The Big 10-Year Piece

This month marks 10 years since I first starting posting here on the blog and also over on twitter as @AffordableFooty and I'm really pleased that it's still going strong and hopefully still letting people know about upcoming matches they may fancy going to.

There's been some constants throughout the years, my local club Hallam FC being one of them.

I've seen The Countrymen go from strength to strength during that time, combining their history in the origins of the game with great use of social media to increase crowds at Sandygate and then keep them coming back with admission still only a fiver for adults and a warm, friendly welcome from their army of volunteers.

And speaking of fivers it's great to see that that humble note will still get you through plenty of turnstiles around the country.

My own Sky Blues were the original inspiration for the site after the success of their football for a fiver initiative in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy during the dark days of a decade ago when only a run to the semi-finals of that competition kept spirits up.

It was hard to imagine then (and even harder after relegation to League Two in 2017) that the club could be back on the brink of a Premier League return and much more firmly established back in the city. 

Inevitably that means they probably feature slightly less on these pages than a few years ago like when 28,000 watched the League Two game against Accrington Stanley for which tickets were priced at a fiver.

Bradford City's affordable season ticket campaigns have spanned the entire lifespan of this blog and  they show no sign of stopping with over 14,500 already sold for the 2023/24 campaign, a remarkable figure especially as League Two hasn't changed in terms of how difficult it must be to run a club successfully in that division. 

I've written about more than once about new owners coming into the lower leagues with good intentions and special offers for supporters but staying the course has proved difficult for many.

Further down the pyramid it is a testament to thousands of hard-working volunteers that so many clubs have come through the past few years, not only to survive but thrive as hubs for their local community.

Speaking of constants, The Non-League Paper is still going strong, a great source of results and fixtures on a Sunday morning and Non-League Day, the brainchild of James Doe from the London Football Guide, has become part of the football calendar.

I'll also never tire of posting photos of the wooden grandstand at Great Yarmouth Town!

My first article on women's football was in September 2013 and it has been great to see the growth in interest and participation over the following decade, culminating of course in a joyous atmosphere for last year's European Championships, Sheffield enjoying the luck of having both Swedish and Dutch fans in town.

By contrast I didn't write about the Highland League until August 2019 after my parents had moved permanently to the area and I went to a game at Mackessack Park, the home of Rothes FC.

I've been back plenty of times since, to Strathspey Thistle, Keith, Turriff United and Lossiemouth with more competitive football and cracking backdrops to come.

So, a massive thanks to everyone who has ever read these pages and/or followed or liked on twitter. here's to pre-season friendlies!