Walsall are £4 adults, £2 concessions.

Advance tickets for Derby County against Stockport County in the Women's FA Cup second round are free. The game is scheduled for 2pm on Sunday 23rd at the Don Amott Arena in Mickleover.

Keep up to date on our X page and to support Affordable Football, now into our 13th year, click here.

Week Ahead - 10th November

Carlisle United are on a mission to get 10,000 spectators through the turnstiles at Brunton Park for their National League fixture against Eastleigh on Saturday 15th. Advance tickets are priced at £10 for adults.

With no top-flight fixtures in England and Scotland at the weekend, due to the international break, keep an eye lower down the pyramid for any special offers at your local club.

Doncaster's Eco-Power Stadium is the venue for England's Men's U20s versus Japan on Friday 14th, kick-off 7.30pm. Tickets are priced at £5/£3/£1.

On Sunday 16th Loftus Road hosts QPR Women against Luton Town while at Turf Moor it is Burnley FC Women against Derby County. Both games kick off at 2pm and are priced at £5/£1 for non-ST holders. 

Hibernian FC Women take on Hearts in an Edinburgh derby at Easter Road, also on Sunday (kick-off 4:10pm). Tickets are free and available here. 

Keep up to date on our X page and to support Affordable Football, now into our 13th year, click here.

Mission 10K and 3UP

 

I visited Wembley every year between 2016 and 2019 for the National League Promotion Final, watching emotional days for Grimsby and Tranmere Rovers as they regained Football League status and equally important milestones for Forest Green Rovers and Salford City.

As a neutral, the early-bird offer of excellent seats for £20/£10 was a good one, although prices for the competing teams were often high with little time between qualifying for the final and the day itself to grab some affordable trains down to Wembley.

The high-pressure nature of the matches and the relief/despair felt at the final whistle, was magnified by the play-off system in the National League (involving five clubs) and by only two overall promotion places being available.

To highlight their 3UP campaign for three promotion places into the EFL, National League 3pm kick-offs on Saturday 15th November will start at 3:03.

That includes Carlisle United against Eastleigh at Brunton Park, the Cumbrian club one of those who could be in that end-of-season bunfight if they don't manage to win an increasingly competitive league outright.

They are looking to get 10,000 spectators through the turnstiles with advance ticket prices £10 for adults and £5 for U18s.

Week Ahead - 3rd November

The FA Vase is at the Second Round stage with fixtures across the weekend from London Samurai Rovers on Friday evening to Yarm & Eaglescliffe on Sunday afternoon. 

Two midweek Championship fixtures with reduced prices, at Sheffield Wednesday when they host Norwich City on Wednesday, and Bristol City where a maximum price of £20 for adults is in place for the visit of Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday.

I haven't managed to spot too much else at this stage so it's a good time to highlight brilliant sites such as Scottish Football Fixtures for games north of the border and The London Football Guide.

Keep up to date on our X page and to support Affordable Football, now into our 13th year, click here.

The rebuild begins

Has there ever been a more positive atmosphere around a home fixture for a team on minus points and seemingly destined for relegation, even before Halloween?

But that was the case at Hillsborough on Saturday afternoon (and into the evening as confirmed by my wife who was meeting a few friends in the local area) despite Sheffield Wednesday losing 2-1 to Oxford in the Championship.

The announcement, late last week, of the club entering administration, triggered a wave of support from those who had either stayed away in the final throes of the Chansiri reign, or tried to spend as little as possible with the club, over and above anything they had already paid for season tickets.

The openness and honesty of the administration team, with Owls fan Kris Wigfield to the fore in public, has been rewarded so far with ticket and merchandise sales of around £500,000 since Friday last week, vital funds to keep wages flowing while a new owner is sought.

And next Wednesday's game at home to Norwich has been designated as 'Blue & White Night' with ticket prices reduced and starting from £20 for an adult on the Kop.