Five for the Weekend

A handful of matches that may be of interest over the coming weekend.

There’s an early start at Villa Park on Saturday (11am) as Aston Villa play their Fifth Round FA Youth Cup tie against minnows Broxbourne Borough.

Broxbourne are the lowest-ranked club ever to make it through to this stage and fair play to Villa for not playing the tie somewhere else and allowing the Boro youngsters, their families and supporters the chance to really enjoy their day.

Admission to the Trinity Road Stand is priced at £4 Adults, £1 for Under-18’s and free for AVFC season ticket holders.

If that game ends in normal time then it should be feasible to catch the FA Trophy tie between Nuneaton Town of the National League North and York City of the division above. Admission prices have been reduced to £10 Adults, £8 Concessions and £3 for Under-16's.

Nuneaton put six goals past Guiseley of the National League in their last FA Trophy outing so will fancy their chances of causing another upset against the Minstermen.

A League One relegation battle this Saturday sees Bury visit Shrewsbury Town and the home side are looking to boost the numbers through the turnstiles with a 25% discount on tickets for both this match and the game against AFC Wimbledon on 18 February.

The Fourth Round of the Women’s FA Cup takes place on Sunday afternoon, this being the final stage before FA WSL1 teams enter the competition.

Rushall Olympic's Dales Lane ground hosts West Bromwich Albion Women v Lewes Ladies FC at 2pm with admission priced at £3 Adults and £1 Children.

And also on Sunday there is the chance to watch Liverpool Under-23's at Anfield where Spurs are the visitors for a 1pm kick-off.

Tickets are priced at £3 Adults, £1 Juniors, Young Adults and Over-65's and free for Season Ticket holders and Members.

Take Two For Hitchin Town And Eastleigh

Two very worthwhile offers that featured on the pages of Affordable Football recently but which both fell victim to the weather will still be taking place in February.

Our match at #TopField on 4 Feb v @FCKingsLangley will now be #PayWhatYouWant & we'll be collecting for @SandsUK

— Hitchin Town FC (@HitchinTownFC) 23 January 2017

Hitchin Town had originally intended for the home game against Cirencester on 21 January to be a 'Pay What You Want' fixture and also took the commendable decision to collect for Sands, the neonatal and stillbirth death charity after being unwittingly caught up in a social media 'storm' following ill-judged tweets sent by a player registered (not contracted) to the club.

The National League match between Eastleigh and Macclesfield Town, meanwhile, has been re-arranged for Tuesday 21st February at 7:45pm and the Spitfires will once again be offering free admission to all spectators.

FA WSL2 Spring Series

The Spring Series is the interim competition put in place as the FA Women’s Super League makes the transition from summer to winter seasons and the WSL2 mini-season kicks off the weekend after next with London Bees hosting newcomers Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday and four fixtures on Sunday.

Each of the ten teams will play each other once between mid-February and early June to decide the Spring Series winners. There will be no promotion or relegation.

The pick of the season ticket deals are listed below with details at each of the club websites;

Doncaster Rovers Belles: £10 for Adults (covering four home matches and any home FA Cup ties including this weekend’s game against Watford Ladies, £3 Concessions (16 and under, 65 and over) and £25 for a family of two adults and two children aged 16 and under).

Durham Women FC: Season tickets cover both the Spring Series and the 2017/18 season as well with Adult prices £45 and Under 16/Student tickets costing £20.

Season ticket holders from the 2016 season can watch the Spring Series for free.

Everton Ladies FC: Spring Series season tickets are priced at £15 Adults and £8 for children. This covers four home matches in the Spring Series, any home FA Cup ties and also gives free entry to Everton Under-21 games.

Millwall Lionesses: The Lionesses have a new home, St Paul’s Sports Ground (also home to Fisher FC) and season tickets are priced at £15 for Adults and £8 for Concessions.

Oxford United Women: Season tickets are priced at £12 Adults and £6 Concessions, covering four home league matches and any home FA Cup ties.

Sheffield FC Ladies: £15 for Adults and £5 Concessions, covering four home league matches and any home FA Cup ties. Family tickets are also available, costing £20 (1 adult +1 under-16) and £35 (2+2).

Five For The Weekend

A handful of matches that may be of interest this weekend...




Thank you to everyone who has been on touch on Twitter this week, it has alerted me to free Northern Counties East League (NCEL) football at Dronfield Town when they take on Ollerton Town on Saturday afternoon at the HE Barnes Stadium.

Flying the flag for the NCEL in the FA Vase are Cleethorpes Town and they are hoping for a big crowd when Atherton Collieries visit on Saturday afternoon. Admission is priced at £6/£3 for this one.

Wembley is genuinely in sight for the clubs that have reached the Fifth Round stage of the Vase and a full list of fixtures can be found on the official FA website.

The FA Cup is at the Fourth Round stage and tickets for Burnley’s home tie against Bristol City are priced at £10 Adults and £5 Concessions (Under 18, Over 65’s). Kick-off at Turf Moor is at 3pm on Saturday.

And there is knockout action in Wales as the Welsh Cup is also at the Fourth Round stage. Haverfordwest County have been in good form recently but face a tough task if they are to cause an upset when they entertain Gap Connahs Quay of the Welsh Premier.

Admission to Conygar Bridge Meadow for a 2:30pm kick-off is priced at £5 Adults, £3 Concessions and £1 Children.

Finally, Clapton FC are offering ‘Pay What You Want’ admission (minimum £1) for the visit of Barking FC to the Old Spotted Dog, both sides currently going well in the Essex Senior League.

I am aware that there has been a supporter boycott in place at Clapton for recent matches, a link to the Clapton Ultras website is also included here.

Bedfont & Feltham FC v Great Britain Deaf Football Team

A long history of football in the area was brought together in 2012 with the amalgamation of Feltham FC and Bedfont Football and Social Club.

The current Combined Counties League Premier Division table doesn’t make great reading for ‘The Yellows’ but they remain hopeful of an upturn in fortunes in the new year and have also set up a very worthwhile friendly at The Orchard on Sunday 5th February at 1:30pm.

The opposition will be the Great Britain Deaf Football Team as they continue their preparations for the Deaflympics which take place in Turkey later this year.

Bedfont & Feltham FC chairman Brian Barry told The Non-League Paper recently that with league games for his side on both the day before and the following evening: "It'll be a good old fashioned test of our fitness levels but we want to do our bit to help and any money we can collect in a bucket before the game can go towards their travel costs, or whatever they need for the trip.

"We're not charging to get in so hopefully those who do come will see a great game and can spare a few quid towards their cause."

Usual matchday admission to The Orchard is £6 Adults, £3 Concessions and free for Under-16's with the next league visitors being Hartley Wintney this coming Saturday (28th January).

Coming Up: February

February 1: The FA Youth Cup is at the Fifth Round stage although sadly not too many clubs are playing home ties at their main stadium.

Preston North End are doing so, however, and entertain AFC Wimbledon at Deepdale. Admission to the 7pm kick-off is free for season ticket holders of both clubs, otherwise it is £4 Adults and £2 Concessions.

February 3: Chelsea Under-23’s take on Reading in Premier League 2. The game kicks off at Aldershot Town at 7:05pm and admission is £3 Adults, £1 Concessions and free for both Chelsea and Shots season ticket holders.

February 4: The Third Round of the FA Trophy takes place and prices are reduced at Tranmere Rovers for the home tie against Chelmsford City. Admission is priced at £10 Adults, £5 for Seniors (65+) and Young Persons (18-22) and £1 for Under-18's.

February 5: Bedfont & Feltham FC of the Combined Counties League take on the Great Britain Men's Deaf Football team. The 1:30pm kick-off is free to watch but donations can be made online to help send the team to the Deaflympics in Turkey later this year.

February 5: The next round of the Women's FA Cup takes place. Mickleover Sports FC hosts the game between Derby County Ladies and Nottingham Forest with admission to the 2pm kick-off priced at £3 Adults and £2 for Under-16's (free for Derby County season ticket holders). 

February 11: The FA WSL2 Spring Series kicks off when London Bees host league newcomers Brighton & Hove Albion at The Hive.

Adult tickets should cost no more than £6 per game throughout the shortened season with a full fixture list and links to ticket prices available at the official FA WSL website.

February 17: Chelsea Under-23’s take on Manchester City in Premier League 2. The game takes place at Aldershot Town and admission is £3 Adults, £1 Concessions and free for both Chelsea and Shots season ticket holders.

February 20: There is free admission to Leigh Sports Village as Manchester United Under-23’s take on Reading in Premier League 2. Kick-off is at 7pm.

February 23: Some very attractive prices for the Europa League game between Spurs and Gent at Wembley, kick-off 8:05pm. General sale prices start from £10 for Adults and all Concessions tickets are £5. The Upper Tier of the stadium has now been opened for sale after a very good response to the initial sale of Level 1 and 2 tickets.

Five (Six) for the Weekend

A handful of matches that may be of interest for the coming weekend.

Hitchin Town host Cirencester in the Southern Premier League on Saturday afternoon and it will be the third 'Pay What You Want' fixture of the season at Top Field.

Matches against Biggleswade United and an Arsenal XI drew decent attendances and with Hitchin very firmly in the promotion race that should be the same again this time around.

The Scottish FA Youth Cup quarter-final means an opportunity to catch a match at Ibrox on Sunday, 3pm, as Rangers host Falkirk.

Admission prices have been set at £4 Adults and £1 Children.

Enfield Town, the country's first supporter-owned club, entertain Grays Athletic, newly supporter-owned themselves, in the Ryman Premier League on Saturday afternoon and a January sale means admission to the Queen Elizabeth Stadium has been reduced to £5 Adults and £3 Concessions.

Thanks to The London Football Guide for pointing me in the direction of the Enfield game.

Returning to Glasgow, Partick Thistle host Highland League side Formartine United at Firhill on Saturday in the Fourth Round of the Scottish Cup.

Admission prices have been reduced to £10 Adults and £5 for Under-16’s and Over-65’s.

And there is the chance to catch two matches in one day at the same ground at Sholing FC on Saturday.

The Boatmen take on Moneyfields in the Wessex Premier League at 3pm with admission priced at £5 for Southampton season ticket holders (usual prices are £6, £4 & £3 with Under-12's free).

Then at 7:15pm the club's Under-18's will take on Japanese visitors Kagoshima United with admission priced at £3 Adults, £2 Concessions and £1 Under-16's.

The Bootiful Game

The Bootiful Game is a magazine about the Toolstation Northern Counties East Football League and having just read the most recent issue (issue 4) I was extremely impressed with the number of articles, features and stats that it contained, not solely on the NCEFL either although that of course is its main focus.

It has the feel of a particularly weighty club programme and it is lovely to see, in the social media and internet age, a new venture such as this in magazine form although many of the articles within come from bloggers with an affinity to the league and the Non-League game in general.

The NCEFL and its clubs have always featured regularly here on Affordable Football, my local club, Hallam FC for instance offering admission to Sandygate at £5 for Adults and £2.50 for OAP's and Concessions. 

The Countrymen are at home this coming Saturday against Hall Road Rangers in NCEFL Division One.

Those kind of prices at the turnstiles will be found time and again across the two divisions of the league while there have also been plenty of innovative ideas tried in order to get more people through the gates.
AFC Emley, for example, offer a £10 package (buy from the club in advance) which covers admission, a programme, a raffle ticket, any hot item from the cafe menu and a hot drink.

The Division One leaders welcome Grimsby Borough to the Fantastic Media Welfare Ground this Saturday.

A similar offer is in place at Premier Division Barton Old Boys where £10 at the gate covers admission, programme, a £3 bar token and a £3 food token.

In addition to the Bootiful Game, the NCEFL itself also has an excellent website with all of the details you need in terms of results, fixtures and news.

Pay What You Want is Back at Hitchin Town

Currently being kept off the top of the Southern League Premier Division on goal difference alone, by Leamington FC who have a ‘Pay What You Want’ fixture of their own this Saturday against St Ives Town, Hitchin Town will allow spectators to pay an admission charge of their own choice when Cirencester visit Top Field on Saturday 21 January.

This will be the third time this season the club have offered ‘Pay What You Want’ after the games against Biggleswade United and an Arsenal XI which marked the switching-on of the new floodlights at the ground.

Since the offer was announced, Hitchin have experienced that most modern of sensations, a social media ‘storm’ after tweets from a footballer registered (not contracted to and having appeared only briefly as a substitute for) the club, Alfie Barker, that were aimed at Bournemouth’s Harry Arter.

An excellent article by secretary Roy Izzard on the official club website sets out what the club had to deal with when the story broke and how quickly it disappeared as the media went looking for other fish to fry.

Hitchin will be collecting for SANDS UK, a charity that supports those who have experienced the stillbirth or neonatal death of a baby, at the Cirencester game.

One other line from the Non-League game and I think this tweet speaks for itself...

Free football is coming back to The Silverlake... Tuesday 24th Jan Vs @thesilkmen #Spitfires pic.twitter.com/Kfjxr7Ztcl

— Eastleigh FC (@EastleighFC) 12 January 2017

Five for the Weekend

January is traditionally quite a good month for special offers and reduced prices as clubs try and attract supporters out into the cold at a time when there can also be re-arranged fixtures to catch up on.

Leamington FC, despite a wobble during the festive period, headed into 2017 at the top of the Southern League Premier Division and, with a number of home matches during the month, have made Saturday’s visit of St Ives Town to the Phillips 66 Community Stadium a ‘Pay What You Want’ fixture.

It is also ‘Pay What You Want’ in League Two as Crawley Town host Hartlepool and the Red Devils say tickets have been going well ahead of the game. There is a minimum price of £1 but every ticket is available for whatever you wish to pay.

The ‘Gingerbreads’ of Grantham Town FC ply their trade in the Northern Premier League and welcome Barwell Town on Saturday.

A special family ticket is available for £15 (2 adults, 2 children) on a day when the club are holding their annual collection for the Grantham foodbank.

And the FA Trophy reaches the Second Round stage with 16 ties scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

With Liverpool and Everton not in action until their meetings with the two Manchester clubs the following day, there are reduced prices on offer at both Tranmere Rovers and Chester FC.

Tranmere host South Park of the Ryman League, a club who have made huge strides in the past ten years and for whom the game at Prenton Park is possibly the biggest in their history. Tickets are priced at £10 Adults, £5 for Seniors (65+) and Young Persons (18-22) and £1 for Under-18's. 

Chester meet Forest Green Rovers in an all-National League tie at the Deva Stadium with tickets priced at £10 Adults, £8 Concessions, £5 for 16-19 Yr Olds and £2 for Under 16's.

FA WSL Spring Series

As the Women’s Super League transitions to a winter season, the Spring Series will hopefully fill the competitive gap for teams in WSL1 and WSL2, especially for those players who are preparing for Euro 2017 which takes place in the Netherlands between 16 July and 6 August.

Clubs in each division will play each other once with Brighton & Hove Albion Ladies moving up into WSL2 after their promotion from the FA Premier League last year, allowing for an even 10 clubs in both leagues after the lopsided fixture list that marked the 2016 season.

There will be no promotion and relegation from the Spring Series with those clubs promoted and relegated in 2016 taking their places in their respective new divisions.

Durham Women FC have already said that 2016 season ticket holders will be allowed to watch home matches in the Spring Series for free and Reading FC Women will be selling season tickets for £20 Adults and £10 Concessions.

That price is also on offer at Notts County Ladies FC while anyone who watches Notts County in action against Mansfield in League Two this Saturday (January 7th) will be entitled to a free Spring Series season ticket at Meadow Lane.

Fixtures will be announced on 9 January.

Wembley from a Fiver for Tottenham in Europe

The Europa League may not be the one Spurs wanted to be in (although as a Coventry City supporter I always find it strange to hear people describing a club being in Europe as ‘something they could do without) but, having decided that they are going to play their matches in the competition at Wembley, Tottenham are doing all they can to attract a healthy crowd.

For the visit of Gent to North London on Thursday 23 February, prices start at £5 for Adult season ticket holders/members and £10 for Adults on general sale.

All Under-18 and Over-65 tickets are priced at £5 and family tickets (2 Adults, 2 Children) are available for the cost of two adult tickets.

Writing in the November issue of When Saturday Comes, Adam Powley, talking about the Champions League clash with Monaco that saw 85,000 in attendance, said: 'One welcome aspect was the make-up of the crowd...With nearly three times the number of seats available, Spurs fans of all kinds responded, leading to slightly more diversity in terms of age, ethnicity and gender.'

He also praised the pricing policy adopted for that game while also saying that 'in a broader sense, the match reflected the drift towards a nomadic future for football.'

It is a huge shame that there may be no more European nights at White Hart Lane but, as Tottenham make plans to play at Wembley throughout the 2017/18 campaign, this is a gesture definitely worth making as supporters get used to the stadium and make plans for potentially buying a season ticket next year.

And as a one-off, with 4,000 fans set to travel from Belgium for the game, it could be a good atmosphere for a competitive fixture that probably costs less than a ‘glamorous’ pre-season friendly.

FA Youth Cup Special

The Fourth Round of the FA Youth Cup takes place in January and here are some opportunities to watch a match at a Premier League or Championship ground, under the lights (usually with a more family-friendly 7pm kick-off) and for a fiver or less.

January 6: Gillingham are the visitors to Hillsborough to face Sheffield Wednesday with admission priced at £3 Adults and £2 Concessions. 

The same evening sees Burnley host Norwich City at Turf Moor. Admission is priced at £4 Adults, £2 Concessions and £1 for both Clarets and Canaries' season ticket holders.

January 9: There is free entry for all spectators to St James’ Park where Newcastle United host Swansea City.

January 10: A London derby at Loftus Road with Queens Park Rangers up against Tottenham Hotspur. Prices are £3 Adults, £1 Concessions and free for accompanied Under-8's.

Stoke City are in action on the same evening when Nottingham Forest visit the bet365 Stadium. Admission is priced at £3 Adults, £1 Concessions. 

January 11: Blackburn Rovers youngsters defeated Arsenal in the third round and they now take on Aston Villa at Ewood Park. Admission prices are £4 Adults, £2 Concessions.

January 13: Brighton & Hove Albion host Cambridge United at the Amex with tickets available for £5 Adults, £2 Over-65's and £2 Under-18's. 

January 18: Carlisle United are the visitors to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester City. Admission is priced at £3 for Adults and £1 Concessions.