Getting Fixture Ready

The recent publication of the updated guidance from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) meant a false start for many clubs at Step 7 of the English pyramid who were expecting to be able to welcome spectators through the turnstiles from next Saturday and it will be a few more weeks now until going to a game becomes a reality again at all levels.

When the time comes, the following sites have proved invaluable to me over the years in finding fixtures.

The London Football Guide - James Doe is the man behind Non-League Day and set up TLFG to provide a comprehensive guide to football (at all levels) in the capital and its suburbs. On a weekly basis he runs through all of the fixtures of note and is also happy to answer queries from anyone coming to London and looking to catch a match - I'm really looking forward to the site being back up and running once spectators can go to games.

Football in Berkshire is an excellent not for profit site that doesn't leave a stone unturned when reporting on football at all levels in the county.

The excellent She Kicks magazine also has a website with features, stats and regular fixture updates covering all levels of the women's game in the UK with Scottish Women's Football a great source of information north of the border.

The official FA site also has an easy-to-navigate fixture list with ticket info and links and it always worth searching for sites or social media pages that cover your local area, for example Hants Womens Footie (@hantswomans on Twitter).

The Northern Counties East Football League is my local Step 5 league and the home of Hallam FC who have featured regularly on the site. The NCEFL website is an excellent resource for results and fixtures and there are many similar sites covering leagues up and down the country.

 And, for the pleasure of having the fixtures actually in your hand, the Non-League Paper is published every Sunday and still costs just £1.50, an incredible achievement. As well as comprehensive coverage of games played the previous day, and the non-league scene generally, they have detailed fixture lists at the back of the paper.