Football For A Fiver At Wigan Athletic This Saturday

With both sides having been knocked out of the FA Cup at the 1st Round stage, Wigan Athletic and Barnsley have scheduled their Johnstone's Paint Trophy Northern Area Semi-Final for this coming Saturday, 5th December at 3pm.

The winners will face either Fleetwood or Morecambe in the Area Final (terrace tickets available for that one at £10 Adults) and, to encourage a healthy crowd, the Latics have priced tickets for this weekend at just £5 Adults and £1 Juniors.

http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/news/article/wigan-athletic-v-barnsley-johnstones-paint-trophy-tickets-on-sale-2810524.aspx

In League One, meanwhile, Wigan host Sheffield United on Boxing Day and that fixture is also well-priced at £15 for Adults, £10 for Over-65's and £5 for Under-18's.

Free Football At Derby County On Sunday

An excellent result at Hull City on Friday night sent Derby County to the top of the Championship and Rams fans who enjoyed the start of their weekends in good style can finish them with free football at the iPro Stadium on Sunday afternoon at 2pm.

Derby Under-21's take on Wolverhampton Wanderers, the climax to a Family Funday with plenty of activities going on to make it a good afternoon out.

http://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/article/watch-derby-countys-under-21s-at-the-ipro-stadium-on-sunday-for-free-2820937.aspx

Student Special At St Mirren

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about a student ticket offer at Partick Thistle and a similar promotion is in place at St Mirren for their Championship clash with Queen of the South on Saturday 5th December at 3pm.

Students currently attending University of West Scotland or West College Scotland can attend the game for just £2 if they e-mail the club in advance with a picture of their valid matriculation card or pop into the ticket office.

http://www.saintmirren.net/pages/?page_id=255

Great Yarmouth Town FC

Members of the Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League and currently towards the top of the 1st Division, Great Yarmouth Town FC play their home matches at the Wellesley Recreation Ground where a beautiful grandstand dating from 1897 dominates the setting.

It's a ground I always look in on when I'm in the town on holiday although my last few visits haven't coincided with a match.

The Bloaters will be hosting Halstead Town on Saturday 19th December and have designated the game as a 'Pay What You Want' fixture in a bid to get a healthy pre-Christmas crowd through the gates.

Pay What You Want At Hendon FC

A great way to start 2016 at Hendon FC as the Greens take on Wingate & Finchley in a Ryman League local derby on 2nd January.

For the second season in a row this fixture has been designated as a 'Pay What You Want' game with donations welcome when you come through the turnstiles.

Can't make it to the Earlsmead Stadium? Then you can be a virtual spectator by making a donation online and receiving an e-mailed edition of the matchday programme.

http://www.hendonfc.net/Events?page=PayWhatYouWant2015

Truro City FC

There are always difficult decisions to be made when a game, especially at Non-League level, is abandoned.

Costs still have to be met and a balance needs to be struck between compensating supporters and protecting precious budgets.

That is a situation that is perhaps magnified at Truro City FC given their geographical location and the half-time abandonment of the National League South game against Hemel Hempstead Town on Saturday 21 November due to a floodlight failure (outside of the club's control) posed an unwelcome problem.

The game is being replayed on Tuesday 15 December (7:45pm) which is clearly not ideal for the visitors but, hoping to turn a negative into a positive, Truro have received dispensation for admission to the replayed fixture to be free of charge.

The hope is that the move will attract a few more people than normal to venture out in Cornwall that night and watch the region's top club in terms of league position while those Hemel Hempstead fans who make the journey will be given free hospitality through the Truro City Supporters Club.

http://www.trurocityfc.net/news/truro-city-vs-hemel-hempstead-town--update-1529127.html

Norwich City Versus Manchester United: Free On Monday Night

Norwich City's successful staging of high-profile Under-21 fixtures at Carrow Road continues this Monday when supporters can watch the game against Manchester United, kick-off 7pm, for free.

6,684 came through the turnstiles for the last such fixture against Tottenham recently and the Canaries will also have their Family Fanzone, in place for weekend Premier League matches, set up for this game as well.

Christmas Ticket Deals

I'll update this as we get closer to Christmas but a number of clubs are offering ticket package deals to either cover a group of games around the festive period or the remainder of the season as a whole.

A few examples that I have come across.

A four-match ticket at Raith Rovers FC offers supporters the chance to watch four matches from a list of six home fixtures between Boxing Day and early March. Adult tickets cost £50 (a £22 saving) with Over-65's and Under-16's paying £25 (saving £11).

Lincoln City's Christmas Cracker is for three match tickets for any home league game between Boxing Day and the end of the season and is available for £45 Adults, £33 Concessions, £15 Students and Juniors.

The 'Fleet Festive Five' at Ebbsfleet United is a five-game ticket for any quintet of league matches. It costs £44 for Adults (saving £11), £36 Concessions (saving £9) and £20 for Youths (saving £5).

And Shrewsbury Town supporters can save £10 by purchasing tickets for the fixtures at home to Swindon Town (19 December), Fleetwood Town (26 December) and Oldham Athletic (9 January) at the same time.

Student Super Saturday At Partick Thistle FC

Although they are currently only one place off the bottom of the Scottish Premiership, these are positive times for Partick Thistle FC with the club recently announcing 'new shareholder investment' and the elimination of £1.5m of debts.

Announcing the news, chairman David Beattie said: "This deal is the result of a huge amount of work behind the scenes at Firhill and feels like the ultimate reward for a sustained period of careful financial planning."

The ongoing battle to boost the fan base continues, meanwhile, after a slight fall in attendances last season.

The Jags host Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Firhill this coming Saturday (21 November, 3pm) and are reaching out to the estimated 70,000 students enrolled in Higher Education in Glasgow with free entrance to the game available if they email the club beforehand.

For full details of how to get a ticket, go to the official PTFC website.

Free Football Coming Up At Leigh Sports Village

The home of both Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers for the majority of their Under-21 fixtures, Leigh Sports Village always offers free admission for these games and has some attractive matches coming up before Christmas.

Manchester United take on Liverpool on Monday 30 November and Leicester City on Monday 14 December, both at 7pm before the derby against City on Tuesday 22 December which has a 7:45pm kick-off.

United's U-19's also take on PSV Eindhoven at 2pm on Wednesday 25 November in the UEFA Youth League.

Blackburn, meanwhile, take on Newcastle United on Monday 7 December at 7pm.

Register for free tickets at http://www.leighsportsvillage.co.uk/

Affordable Football aims to bring you the special offers, reduced ticket prices and family deals that make catching a match anywhere in the country more affordable. You can tweet us @affordablefooty or email affordablefootball@yahoo.com if your club are doing something worth hearing about.

Half Season Tickets & Reduced Admission At Accrington Stanley

Enjoying their best start to a Football League season since the 1950's and having recently secured new investment from local businessman Andy Holt to clear £1.2m of debt, Accrington Stanley are looking to the future and hoping to attract more supporters to the Wham Stadium in the New Year.

Half season tickets are on offer for £130 Adults and £90 for Over-65's and Under-16's which allow admission to all league matches between January and May and also give free admission to the Boxing Day clash with Carlisle United.

And, after a review of all things connected with the club following the recent takeover deal, admission prices will be reduced from January to £15 Adults, £10 Over-65's and Under-16's while Under-12's will be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.

http://accringtonstanley.co.uk/2015/11/half-season-tickets/

Christmas Cracker At Coventry City

My own club have featured on the pages of Affordable Football over the past six months or so with a reduction in season ticket prices and a simple match day pricing structure which means nobody coming to the Ricoh Arena pays more than £20 for their ticket.

That, and the positivity generated by Tony Mowbray's attacking young side, have seen a slow increase in attendances and a slight rebuilding of the bridges between club and fans after the bitterness of the move to Northampton.

For the home game against Oldham Athletic on Saturday 19 December, on a day when crowds can drop against the competing attractions of Christmas shopping, the Sky Blues have gone further and cut prices to £10 Adults, £5 Concessions and just for £1 for Juniors.

http://www.ccfc.co.uk/news/article/tickets-coventry-city-oldham-athletic-christmas-cracker-2793931.aspx

Brighton Aim For Women's League Attendance Record

Brighton & Hove Albion Women will make their debut appearance at the Amex Stadium on Sunday 6th December when they face Charlton Athletic in the FA Premier League Southern Division.

And the Seagulls are aiming to break the attendance record for a domestic women's league fixture which currently stands at 3,180 for Manchester City's game against Notts County last month and which followed on from a successful World Cup for England's Women.

Both clubs have ambitions to make it into the Women's Super League and an entertaining game should be in prospect.

BHAFC season-ticket holders can attend for free, Adult tickets are priced at £4, Under-18's £2 and a family of two Adults and two Under-18's can watch for £10.

http://www.seagulls.co.uk/news/article/chairmans-challenge-for-womens-fixture-at-the-amex-2791980.aspx

Free Family Day At Folkestone Invicta

Formed in 1936, Folkestone Invicta are currently flying high in the Ryman League South with Saturday's 5-2 victory against Guernsey sending them six points clear at the top.

They will host their second free family day at the Fullicks Stadium on Saturday 21 November.

The first such event, for the game against Chipstead in April, attracted over 1,000 through the gate and a similar crowd is hoped for this time around when Peacehaven & Telscombe are the visitors.

Entry is free with a host of family activities taking place and the club are asking supporters to make donations to Motor Neurone Disease.

http://www.isthmian.co.uk/charity-call-for-crowd-funders-27423

International Break, International Action

A look at some of the international action over the next week or so, starting with England whose Under-17's are up against Germany at Rotherham's New York Stadium on Friday 20th at 7:30pm with tickets priced at £3 Adults and £1.50 for Children/OAP's.

England Under-19's take on Japan at 3pm on Sunday 15th.

Adam Armstrong, currently setting League One alight with the mighty Sky Blues, is part of the England U-19 squad and it has been interesting to see this season how often he has been away with this group.

Clearly that can cause concerns for his parent club Newcastle (and Coventry's promotion bid from a selfish point of view) but it does point to a more consistent transition through the age groups of the England set-up. Perhaps Armstrong will be showing his pace and finishing ability on the pitches of Qatar in 2022?

Tickets for the game at Manchester City's Academy Stadium are priced at £3 Adults and £1 Concessions.

Gareth Southgate's Under-21's have a Euro Qualifier against Switzerland at the Amex in Brighton on Monday 16th, 5:45pm. Tickets are priced at £10 for Adults and £5 for Concessions (U-18's, Over-65's and Students) with a Family Ticket also available at £20.

Chris Coleman's senior team are clearly the Welsh headliners at the moment but the country's Under-21's are unbeaten in Euro qualifying at present and are in action twice over the next week or so.

They take on Armenia at the home of Bangor City FC at 2pm on Friday 13th and are up against Romania at Wrexham's Racecourse Ground on Tuesday 17th at 6pm.

Admission for both games is priced at £5 Adults and £2 Concessions.

St Mirren Park hosts Scotland Under-21's against Ukraine on Friday 13th at 5:45pm. Tickets for the Euro qualifier are priced at £5 Adults and £2 Under-16's with an offer for youth groups also in place.

Scottish Women's Cup Final This Sunday

This season, Hibernian Ladies have provided the most sustained challenge to Glasgow City's dominance of Scottish Women's football for some time and, although City prevailed in the race for the league title and beat Hibs in the League Cup Final, both teams will be playing in the Champions League next season.

They meet in the campaign finale, the Scottish Cup Final, at Ainslie Park, Edinburgh, this Sunday (8th November, 2pm) with admission priced at £5 Adults and £2 Concessions.

 The match is also live on BBC Alba.

Six For Saturday: FA Cup 1st Round

A long weekend of FA Cup 1st Round ties kicks off on Friday night when Salford City host Notts County (meaning the Evo-Stik Northern Premier club will be on prime time BBC One two nights running with the entertaining documentary about their famous owners concluding on Thursday) and ends in the same area on Monday when FC United host Chesterfield.

Most League One and Two clubs who have been drawn at home have reduced their prices for the weekend and here's six games for Saturday which could be worth a visit.

Hartlepool United take on Cheltenham and tickets are priced at £10 Adults and £5 Concessions.

Eastleigh are the visitors to Gresty Road and Crewe Alexandra have reduced prices to £10 Adults, £6 Senior Citizens and £3 for 16 and Under.

Doncaster Rovers will look to avoid an upset when Stalybridge Celtic come to the Keepmoat Stadium with prices set at £10 Adults, £5 Seniors and 17-21's and £1 for Under-16's.

Scunthorpe United mark #SaveOurSteel day when they entertain Southend United and Adult tickets are priced at £10 (standing) for Adults, £5 Concessions and £2 for Under-16's.

Sheffield United host Worcester City, conquerors of my own Sky Blues at the same stage last season, with admission for Non-Season Ticket holders priced at £10 Adults, £5 Concessions and £1 Under-18's.

And a mention to Plymouth Argyle where serving Armed Services personnel, on production of their ID, can watch the Carlisle United game for £10 and bring a guest at the same price.