The Hares Are Off And Running

The first FA Cup prices I saw on twitter for this season's Extra Preliminary Round ties were those for the tie between Harefield United FC and Lordswood FC on Saturday 6 August, a 3pm kick-off at Preston Park.

Admission will cost £7 for adults, £3 concessions and free for under 16's, prices that apply to all home matches for the Hares this season.

Founded in 1868, the club proudly claim to be the oldest in Middlesex and seemingly have a thriving set-up at all levels.

They have a good social media presence but also, no doubt thanks to a dedicated volunteer or two, a really informative and up-to-date website with all of the details you could wish to know, from the history of the club to getting to the ground on a matchday.

208 Extra Preliminary Round ties will be taking place over the course of next weekend.

Eyes on the Prize

For England's Women after their rollercoaster ride against Spain on Wednesday evening with the Lionesses now heading here to Sheffield and a semi-final date against either Sweden or Belgium at Bramall Lane on Tuesday evening, a great game for the city to host and a good reward for the way it has embraced the tournament.

If you're heading here for the game then take some time to visit the Millenium Gallery in the city centre, where today marked the start of a three-month run for The Football Art Prize, 50 shortlisted works of painting, photography, film and collage.

Admission is free with donations welcome.

Hull City Positivity

I've written many pieces on this blog over the years about a positive feeling among supporters when new owners come in to their club and start on the front foot with better communications and well-received decisions over the cost of watching football.

It doesn't always last of course and some of those I've written about are now long gone but I think it is always worth highlighting when good things are happening, as they seem to be at Hull City this summer under the ownership of Acun Ilicali.

I first noticed it when I saw that prices for this week's pre-season fixture against Leicester City had been priced at just £5 for adults and £2.50 for concessions, just a friendly of course but an attractive one and an evening out for a family of four at £15 is not to be sniffed at.

With 12,000 memberships sold, the club have also announced their matchday ticket prices for 2022/23.

The stadium has been split into three zones with tickets for behind either goal priced at £20 adults, £13.50 seniors, £10 for 16-22 year-olds, £7 for 11-15 year-olds and £3 for those younger than that.

Quoted on the official club website, Chief Commercial Officer Joe Clutterbrook said: “Everything happening at the club at the moment is focusing on one thing, bringing the buzz and excitement back to a Hull City matchday.

“These matchday ticket prices are another example of that, we want as many people as possible to be able to attend our matches and we are hopeful this pricing structure will allow that to happen."

A quick look at the various messageboards and comments to the local media seem to give both the ticket prices, and the general feeling around the club at the moment, the thumbs-up.

Sheffield, Sweden And Sunshine

 

As my bus trundled into Sheffield town centre around 6:15pm, it was clear there was an extra element to the usual Saturday night fever along West Street as, alongside the regulars were dotted large pockets of yellow and orange as supporters of both Sweden and the Netherlands enjoyed the sunshine, the fanzone and the bars ahead of their Women's Euros opener at Bramall Lane.

Me, my son and his friend got off the bus, as it became bogged down in traffic, and walked down to the ground, the atmosphere building as we got ever closer.

There has been plenty of discussion as to whether the choice of venues for the tournament has been ambitious enough, and also whether the geographical spread is right but the counter-argument has been that local authority buy-in and a willingness from clubs themselves was needed and that was evident on that walk to the ground, from the road closures to the volunteers to the signage and branding that had transformed Sheffield United's ground.

Our choice of who to support was going to be dictated by which fans we were sitting alongside and as we first turned into John Street it seemed as though Holland would be our team as we walked into an orange mass but a couple of turnstiles further on we went and it turned out that our seats were in amongst the Swedish contingent.

Having been persuaded that the kids really needed a couple of big, foam, pointing hands from the official merchandise stall, we settled down to an entertaining game and constant support from the Swedes towards their team, chants we didn't understand but joined in all the same, as they had the better of the first-half and took a lead into the interval before the Dutch came back strongly to earn a share of the spoils that both sides will probably be happy enough with as a tournament opener.

At £30 for the three of us I felt it was good value and a real occasion to remember, perhaps the 8pm kick-off would have put off a few with younger children but very enjoyable all the same for a record crowd for a game not involving a host nation at a Women's Euros.

Here We Go

Last weekend saw a handful of pre-season games being played but the start of July surely marks the official beginning of the new 2022/23 season.

Saturday is very busy with matches and so many clubs, despite the increasing costs that they face, are offering free admission, 'pay what you want' or football for a fiver.

I've tried to retweet as many as possible @affordablefooty but if you're looking for fixtures, here are some sites that have proved invaluable to me over the years.

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.

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.

Staying north of the border, if there is a game on then Scottish Football Fixtures will have it listed, similarly Kentish Football for the garden of England.

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 £1.80, 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.