A Free Saturday

The end of the season comes around again and, as it was when this picture was taken in 2022, there is free admission at Dronfield Town FC this coming Saturday (April 18th).

Stonelow Road is the venue, just over the border into Derbyshire from here in Sheffield, for the United Counties League fixture against Pinchbeck United FC.

Every Day Is Like Sunday

A chilly, overcast Sunday in Sheffield today but hopefully much brighter this time week down the road at Pride Park with Derby County FC hosting the FA Sunday Cup Final.

Aigburth Arms and St. Josephs's (Luton) are the final two of the 86 teams who entered the 2022/23 competition and will kick off at 2pm in their bid to succeed Baiteze FC as champions.

Tickets are available from the DCFC website, priced at £5 for all ages and must be purchased in advance.

Nap of the Week

 

Cheltenham week is upon us but, whether you have a good festival or not, it won't cost you a penny to watch the Northern Counties East League game between Dronfield Town and Rainworth Miners Welfare next Saturday.

A real community club, with more than 35 teams at various levels, Dronfield's first team made it five wins in a row with victory at Shirebrook Town today.

Update - Matlock Town & Rhyl FC

Two clubs who have featured on these pages in the past month or so have had some positive news since then.

Matlock Town's fundraising appeal was going along nicely enough but received a huge boost when Hollywood film producer Robert Molloy, grandson of the former owner of the New York Yankees, made a £3,500 donation and was offered a vice-president's role at the club.

Sunday's The Non-League Paper also reported on further donations from Molloy to Wirksworth Ivanhoe, Denton Town and Northern League club Willington.

Progress is also being made on a phoenix club to take on the mantle of Rhyl FC after their recent demise...

New club update:
✅New Welsh supporter & community vision
✅ 5 year strategic aims and plan ✅ New draft club constitution & bank account
✅ Liaising with @FansRhyl to agree new club name
✅ Forming new club committee
✅ Conversations continue on new home ground for next season pic.twitter.com/Cjh250qdkK

— Rhyl Football Club 2020 (@rhylfc) May 9, 2020

Dronfield Town FC

Free football this coming Saturday afternoon, January 27th, although possibly not quite as warm at the HE Barnes Stadium as when I took this picture at a pre-season friendly a few seasons back, as Dronfield Town host Nostell Miners Welfare in the Northern Counties East League Division One.

Grimsby Town, Chesterfield FC

A busy spell of in League Two, with Carlisle United, Crawley Town and Newport County all offering various deals for upcoming fixtures, and Grimsby too are looking to get more through the Blundell Park turnstiles for two importanct matches in their battle to stay in the Football League.

Anyone buying a ticket for this Saturday's visit of Port Vale can claim a free brief for the Stevenage clash on Good Friday and there also 'Kids go Free' and season ticket holder offers for both matches.

Fellow strugglers Chesterfield have a 'Three for Two' offer on their final three home fixtures of the season starting with the visit of Newport County on 2 April which is also a 'Kids for a Quid' fixture.

Chesterfield FC

There were a few tears, some disagreements and a couple of injuries at the Proact Stadium on Wednesday, but that was mainly because I was in the soft play area that is located within the ground!

Home to the Spireites since 2010, on one side the stadium looks to be the perfect example of a soulless modern ground, hidden as it is by a busy road and a huge supermarket. On the other side, however, there are shops, cafes and life and it remains walkable (albeit a decent distance) from the town centre.

It looked for a while as though the move from Saltergate was going to be the catalyst for Chesterfield being able to emulate the likes of Barnsley and Rotherham and spend at least a couple of seasons in the Championship but the club currently occupy bottom spot in League Two.

There have been a couple of small, positive steps in recent weeks, however, with fans favourites Jack Lester coming back to the club as manager and owner Dave Allen, who seemed keen to sell the club not so long ago, set to back the new man in the January transfer window.

The Proact Stadium hosts England Under-17's against Portgual on Wednesday 8th November, part of a four-team tournament that will act as a warm-up to the UEFA Under-17 European Championships in 2018 for which Chesterfield will stage the opening match.

Tickets are priced at £3 Adults and £1.50 Concessions.

Free Football At Pride Park And Elland Road This Weekend

Two good opportunities to take the family to a big stadium and watch some competitive football free of charge this Bank Holiday weekend.

On Friday evening Derby County Under 23’s meet Sunderland in Premier League 2 for a 7pm kick-off at Pride Park.

Admission is free and tickets are not required in advance for the first of nine scheduled Under 23 games to be played at the stadium in 2017/18 in both Premier League 2 and the Premier League International Cup.

Meanwhile, Leeds United Ladies will be running out at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon at 2pm for their Women's Premier League Division One North game against Chester-Le-Street.

This marks the beginning of a link up between Leeds Ladies and LUFC which has seen the Women's team take on the United name.

Admission is free on Sunday, fans can pick up a ticket at the West Stand Paddock, entrance four, which will get them into the ground.

Under 23 Action At Pride Park

Thanks to @deany75 on Twitter for sending me this picture of Friday night's U23 match at Pride Park between Derby County and Chelsea.

@AffordableFooty You Rams! pic.twitter.com/x6lbRp6jh7

— Kevin Dean (@deany75) 5 May 2017

It has been another season of twists and turns for Derby supporters but those who took advantage of free admission to this game saw a 2-1 victory for the home side that guaranteed their place in the top-flight of Under 23 football.

Banbury United FC, Mickleover Sports FC

The last Saturday of football before Christmas is usually an occasion for lower than usual attendances although the calendar this season means that there is still a match-free Saturday, in the shape of Christmas Eve (in England although there are quite a few matches taking place in Scotland), in which to cram in some last-minute shopping.

Two Non-League clubs pulling out all the stops to divert people away from the shops are Banbury United and Mickleover Sports of the Southern and Northern Premier Leagues respectively.

Currently 7th in the table, Banbury welcome bottom club Cinderford Town for a 3pm kick-off with admission reduced to £5 for Adults and Concessions and free for Under-16's.

The Puritans are also hosting a Christmas Funday with a free gift for all children, a choir and a visit from the pantomime.

In Derbyshire, fellow mid-table dwellers Ashton United are the visitors to Mickleover's Don Amott Arena where admission is £5 for Adults and free for Under-16's and Concessions.

The Christmas theme continues here with a free selection box of chocolates for the children.

Alfreton FC

The Impact Arena, home of Alfreton FC of the Conference North, ahead of Saturday's game against Altrincham which the hosts won 3-2 thanks to two goals in the final four minutes.

Slightly ramshackle (which I mean as a compliment), the stadium offers plenty of different vantage points from which to watch a match and get very close to the action and also some very tasty looking chips which were extremely popular among the crowd.

The next scheduled home league game is against FC Halifax Town on Saturday 13 December but before then you can watch Nottingham Forest Under-23's in action against Mansfield Town (Tuesday 22 November, 2pm) and Crewe Alexandra (Tuesday 29 November, 7pm). Admission to those matches is priced at £4 Adults and £2 Concessions.

True Blue Day At Chesterfield FC

2015/16 has been quite a slog for Chesterfield FC supporters, the Spireites never quite getting going in League One and still mathematically not safe from relegation going into the final two matches of the campaign.

2010’s move from the historic Saltergate ground to the new b2net (now Proact) Stadium has allowed Chesterfield to revise upwards their own ambitions, however much the old home would be missed, and there is no reason why the club and the town could not emulate the likes of Rotherham United in reaching and staying in the Championship.

Hence the disappointment at a season treading water with relegation still a possibility, although a four-point gap to Blackpool in 21st place should just about ensure safety.

But, onwards and upwards and this Saturday's final home fixture against Bury has been designated as True Blue Day with ticket prices reduced to £10 and £5 in all areas of the ground.

Elsewhere in League One, Scunthorpe United host Port Vale with tickets priced at £5 for Over-18's and free for anyone younger.

Well Done to New Mills AFC

A nice excuse to use the above photo, taken on a trip to New Mills AFC's Church Lane ground, as the Millers gained a 2-2 draw at Witton Albion on Tuesday evening in the Northern Premier League Division One North.

The significance of the point earned is that it was the first of the season for New Mills at the 23rd time of asking and after 26 consecutive defeats in total.

New Mills travel to Bamber Bridge on Saturday but are back at home next Tuesday, February 2nd, against Ossett Town with Under-16's admission, as always, just £1 (Adults £7, Concessions £4).

Ilkeston FC, Swindon Supermarine, Stenhousemuir FC

As 2015 draws to a close, a look back at some of the clubs we have featured on Affordable Football over the course of the year in relation to offers that are ongoing throughout the 2015/16 season.

Ilkeston FC took the decision back in the summer to reduce admission prices to the minimum allowed by their respective league, the Evo-Stik Northern Premier.

That means entrance to the New Manor Ground is priced at £6 Adults, £4 Concessions and free for children with the next home game being the visit of Matlock Town on 28th December.

Swindon Supermarine also reduced matchday prices ahead of the season after a sponsorship deal with the Brunel Shopping Centre.

Admission at the Webbswood Stadium is priced at £5 Adults, £3 Concessions and free for Under-11's.

Mangotsfield United are the next visitors in the Southern League Division One South & West, on 2nd January.

Stenhousemuir made an offer of reduced price entry to the season ticket holders of the other nine SPFL League One clubs when they visit Ochilview.

The £10 price is equivalent to the price that home supporters pay for each game through their season ticket and is an attempt to generate bigger crowds, a louder atmosphere and a better deal for all fans, something the club say 'is what Scottish football needs'.

The Warriors host Stranraer on Boxing Day.

Free Football At Derby County On Sunday

An excellent result at Hull City on Friday night sent Derby County to the top of the Championship and Rams fans who enjoyed the start of their weekends in good style can finish them with free football at the iPro Stadium on Sunday afternoon at 2pm.

Derby Under-21's take on Wolverhampton Wanderers, the climax to a Family Funday with plenty of activities going on to make it a good afternoon out.

New Mills AFC

Church Lane, home of New Mills AFC who will be playing in the Northern Premier League First Division North this coming season.

The Millers are hosting a Beer Festival over the weekend of Friday 7th to Sunday 9th August with a Family Fun Day on Saturday 8th August.

There is free admission to all and to qualify this for an article on Affordable Football (and to enable me to dig out the picture I took at Church Lane last season) the New Mills Development Squad will take on Chapel Town in a pre-season friendly at 3pm on Saturday!

Three Cheers For Ilkeston FC

Football in Ilkeston has come a long way since the liquidation of Ilkeston Town FC in 2010 and the New Manor Ground now hosts Evo-Stik Northern Premier League football in the shape of Ilkeston FC.

A new head coach, Gavin Strachan, has been appointed for the new campaign who will look to continue the excellent work the club has done in the past few season in developing their own players and looking to move them into a career in the Football League while remaining competitive on the pitch.

Three important announcements have been made recently under the #IFCAffordableFootball

Season ticket prices were initially announced in March but the club have now reduced them to £120 for Adults and £80 for Concessions. Anyone who has already purchased now has a two-year season ticket while new buyers can get one of those for £180 Adults and £110 Concessions before Tuesday 30 June.

Secondly, admission prices for 2015/16 will be reduced to £6 Adults (the minimum the club can charge under the rules of their league), £4 Concessions and free for Under-16's when accompanied.

And thirdly, entry to the pre-season friendly against Bedworth United on Saturday 25 July will be absolutely free.

Chief executive Nigel Harrop said: “We know there is the potential for us to be attracting gates of over 600 and with this new pricing structure we’re hoping to see more people at the home games.

Glossop North End AFC

A town I know well from frequent trips between Sheffield and Manchester, Glossop is the home of Glossop North End AFC and something special is building up in this part of Derbyshire as a memorable season reaches its climax.

Having secured a date at Wembley for the FA Vase Final (Saturday 9th May, 3pm), the Hillmen have been left with a fixture backlog to work through in their bid to win promotion from the North West Counties Premier Division, so much so that this week they had to play two home games on successive days.

A 1-0 victory over AFC Liverpool on Wednesday night was followed by another visit from a Merseyside team, St Helens Town, on Thursday.

The club had already decided to make entrance for this game just £1 but a chain of events on the day of the game made things even more special than that.

Glossop are also into the final of the MEN United League Cup where they will meet Atherton Collieries at the home of Curzon Ashton FC on Thursday 30 April at 7:45pm. Tickets for this game are priced at £5 Adults and £3 Concessions.

'Pay What You Want' At Alfreton Town

A crucial game at the Impact Arena next Saturday (18th April, 3pm) as Alfreton Town host Welling United in the Vanarama Conference and 'Pay What You Want' admission has been put in place by a club who featured on Affordable Football back in November 2013 when they issued a detailed explanation of why they had cut prices for forthcoming matches.

Ahead of this Saturday's games, six points separated the two sides with Alfreton, crucially, on the right side of the relegation line.

Credit to the hosts then for extending the offer to Welling supporters as well.

Chairman Wayne Bradley told the official club website: "This is a gesture to the whole of Alfreton and the outlying areas. It is also a thank you and a reward for our loyal supporters who have backed us throughout a tough season. “We want to maximise the attendance, pack the Impact Arena out for this match, and roar the team on to victory."

First Game of 2015

This picture was taken at the Church Lane home of New Mills AFC on Saturday when the Millers gained a crucial three points in their battle to move away from the depths of the Northern Premier League First Division North by beating Farsley AFC with a stoppage time winner.

Easily accessible from Sheffield and Manchester by train, the friendly club is well worth a visit and operates a successful 'All Kids for a Quid' scheme.