Happy New Year

And thank you to anyone who has read the blog during 2018 or followed or retweeted @AffordableFooty over the course of the year.

Some dates for the diary in January include a trio of free Manchester United Under 23 matches at Leigh Sports Village against Fulham on the 11th, PSV Eindhoven on the 17th and Paris St Germain on the 25th.

Chelsea FC Women have made tickets for their FA WSL match against Everton Ladies on the 6th at Kingsmeadow completely free of charge.

Early-bird tickets, priced at £7.50 Adults and £1 Concessions, are available from the 11th for the FA Women's Continental League Cup Final at Bramall Lane, Sheffield which takes place on Saturday 23rd February.

And the Nathaniel MG Cup Final sees Cardiff Metropolitan University take on Cambrian & Clydach Vale BGC at Jenner Park in Barry on the 19th. Tickets are available from the FAW website priced at £7 Adults, £3 Seniors and Students and £1 for Juniors.

Ten For A Tenner In The FA Cup

£10 Adult tickets are available at all of the following matches over the course of the FA Cup Third Round weekend.

There's been some understandable criticism of the scheduling of ties, with only 10 of the 32 games kicking off at 3pm on Saturday 5th January as part of the FA's new overseas deal for the competition, and I certainly think the number of fixtures that have been moved to Saturday lunchtime starts will have an impact on travelling supporters, so important in creating a good atmosphere.

In many respects it seems that the cup has settled into a nice rhythm in the earlier rounds, especially with the BBC coverage of a live Friday night game, but continues to be the subject of endless tinkering from this stage onwards.

The latest nibble at the edges of the competition is the scrapping of replays in the Fifth Round which has been brought forward from 2019/20 to this season.

But there are some good opportunities to catch a match as follows...

Burnley v Barnsley: Adults £10, Concessions £5

West Bromwich Albion v Wigan Athletic: Adults £10, Concessions £5, Under 18's £1 (if purchased before the day of the game, £5 on matchday)

West Ham United v Birmingham City: Adults from £10, Under 16's from £1

Aston Villa v Swansea City: Adults £10, Concessions, Under 21's £7.50, Under 18's £5

Brentford v Oxford United: Adults £10 on the terraces, Juniors £5

Fleetwood Town v AFC Wimbledon: Adults £10 on the terraces, Concessions £5, Under 16's £1

Newcastle United v Blackburn Rovers: Adults £10, Concessions £5 (prices double on the day of the game)

Norwich City v Portsmouth: Adults £10, Over 65's and Under 21's £5, Under 18's £1

Fulham v Oldham: Adults £10 in the Hammersmith End & Putney Stand, Over 65's and 18-21's £5, 17 and under £1

Preston North End v Doncaster Rovers: Adults £10, Concessions £5, Under 11's (accompanied) £1

Merry Boxing Day

Not long now until the big day, not that one of course but Boxing Day, surely the best day of the footballing year and one that takes on a truly local feel the further down the football pyramid you go.

It is here that eagerly awaited derbies such as Coventry United against Coventry Sphinx (12pm kick-off at the Butts Arena with admission priced at £7 Adults, £6 Concessions & £1 Under-16's) take place with local pride at stake but also, in most cases, a feeling of mutual respect between clubs, players and officials who will know each other well and also be aware of the commitment involved in keeping clubs alive and kicking.

In the North West Counties Football League two clubs who have moved up into the semi-professional ranks this season lock horns at Hollyhedge Park with Wythenshawe Amateurs taking on Wythenshawe Town for the first time at this level.

My dad has been to both grounds this season, receiving a warm welcome at both and being im-pressed with the facilities on offer both to spectators and the local community.

Amateurs claim to have the lowest admission prices in the league and it will cost you just £3 Adults, £2 Concessions and free for Under-16's for a 3pm kick-off.

So whether it's El Clasico, El Jurassico or El Plastico round your way, enjoy the day and thank you to anyone who has read the Affordable Football blog or visited our Twitter page this year.

Harefield United FC

A fixture in the Spartan South Midlands League that is well worth giving a plug to for next Saturday (22 December) is the game between Harefield United and Broadfields at Preston Park.

Admission will be on a 'Pay What You Want' basis with the money donated at the gate going to the crowdfunding site set up for the family of Luca Campanaro, an Under-15's player with Bedgrove Dynamos who tragically died recently after an accidental collision with a Harefields player.

Other snippets from the week ahead include free admission to Leigh Sports Village on Monday 17th for the FA Youth Cup tie between Manchester United and perennial winners Chelsea, kick-off 7pm, and reduced prices of £10 Adults and £1 Under 16's (accompanied Under 11's free) for the National League North fixture between Nuneaton Borough and Guiseley on Saturday 22nd.

There is also 'Football for a Fiver' at Banbury United with £5 admission for Adults and Concessions and free entry for kids when Rushall Olympic are the visitors on Saturday 22nd.

Forget The Shopping

And head out to football this weekend.

On Friday evening admission has been reduced to £3 at Barkingside FC of the Essex Senior League as they welcome Walthamstow to Cricklefields for a 7.45pm kick-off.

It is the club's penultimate home match of 2019 and they are hoping to extend a warm welcome to supporters old and new at the game.

Hamworthy United of the Wessex League take on Cowes Sports on Saturday at 3pm and admission is free to anyone wearing a Christmas jumper.

There's mulled wine and mince pies available at the game which will also honour the club's late president David Manuel.

Cheltenham Town Ladies will accept donations to a local foodbank in lieu of an admission fee when they entertain Larkhall Athletic to the DN Fire Stadium on Sunday at 2pm in the Women's National League.

And at the Madejski Stadium there are a host of festive activities including a visit from Santa, all leading up to the Premier League 2 clash between the Under-23 sides of Reading and Manchester United which kicks off at 1pm. 

Admission for non-Season Ticket holders is priced at £3 Adults and £1 Concessions.

The Week Ahead

The First Round Proper of the FA Trophy on Saturday 15th sees the entry of National League clubs into the fray and a number of those with home ties have reduced prices.

Aldershot Town host Bedford Town and tickets purchased online before matchday are priced at £10 Adults, £7 Concessions and £5 Under 18's.

All areas of The Hive are priced at £10 Adults, £5 Concessions and £1 Under 17's as Barnet take on Bath City and for Chesterfield against Basford United it is £10 Adults and £5 Concessions.

AFC Fylde have gone a step further and reduced standing prices to £5 Adults and £3 Under 16's as they welcome Stratford Town to Mill Farm.

In League One it is Christmas Family Fun Day at Rochdale for the visit of Plymouth Argyle on Saturday 15th with free admission available for juniors aged 16 and under and if you wear your Christmas jumper to the Wessex League clash between Hamworthy United and Cowes there is free entry to the game.

On the Under-23 front free tickets are available for the Premier League International Cup tie between Norwich City and Wolfsburg at Carrow Road on Thursday 13th at 7pm while there is also a tie scheduled for Goodison Park the night before with Bayern Munich's youngsters the opposition (double check this one before making plans).

Community Day 2019 at Coventry City

After the success (off the field) of last season’s Community Day, which attracted a crowd of over 28,000 to the League Two fixture between Coventry City and Accrington Stanley, the Sky Blues will be repeating the event for the game against Gillingham on Saturday 2 February 2019.

It means thousands of tickets will be distributed to local schools and all other tickets, in all areas of the Ricoh Arena, will cost just £5.

Things have certainly improved for City supporters over the past couple of years from the nadir of relegation in 2016.

Mark Robins has presided over two Wembley victories and a promotion and, slowly, attendances at the ground are creeping back up.

Owners SISU remain hugely unpopular for presiding over the decline and, more importantly, the move out of the city to Northampton in 2013.

The spectre of that happening again remains as the current agreement to play at the Ricoh lasts only until the end of the current season and talks with owners Wasps are on hold due to the ongoing legal action being taken by the football club owners.

But those in charge of the day-to-day running of the club are always keen to stress that those matters are not instigated or affected by them and there is no doubt that communication with supporters has improved drastically over the past 18 months.

Not far away and a club that has close ties with Coventry City have come through a difficult period of their own in recent months, Nuneaton Borough facing the very real threat of going out of existence before a recent takeover.

Their National League North fixture against Guiseley on Saturday 22 December has reduced prices of £10 Adults and £1 for Under 16's.

The Week Ahead

Huddersfield Town throw open the doors of the John Smith's Stadium on Wednesday 5th, 7pm, for the FA Youth Cup tie against Peterborough United.

The competition is at the Third Round stage and it's a big night for the youngsters of Cogenhoe United on Thursday 6th as they host Crystal Palace in a 7pm kick-off. Admission is priced at £5 Adults and £3 Concessions.

There are also ties scheduled throughout the week for the main stadiums of QPR, Preston North End, Southampton, Blackpool, Ipswich, Blackburn and Bolton Wanderers.

In the Scottish FA Youth Cup there is free admission to the tie between Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Celtic on Saturday 8th at 2pm. 

There is free Premier League 2 football at Leigh Sports Village on Friday 7th at 7pm as Manchester United Under-23's take on Middlesbrough. 

A double bill of Under-23 action takes place at Woking FC as they host the Premier League 2 game between Reading and Fulham on Monday 3rd (£5 Adults, £3 Concessions) and the Premier League International Cup tie between Paris St Germain and PSV Eindhoven on Thursday 6th (£5/£3 and free for Under 16's).

And it's a big week for Machynlleth FC as the floodlights at Cae Glas are switched on for the first time on Wednesday 5th at 7.30pm with a friendly against Welsh champions TNS. Admission is priced at £3 Adults, £2 OAP's and £1 Under-16's.