Free by the Sea

There are probably enough pictures on this blog already of the famous old grandstand at Great Yarmouth Town to post another one but if you want to see the real thing then this coming Wednesday evening is a good opportunity.

Thanks to sponsors HTG-UK there is free admission to everyone for the league game at home to Mulbarton Wanderers.

Take a Seat

Take a seat this coming Saturday in the oldest stand in world football, dating back to 1892, at the Wellesley Recreation Ground, home of Great Yarmouth Town FC.

Admission for an important game at the top of the Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League First Division, against Stanway Pegasus, is on a Pay What You Want basis.

In the area on Friday evening? The Premier League 2 Under-21 game between Norwich City and West Ham United at Carrow Road (kick-off 7pm) has free tickets available.

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!

A View From Norfolk

Some footballing views from a week spent in Norfolk, home to my favourite ground of all, the Wellesley, home of Great Yarmouth Town FC and the oldest surviving football grandstand in the country.

The public nature of the ground, just one street away from the seafront, means you can stroll around at almost any time and I always take the opportunity when I can even though my visits haven't coincided with a game for some years.

Next home game in the Eastern Counties League for The Bloaters is on Saturday 17 September when they entertain Haverhill Borough.

I was staying further along the coast at Sheringham where the Shannocks enjoyed one of the biggest wins in their history at the weekend, an FA Cup triumph at Lowestoft Town which earned them a place in the 2nd Qualifying Round and a trip to Needham Market a week on Saturday.

Cabbell Park in Cromer was the venue for an Anglian Combination Division 5 game between Cromer Youth OB and Sprowston Reserves, the home side taking a first-half lead from an excellent free-kick before a seven goal blitz from Sprowston after the break.

The ground itself has seen better days but it is good to see a long tradition (the plaque on the left is on display at the RNLI Henry Blogg Museum) of senior football in the town being carried on, and, more importantly perhaps, Cromer Youth FC is home to a large number of junior teams.

Head west along the coast road and you get to Wells-next-the-Sea and, just across from the harbour, the Beach Road home of Wells Town FC, a very pleasant spot to catch some Anglian Combination action.

Finally, all roads in Norfolk lead to Norwich and the same is true of the football club. The Canary Yellow is in evidence every where you go and it is pleasing to see a network of local buses heading off from the local villages and towns every matchday.

No Excuse Needed

To dig out some pictures of the Wellesley Recreation Ground, home of Great Yarmouth Town, and no excuse not to visit this coming Saturday if you're spending Easter in the area.

Admission to The Bloaters' final home game of the season on Saturday, against Framlingham Town, is on a Pay What You Want basis.

Quite a few clubs are throwing open their doors this weekend, including Sutton Coldfield Town for the visit of Histon and Racing Club Warwick as they entertain Stone Old Alleynians.

All Quiet at Great Yarmouth Town

 

 

 

Wide open spaces at the Wellesley Recreation Ground, home of Great Yarmouth Town, on a hot August afternoon.

 

The seaside resort was busy with holidaymakers, thronging to the pier, the arcades and the cafes, but the football ground lay all quiet.

 

Current restrictions mean that any scheduled matches would have to be played behind closed doors, a situation that seems strange to say the least given the wide open spaces of the Wellesley and the busy streets beyond.

 

The hashtag #letfansin is gaining currency across social media as clubs grapple with the increased regulation needed to put games on and the loss of income from supporters not being able to watch.

 

An excellent article on the twohundredpercent website lays out the hugely difficult situation now facing the game at levels below the National League.

But it's to be hoped that supporters will once again be able to watch a game in the shadow of this beauty, the oldest surviving grandstand in the country and worthy of an entry on the Historic England website...

England Deaf Men's Football Team

It's always nice to be able to use a picture of the famous grandstand at Wellesley Road, home of Great Yarmouth Town and where a Bloaters XI will take on the England Deaf Men's Football Team in a fundraising friendly on Sunday 7th April at 2pm.

The team are looking to fund their trip to the 2019 European Deaf Football Championships in Heraklion, Crete which take place in June and where they will take on Ukraine, France and Sweden in the group stage.

Over £20,000 of a target of £30,000 had been raised as of Monday evening and hopefully the game by the seaside in Yarmouth can add a bit more to that.

Admission is £5 for Adults and free for Under 14's.

Or Great Yarmouth...

Just after I posted the piece on Squires Gate below I saw a tweet from Great Yarmouth Town about their own 'Pay What You Want' offering this Saturday at the Wellesley Recreation Ground.

And on offer is not just one but two matches as the Bloaters and Sutton Common Rovers meet at both reserve and first team level (kick-offs 1pm and 3.30pm).

The club, who host Diss Town in the FA Cup on Saturday 5 August, have been celebrating the 125th anniversary of their famous grandstand this summer and I'm hoping to get down to the ground at the end of August and catch some action.

Great Yarmouth Town FC

Pay What You Want admission this Saturday (4th March) for the 3pm kick-off between Great Yarmouth Town FC and Felixstowe & Walton United in the Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League Premier Division.

Boxing Day is Derby Day

One of the best things about Non-League football in England is surely the fact that the festive period sees so many local derbies taking place up and down the country.

Healthy rivalries that rarely overstep the mark allow for clubs to meet, often twice in the space of a few days, and reap the benefits at the gate of bumper attendances.

That stretches from the National League at the top down throughout the pyramid so, for instance and as a purely personal choice, there is an eagerly-awaited clash at the Wellesley Recreation Ground in Great Yarmouth where the Bloaters take on Gorleston Town in an 11am kick-off on Boxing Day, allowing enough time for a good breakfast and a walk along the sea front to shake off the excesses of the previous day.

BOXING DAY DERBY IS BACK!!!

⚽️ @The_Bloaters vs @gorlestonfc
🗓26/12/16 (Boxing Day)
⌚️️11am Kick off
📍The Wellesley

Not to be missed! pic.twitter.com/ggfZjdlA33

— Great Yarmouth Town (@The_Bloaters) 29 November 2016

With Great Yarmouth having been promoted back to the top-flight of the Eastern Counties Premier League last season it means the rivalry has been renewed and the game has received plenty of build-up on social media amongst two sets of players and officials who know each other well.

Wherever you are heading off to over the next few days, enjoy your football and a very Merry Christmas from Affordable Football to anyone who reads the blog or follows on Twitter.

Great Yarmouth Town FC

My yearly trip to Great Yarmouth is normally just to late to catch the Bloaters in action but a walk to the Wellesley Recreation Ground is always in order to catch a glimse of the fine old Grandstand that dominates the setting.

GYTFC featured on the pages of Affordable Football last season with 'Pay What You Want' and reduced admission for Norwich City season ticket holders and I'm sure they will again in 2016/17 after being promoted back to the Premier Division of the Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League.

Pre-season friendlies start on Saturday 16 July!

Great Yarmouth Town FC

Members of the Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League and currently towards the top of the 1st Division, Great Yarmouth Town F.C. play their home matches at the Wellesley Recreation Ground where a beautiful grandstand dating from 1897 dominates the setting.

It's a ground I always look in on when I'm in the town on holiday although my last few visits haven't coincided with a match.

The Bloaters will be hosting Halstead Town on Saturday 19th December and have designated the game as a 'Pay What You Want' fixture in a bid to get a healthy pre-Christmas crowd through the gates.