Coming Up

September 29: Community Day at Sholing FC with free admission to the game against Portchester United and a host of other activities for the family both before and after the match and Founders Day at Barnoldswick Town with Pay What You Want admission on the gate for the visit of Ashton Athletic.

September 30: This is the deadline to get half-price tickets (£7.50 for Adults) for the FA Women's Cup Final which takes place at Wembley on 4 May 2019. Once again kids go free to the showpiece event. 

October 10: England C, the representative team for players outside of the EFL, are playing the Estonia Under-23's at Leyton Orient. Tickets are just £5 for Adults and are free for Over 65's and Under 18's.

October 11: A 7.45pm kick-off for England Under-21's v Andorra in a European Championship qualifier against Andorra at the home of Chesterfield FC. Tickets are priced at £10 Adults, £5 Under 18's and Over 65's and £20 for a Family. 

On the same evening England Under-20's host Italy at the home of AFC Fylde with tickets priced at £3/£1. 

October 12: England Under-17's take on the USA at the Deva Stadium, home of Chester FC, in the first match of an international tournament. Tickets for the 7pm kick-off are priced at £3/£1. 

The same prices apply to the games against Russia at Shrewsbury Town on October 14th, 1pm, and Brazil at AFC Telford United on October 16th at 7pm.

October 13: Clubs up and down the land will have reduced admission prices and all sorts of special offers in place for this season's Non-League Day which will be the ninth time that the event has taken place since its inception in 2010 as the brainchild of James Doe, the man behind the superb London Football Guide. 

October 16: Tynecastle is the venue for Scotland Under-21's versus England with tickets available priced at £5 Adults, £2 Concessions.

October 27: Reduced price tickets for the game against Shrewsbury Town (£12.50 Adults, £1.25 for Under 7's) are available to mark 125th anniversary celebrations at Oxford United.

November 4: The Scottish Women's Cup Final will be played at Firhill with tickets priced at £5 Adults, £2 Concessions and free for Under 16's.

November 11: England Women continue their World Cup preparations with a friendly against Sweden at the New York Stadium, home of Rotherham United. Adult tickets purchased before Sunday 14 October are £7.50 (£10 after) and Concessions are £1.

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019

The first details regarding tickets for next summer’s World Cup have been announced with an initial window for residents in the host nation France before they go on sale to supporters elsewhere on 19 October.

With the Men's Euro 2020 competition spread across the continent (and the semi-finals and final at Wembley) and the 2022 World Cup scheduled for Qatar it means chances to get that 'tournament feeling' are few and far between in the next few years.

That makes a summer in France, easily accessible with good stadiums (the Parc des Princes in Paris hosts the opening game and six more matches) and a great country to visit, an appealing one and ticket prices look as though they will be realistic with three-match packages starting at €25.

England begin their preparations for the tournament in earnest with a double-header of friendlies early next month.

They take on Brazil at Notts County on Saturday 6th October (12.30pm) and Australia at Fulham on Tuesday 9th (7pm). Tickets are £10 Adults, £1 Concessions.

The Week Ahead

The Premier League International Cup gets underway for the 2018/19 season next week, the tournament including a number of English Under-23 sides and their European counterparts.

All matches are played in England which gives the opportunity to catch something different, like Athletic Club Bilbao against VFL Wolfsburg which is scheduled for Aldershot's EBB Stadium on Wednesday 26th at 7pm.

On Saturday 29th there are a trio of Non-League matches that may be of interest.

In Lancashire, Barnoldswick Town FC of the North West Counties Premier Division are marking their founding in 1972 and hope to see as many people as possible who have contributed to the club's rise.

Ashton Athletic are the visitors to the Silentnight Stadium and admission will be on a 'Pay What You Want' basis.

And it is 'Pay What You Want' for National League South action at Bath City FC (against Welling United) for their annual Community Day.

There are loads of activities going on for families and the club are also looking to entice students heading to the city this month to sample the atmosphere at Twerton Park and perhaps adopt The Romans as their second team.

At Sholing FC, where manager Dave Diaper recently marked 1,000 game in charge of The Boatmen, it is also Community Day and there is free entry for the game against AFC Portchester in the wessex Premier League.

And Sunday 30th is the final day to get half-price (£7.50) adult tickets for the 2019 Women's FA Cup Final at Wembley.

Update: Derby County's Premier League International Cup tie against Paris St Germain is set for Pride Park on Friday at 7pm and admission is free.

Women's FA Cup/Scottish Women's Cup

September 30th is the deadline for 'early-bird' tickets to the 2019 Women's FA Cup Final which will be held at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 4th May.

Adults will pay just £7.50 before this date (£15 afterwards) while kids once again go free to the showpiece event.

This weekend sees the competition enter the Second Qualifying Round stage with 60 scheduled ties.

The Scottish Women's Cup is at the semi-final stage (a double-header takes place at Forthbank Stadium on Sunday 14th October) before the final at Firhill on Sunday 4th November.

Tickets for the final are priced at £5 Adults, £2 Concessions and Under16's free, thanks to the excellent Scottish Women's Football website for details of this.

Barnsley FC

I always enjoy visits to Oakwell, home of Barnsley FC since 1887, the ground is easily accessible from the town centre and there is always a nice sense of people walking to the game, following the same traditions as they have done for many years and maybe reminiscing about their favourite players from time gone by.

A number of those players will be inducted into the inaugural Oakwell Hall of Fame on Friday 12th October and there will be further events taking place around the League One home game against Luton Town the following day (kick-off 12pm).

Ticket prices have been reduced to £10 Adults, £5 Seniors, Young Adults and Under 17's and £1 for accompanied Under 12's.

Saturday 13th October is also Non-League Day up and down the country (and beyond).

I'll update as many offers as I can on Twitter but also follow Non-League Day for full details.

The Week Ahead

Next weekend sees the FA Cup enter the Second Qualifying Round stage and the entrance of National League North and South clubs to the competition.

If you fancy catching a match at Bootham Crescent as it enters its final furlong then York City have reduced prices for their home tie against Ashton Athletic on Saturday 22nd to £10 Adults and £5 Concessions.

On the Under-23 front there are Premier League 2 matches scheduled for Ewood Park on Monday 17th (Blackburn v Arsenal) and Goodison Park on Sunday 23rd (Everton v Spurs) but, as always, keep an eye on the home club's website and social media pages for details and changes to these games.

In the Professional Development League, Watford Under-23's take on Ipswich at Vicarage Road on Monday 17th, kick-off 2pm. Admission for non-season ticket holders is priced at £3 and £1.

There are two full programmes of matches in both the Women's Super League and Championship with games in midweek and on Sunday 23rd.

It is also cup weekend north of the border with First round ties in the Scottish Cup.

Updates daily on Twitter.

Barnoldswick, Bath & Sholing

A trio of matches to be played on Saturday 29th September that will all celebrate the role played by the host club in and around their local community.

In Lancashire, Barnoldswick Town FC of the North West Counties Premier Division are marking their founding in 1972 and hope to see as many people as possible who have contributed to the club's rise.

Ashton Athletic are the visitors to the Silentnight Stadium and admission will be on a 'Pay What You Want' basis.

And it is 'Pay What You Want' for National League South action at Bath City FC (against Welling United) for their annual Community Day.

There are loads of activities going on for families and the club are also looking to entice students heading to the city this month to sample the atmosphere at Twerton Park and perhaps adopt The Romans as their second team.

At Sholing FC, where manager Dave Diaper recently marked 1,000 game in charge of The Boatmen, it is also Community Day and there is free entry for the game against AFC Portchester in the wessex Premier League.

Coming Up

September 29: Community Day at Sholing FC with free admission to the game against Portchester United and a host of other activities for the family both before and after the match and Founders Day at Barnoldswick Town with Pay What You Want admission on the gate for the visit of Ashton Athletic.

September 30: This is the deadline to get half-price tickets (£7.50 for Adults) for the FA Women's Cup Final which takes place at Wembley on 4 May 2019. Once again kids go free to the showpiece event. 

October 10: England C, the representative team for players outside of the EFL, are playing the Estonia Under-23's at Leyton Orient. Tickets are just £5 for Adults and are free for Over 65's and Under 18's.

October 11: A 7.45pm kick-off for England Under-21's v Andorra in a European Championship qualifier against Andorra at the home of Chesterfield FC. Tickets are priced at £10 Adults, £5 Under 18's and Over 65's and £20 for a Family. 

On the same evening England Under-20's host Italy at the home of AFC Fylde with tickets priced at £3/£1. 

October 12: England Under-17's take on the USA at the Deva Stadium, home of Chester FC, in the first match of an international tournament. Tickets for the 7pm kick-off are priced at £3/£1. 

The same prices apply to the games against Russia at Shrewsbury Town on October 14th, 1pm, and Brazil at AFC Telford United on October 16th at 7pm.

October 13: Clubs up and down the land will have reduced admission prices and all sorts of special offers in place for this season's Non-League Day which will be the ninth time that the event has taken place since its inception in 2010 as the brainchild of James Doe, the man behind the superb London Football Guide. 

October 27: Reduced price tickets for the game against Shrewsbury Town (£12.50 Adults, £1.25 for Under 7's) are available to mark 125th anniversary celebrations at Oxford United.

125th Anniversary Celebrations At Oxford United

Founded as Headington United in 1893, 2018 marks the 125th anniversary of Oxford United Football Club.

No institution reaches 125 not out without coming through its fair share of adverse circumstances and the U's are no different.

Long before unscrupulous owners became fashionable in the English game Oxford supporters were mobilising in the face of Robert Maxwell’s plan to merge them with Reading and create the Thames Valley Royals.

That low was followed by the high of a League Cup triumph at Wembley and a period in and around the top division before a gradual decline accelerated into something more.

As with many clubs (think Chesterfield at present and my own Sky Blues) a move to a new stadium was supposed to mark an upturn in fortunes, the trade off for the years of memories built into the fabrics of grounds such as Saltergate, Highfield Road and the Manor Ground but the Kassam Stadium witnessed a new nadir in 2006 when the Football League status so hard-won in 1962 was lost.

Chris Wilder led the U’s back into League Two before a further promotion was achieved in 2016 under Michael Appleton's management.

The club have made a special request to play a game on the exact date of their founding and to mark the occasion tickets for the visit of Shrewsbury Town on 27 October have been reduced to £12.50 for Adults and £1.25 for Under 7's (Under 13's in the Family Area).

More details on the official club website.

Barnsley U23's v Coventry City U23's

An afternoon off work to catch the Sky Blues Under 23's in action at Barnsley on Friday, the hosts winning the game 1-0.

This one took place at the Tykes smart Training Ground/Academy set-up behind the main Oakwell ground but both the grass pitch that this game was being played on and the 4G next to it had ample seating areas and vantage points to watch from.

The action itself can sometimes play second fiddle in these sorts of surroundings as you will often be stood next to plenty of faces you half-recognise, former professionals now involved in the game as coaches or scouts and looking at potential signings for their clubs.

Their presence on the sidelines forms part of the fabric of football up and down the country but the sound of German voices alongside them this afternoon from members of Barnsley's first-team coaching staff shows that the game is becoming ever more global.

Barnsley's next scheduled Under 23 home fixture is on Friday 14th September against Crewe Alexandra. Games played at the main stadium are usually free admission as well.

Catch An England Team In Action In October

The above picture was taken at Bramall Lane in Sheffield ahead of England’s European Under-21 Championship qualifier against Ukraine in March, Aidy Boothroyd’s side winning 2-1 to establish a healthy lead at the top of their group ahead of this week’s game against the Netherlands at Carrow Road.

There was a good atmosphere in S2 with plenty of families and children in attendance and loads of pre-match giveaways and the much-maligned Football Association do work hard to make these occasions something more than a run-of-the-mill game.

This October is a busy month for England teams at various levels and there are some good opportunities to catch a match at various grounds around the country.

The Under-21’s take on Andorra, in their next qualifier, at the Proact Stadium in Chesterfield on Thursday 11th, kick-off 7.45pm and with tickets available priced at £10 Adults, £5 Concessions. A family ticket for two adults and two children is priced at £20.

On the same evening the Under-20’s have a friendly against Italy at the home of AFC Fylde, Mill Farm Stadium, kick-off 7pm. Tickets for this one are priced at £3 Adults and £1 Children.

And the Under-17’s have three matches in quick succession as part of an FA-hosted tournament that also features Brazil, Russia and the USA. The Young Lions will be in action at Chester FC, on Friday 12th, Shrewsbury Town on Sunday 14th and AFC Telford United on Tuesday 16th with tickets for each fixture priced at £3 Adults and £1 for Children.

Two friendlies have also been announced for England Women after they secured World Cup qualification in Wales on Friday evening.

Phil Neville's side will host Brazil at Notts County on Saturday 6th, kick-off 12.30pm, and Australia at Fulham on Tuesday 9th, 7pm. Early-bird tickets, costing £7.50 for an adult, are available until Monday 10th September (£10 after). Concession tickets are just £1.

Dronfield Town FC

The photo above was taken on a previous visit to Dronfield Town FC of the Northern Counties East League (NCEL) Divison One and where there is free football this coming Saturday afternoon.

Dronfield entertain FC Bolsover at the HE Barnes Stadium, set in pleasant surroundings in the North East Derbyshire town, in a 3pm kick-off and admission is free for all attending.

As it is the first international break of the new season then there is no match for either Sheffield United or Wednesday, the Steel City being a short train ride away from Dronfield, and hopefully a bigger than usual crowd will be there.

Although Non-League Day 2018 is set for the next international break there should still be plenty of offers at your local club this weekend which I will try and highlight on Twitter as much as possible.

Two that I have seen so far will give England supporters with tickets for Saturday evening's game against Spain at Wembley a chance to watch a match earlier in the day as well.

Ticket-holders can get reduced price admission to Hendon FC as they take on Harlow Town in the FA Cup while a parking spot at The Hive and entry to Barnet against Maidenhead United in the National League is on offer for £10.