Burnham, Dereham...West Ham

Just a few years away now from celebrating their 150th anniversary, Burnham FC of the Combined Counties League look to have a thriving set-up at the 1878 Stadium in Buckinghamshire.

Pre-season friendlies have been arranged at home to Corinthian Casuals on Wednesday 2 July, London Samurai Rovers (Sat 5th), Binfield FC (Wed 9th), Marlow FC (Sat 12th) and Bedfont FC on Saturday 19th with free admission for each game.

Norfolk club Dereham Town are gearing up for the new season in the Eastern Counties League, with season tickets under £100, and are also offering free entry to their pre-season matches at Aldiss Park.

Five home games are scheduled between the 8th and 24th of July.

And, on a slightly different tangent, a mention of the pre-season friendly between West Ham United and Lille that will take place at the London Stadium on Saturday 9 August.

I've written before that the blog doesn't exist in a vacuum and it only takes a quick glance at a Hammers forum to see plenty of weariness regarding the stadium, it's suitability for watching football and the matchday experience.

But, taken purely on its own terms, tickets for the Lille game do offer the chance of a decently-priced family day out in the school holidays as they are available from £10 for adults and £5 for under-18's.

Notts Landing

2025/26 marks the 125th anniversary of Basford United FC and they will be kicking things off with a friendly against Hucknall Town on 2nd July for which admission will be free.

Further pre-season home games have been arranged, against Eastwood CFC on Tuesday 8th, Newark & Sherwood United on Monday 14th (both games (£5/£3/£1), Matlock Town on Saturday 19th, Notts County on Friday 25th and Ilkeston Town on Saturday 2nd August.

Admission to the final three matches is priced at £8/£5 and £1 but visiting supporters of the clubs involved can come in for a fiver on production of a valid season ticket.

Something Different

A couple of unusual fixture match-ups for the next couple of weeks if you're seeking a football fix.

In what can surely be classed as the first game of the 2025/26 season in the UK, Welsh champions The New Saints are already preparing for their Champions League qualifiers and have a home friendly on 11 June at 7.45pm.

The opposition are simply known as PLAYER, with the TNS website describing them as 'a football app co-founded by former Manchester United defender and France international Patrice Evra'.

Admission is free for this one.

Having been in the Highlands recently, I can vouch for the beauty of the long summer nights and they reach a peak on June 21, happily a Saturday this year and the perfect time for a match between the Alba FA, representing Gaelic speakers, and the Kernow FA, representing the region of Cornwall.

Admission is £10/£5 at Canal Park, Inverness, for a 3pm kick-off with lots going on beforehand.