To Wrexham And Beyond - Update

A few weeks back I wrote about the upcoming UEFA U19 Euros, to be held in North Wales and starting this coming Sunday (June 28), with Wrexham's Racecourse Ground hosting Wales' group stage matches and the final on Saturday 11 July.

Just over a week later and there is another good opportunity to catch a match at the world's oldest international football stadium.

While there has been plenty of focus in recent season on the men's rise through the EFL divisions, Wrexham AFC Women are competing in European competition for the first time this summer.

They host a Champions League first qualifying round group, alongside FC Pyunik, Riga FC and Glentoran.

Semi-final matches (Glentoran v Riga at 1pm, Wrexham v Pyunik at 7pm) take place on Wednesday 22 July then on Saturday 25th there is a third place play-off at 12pm and the final at 6pm.

Day tickets are available for both matchdays, priced at £15 for adults and £6 for under-18's.

More Summer Shorts

Cray for Today: Founded in 1860, Cray Wanderers have a long, rich history and welcome AFC Whyteleafe to Flamingo Park as co-habitants for the 2026/27 season. The two clubs kick-off pre-season with a friendly against each other on Saturday 4th July (3pm) for which admission is free.

Down at the Park (Avenue): More free football at Bradford (Park Avenue) on Monday 13th July when Sheffield FC are welcomed to the Horsfall Stadium for a pre-season friendly that kicks off at 7:30pm.

Gulls v Bluebirds: As Torquay United welcome Cardiff City U21s to Plainmoor on Saturday 25th July for a 12pm kick-off in pre-season. The hosts have made this a 'Pay What You Want' fixture with donations welcome to the club's Youth Department.

School's out: Half-price admission for a pre-season friendly between Guiseley AFC and Stocksbridge Park Steels on Friday 17th July (£5, £3 and free for U18s) and schools or charity organisations working with primary school children in the Leeds and Bradford areas can contact the club to get a batch of tickets to distribute.

Eye on the prize: And, if you are in Sheffield over the coming months then pop into the city's Millenium Gallery for the Football Art Prize 2026, which runs until 13 September and has some fabulous photos, drawings, video and more. Admission is free with donations welcome.

Summer Shorts

Free football (trip to Denmark required): Newly promoted to League One, Notts County head to Denmark in pre-season and their game against Randers FC on Tuesday 14th July, at 6pm, is free to watch for those Magpies who make the trip.

Shots for a pound: The pre-season friendly between Aldershot FC and Farnborough, scheduled for 3pm on 18th July, is Army Engagement Day at the EBB Stadium with admission just £1 which will also cover the planned fixture earlier in the day (11am) between the two club's Women's teams.

Up with the Larks: I'm always impressed when clubs manage to maintain not only an effective social media presence but also a good quality website, as I know how much work is needed from volunteers to do so. Larkfield & New Hythe FC of the SCEFL are a great example of this and all pre-season friendlies at the club are 'pay what you want' admission.

Livi-ng it up: Aiming to bounce back after relegation from the top-flight in Scotland, Livingston FC are offering free season tickets to all Primary 6 and 7 children in West Lothian for the 2026/27 season, which will also allow parents and guardians to join them in the Fanily Stand for £5 per game.

Hey there: Six home pre-season friendlies are scheduled at Heybridge Swifts, starting on Saturday 4th July, and all are free admission for spectators.

To Wrexham And Beyond

A great opportunity this summer to enjoy North Wales and watch some of the best young footballers in Europe as the UEFA U19 Euros is being hosted in Wrexham, Bangor, Caernarfon and Denbigh between 28 June and 11 July.

Hosts Wales are joined by seven other teams and will play their group games (against Spain, Germany and Denmark) at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham, carrying on a fine tradition of the stadium having hosted international football since 1877. It will also be the venue for the final. 

The other group contains Croatia, Serbia, Italy and Ukraine.

Those to have graced this competition over the years include Harry Kane, Rodri and Kylian Mbappe, a winner with France in 2016.

Tickets for all matches up to the final cost a maximum of £10 adults and £5 for juniors (plus booking fees) with a full tournament guide available on the FAW website.

High Stakes At The Valley

An article on the BBC Sport website on Tuesday about 40 years of the play-offs brought back some childhood memories of a radio commentary I recall listening to as Charlton Athletic faced Leeds United in 1987.

I can't remember which of the three games between the sides it was but what was unusual, aside from the need for a replay after a draw over two legs, was that Charlton were battling to save their place in Division One against a Leeds side looking to go back to the top-flight.

Although long since gone from the play-off structure in the EFL, this season does see a similar situation arise in the WSL and Charlton are once again involved.

This time the Addicks have everything to gain as, after finishing third in WSL2 this season, they can benefit from the expansion of the top division (with Birmingham City and Crystal Palace already promoted automatically) by beating WSL's bottom club Leicester City in a one-off tie at The Valley.

Tickets for the game, which kicks-off at 12.30pm on Saturday 23rd May, are priced at £7 for adults, £5 for over 65's and £2 for under-18's.

Take it to the Bridge

Spotted on the 'Special Offers and Promotions' page of the Non-League Matters forum, Uxbridge FC are not only offering free admission to their home pre-season friendlies this summer but have kept the price of season tickets at an incredible £50 for adults, £5 for concessions, £1 for 16-18 year olds and free for under-16's.

A fantastic offer for football at any level, let alone step 3 of the pyramid (Uxbridge were promoted in 2024/25 and finished 9th in the Southern Premier south division last season, their highest ever placing) and one that also allows season ticket holders to watch Southall FC, groundsharers at Honeycroft next season, for just £1 per game.

Pre-season friendlies start on Saturday 4th July against North Greenford United and will, I'm sure, feature on the brilliant London Football Guide nearer the time.

Promised Land

One of the main themes of this blog, since its inception, has been the fluctuating fortunes of Coventry City FC, the Sky Blues having spent time in Leagues One and Two as well as being exiled to both Northampton and Birmingham since the very first article on Affordable Football in July 2013.

That touched on how the idea came about for starting the blog, the Sky Blues 'football for a fiver' offer during a run to the area final of the Football League Trophy amidst a dispute over the Ricoh Arena that led to the club leaving the city for the first time.

£10 tickets were in place for the homecoming to Coventry in August 2014 but the next few years were punctuated by various crises, so much so that even over 40,000 fans heading to Wembley in March 2017 was only a temporary respite before relegation to League Two.

Community Day and £5 tickets in February 2018 meant that 28,000 watched a League Two fixture against Accrington Stanley but, even as fortunes slowly improved on the pitch, there were to be more twists in the tale as City headed to St. Andrews for a season.

Fast forward to October 2025 and City headed back to the top of the Championship with victory over Blackburn, a position they were only to relinquish very briefly before sealing promotion in style and sparking celebrations across the city.

I wrote after that game that 'the need to tempt people through the turnstiles isn't a problem at present, demand may soon exceed supply in that regard,' and, of course, that will be even more so in the Premier League next season.

Sunday Trading

 

Silverware is up for grabs in Sheffield on Sunday 10th May as Bramall Lane hosts the final of the FA Sunday Cup, to be played this year between Home Bargains and Hartlepool AFC Supporters.

Tickets for the 1pm kick-off are priced at £5. 

The previous day, Leicester City's King Power Stadium hosts the final of the FA's other main grassroots competition, the Inter-League Cup. This is also a 1pm kick-off as the Cheshire Football League and Herts Senior County League battle it out.