A Shawe Thing

 

It's been a while since I have been to Shawe View, home of Trafford FC, but it's a nice place to watch a match with a knowledgeable Manchester crowd in attendance.

The club are offering free admission to all for Saturday's (2nd Sep) home game against Bootle FC in the Northern Premier League.

Seaside Special

A mixed bag of weather over the summer holidays it has to be said but hopefully it will be fine for Monday 28th when Weston-super-Mare AFC host their Community Day.

The Seagulls 100% start to the season was ended today by Slough Town but they will be looking to bounce back at Farnborough next Saturday prior to the Bank Holiday action at the Optima Stadium.

Admission for the home game against Hemel Hempstead Town in the National League South is on a 'Pay What You Want' basis with a minimum donation of £2 and all match day entry profits going to Weston Hospicecare to help with the fantastic work that they do.

Or maybe you're in Norfolk over the Bank Holiday weekend and fancy some free football at Carrow Road on Friday 25th? If so, Norwich City U21's are in Premier League 2 action against Chelsea for which tickets are free of charge.

Just a Glimpse

I caught a glimpse of the Estadio Algarve while lucky enough to be in Portugal last week, not realising that on the first night I was there a friendly was taking place between Sporting Lisbon and Real Sociedad.

If you're on holiday in the area next month then Portugal play their Euro 2024 qualifier against Luxembourg on the 11th and tickets to see Cristiano Ronaldo and colleagues are good value at €10-20.

The Darlington Arena is another stadium I've seen from a window on my travels and, perhaps fittingly for a ground with a slightly bizarre history, this coming Friday evening (11th August) at 7.30pm the 25-000 seat venue will host Step 7 action as newly-formed Darlington United host Fishburn Park in the North Riding League.

Admission is free to the game.

Dons Double

Two to look forward to at the Cherry Red Records Stadium in September as AFC Wimbledon are offering Football for a Fiver for Crewe Alexandra's visit in EFL League Two on Saturday 16th and a couple of weeks earlier there's this...

What better way to start the week than to secure your tickets for our first league game of the season at the Cherry Red Records Stadium? 😍

🆚 @QPRWFC
📅 3 September 2023, 2pm
🎟️ Adults £5, U18s FREE: https://t.co/KGbJo8m4YL #AFCW #AFCWWomen 💛💙 @AFCWimbledon pic.twitter.com/ADbO7ESzf9

— AFC Wimbledon Women (@afcw_women) July 31, 2023

New Season, New Links

The following sites have been invaluable to me in writing this blog and for the Affordable Football page on twitter as a source of potential matches coming up.

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.

With its focus on a similar patch geographically, The Cold End combines news and match previews with reports, highlights and some great photographs of Non-League football in London, Hertfordshire & Beyond.

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 website has features, stats and regular fixture updates covering all levels of the women's game in the UK with Scottish Women's Football performing a similar function in its area.

The official FA site also has an easy-to-navigate fixture list with ticket info and links.

Non-League Matters is a good resource for fixtures, tables and stats from all levels of the game below the Football League and the Forum part of the site has a section where special ticket offers, free and reduced admission and ‘Pay What You Want’ fixtures can be publicised.

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.

I've always enjoyed Neil Jensen's writings in the Non-League Paper (the print edition of which is a great source for upcoming fixtures) but they are just the tip of the iceberg of his wonderful Game of the People website which has features and views on football in all corners of the globe.

Groundhopper 2000 showcases Stephen Lang's excellent photographs of the game in the Scottish borders while Scottish Football Fixtures does exactly what it says on the tin with a comprehensive guide to matches taking place north of the border. 

Highland League Opening Day

Just over two weeks until the opening day of the Highland League season, with nine fixtures taking place on Saturday 29th July.

Champions Brechin City begin their defence of the title at home to Formartine United while it is a trip to Inverness for runners-up Buckie Thistle who begin at Clachnacuddin.

The lovely seaside town of Nairn is home to Nairn County FC and they have a home opener against Brora Rangers while there are also games at Banks o' Dee, Deveronvale, Forres, Fraserburgh, Rothes and Turriff (below)

If you're in the Highlands over the summer holidays then it is a great time to catch a match, you'll pay no more than £10 for admission, watch some very competitive football and likely have some glorious backdrops as well.

In Brief...

Good luck to Wombwell Town FC as they approach their debut season in the Northern Counties East League.

The Wellers have set admission prices for the coming campaign at £3 adults and £1 concessions with home friendlies against Sheffield FC (4th July, 7pm), Pontefract Colls (6th, 7.30pm) and Silkstone Utd (15th, 2pm) will be 'pay what you wish' on the gate.

 A nice twist on the usual pre-season scenario sees Cardiff City of the EFL hosting two Cymru Premier clubs at their home stadium as Penybont FC (Saturday 1st July, 3pm) and The New Saints (Tuesday 4th, 7.30pm) warm up for their matches in the UEFA Conference and Champions Leagues respectively.

Admission to each is £5 adults, £3 concessions or go to both for £8/£5. 

And it is nice to see the Olympic Legacy Park in Sheffield becoming a real hub for sport of all kinds but especially football.

Sheffield City FC host Darwen FC on Saturday 8th July at 3pm (£5 for a seat in the stand, under 16's free) while Barnsley Women's FC will play their matches at the OLP this coming season.