In Praise of...The FA Youth Cup

First competed for in the 1952/53 season, The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup, to give it its full name, is something of a calm, constant presence in an ever-changing football landscape.

It may go under the radar on a national level but the FA Cup-style structure allows those youth teams affiliated to non-league or lower league clubs to enjoy moments of glory, play at some of the game's most famous grounds and also use any success they do have to attract more youngsters to play, and in many cases, study with them.

All three of those things combined, for instance, at Hemel Hempstead Town FC this week with an excellent victory over Exeter City in the second round of the competition sparking joyous scenes and earning a trip to Sheffield Wednesday and Hillsborough in the next round.

32 ties are due to take place by Saturday 16th December with home ties for the likes of Everton, Sheffield United, Wolves, Leicester City (against Chelsea) and Watford (against Manchester City) all hopefully being played at the host club's main stadium.

In Brief...

Paris Match
I'd not long finished reading the editorial in this month's When Saturday Comes, which contrasts the initiative of Fortuna Dusseldorf to offer free football to all supporters with the seemingly ever-increasing cost of watching games in the Premier League, Fulham in particular being picked out, when I caught sight of this press release from Paris FC. Admission to the Charlety Stadium will be free for all men's games in Ligue 2 and women's matches, from the visit of Bastia on November 11 until the end of the 2023/24 season. Each game will be tied in to a wider social initiative as the club look to make, in their own words: 'the sporting spectacle offered on the pitch to be made accessible to everyone, families or groups of friends, football fan or not, regardless of their age or social category.'

Go For A Mo

As part of their support for Movember, Hampton & Richmond FC are offering £10 adult admission to the National League South game against St. Albans on Tuesday 14 November for anyone with, or wearing, a moustache, even a stick-on one!

Capital Idea

Free tickets are available for the Women's Edinburgh Derby at Easter Road on Saturday 18th November, as Hibs and Hearts battle to lift the Capital Cup. 

Donations can be made at the same time as securing a ticket, with the full amount being reinvested back into supporting the Hibernian Girls and Women’s Academy.

Millers Night

 

The New York Stadium, around 45 minutes or so before kick-off in Wednesday evening's EFL Championship game between Rotherham United and Coventry City.

10,553 were in attendance,including 2,174 travelling supporters but it was they who went home disappointed as the Sky Blues struggled to make anything meaningful out of their 66% share of the ball and conceded the all-important first goal of the game to Lee Peltier's flicked header from a corner shortly after half-time.

Pushing for an equaliser, Coventry allowed the hosts more and more opportunities on the break and the Millers wrapped up three important points with a second goal late on to end the night in good spirits and looking forward to a local derby at Hillsborough on Sunday lunchtime that Rotherham will go into with a strong belief that they can make it two wins on the spin.

For City, heightened expectations after last season's run to the play-off final and a summer transfer spree funded by the sales of Gus Hamer and Viktor Gyokeres hasn't quite matched up to the reality so far as Mark Robins tries to achieve what may yet prove an impossible task - another year of finishing in a higher position than the one before.

I paid £25 for my ticket and £8 for my son who is 12 and I think that's more than fair at this level of the game.

Rotherham are a club with local owners, a club that works well in the local community and one that offers a simple pricing structure for their home league matches with advance adult tickets for non-platinum games costing £25 or £27 and platinum matches priced at £27 and £29.

Gate receipts will remain an important part of their turnover as they try and battle against the financial odds themselves and secure another season in the second-tier of English football.

Park Life

How many people over the last hundred-plus years have made their way to famous old grounds such as Brunton Park, Prenton Park and Edgeley Park, frequenting the local pubs whose continued existence may largely be due to the presence of those stadiums that have always been, and remain, rooted in their local communities.

If it is a game under the lights then even better and the First Round of the FA Youth Cup provides an affordable opportunity to do so.

Carlisle United host Barnsley on Tuesday 31 October (kick-ff 6pm) with admission priced at £3 and £2 for over/under 18's respectively.

The following evening Tranmere Rovers take on Bradford City in a 7pm start. Tickets are priced at £5 and £2 and are available both on line and on the gate.

Then Stockport County welcome Farsley Celtic on Wednesday 8th November, also at 7pm. Tickets are priced at £3 for adults and £1 concessions.

Merry Christmas!

Well, with the weather how it has been in Sheffield today we might as well look forward to something.

Non-stop rain has put paid to plans to watch Hallam FC against Coventry United in the FA Vase on Saturday but hopefully I'll get to the re-arranged game.

Coventry United make the short trip to Racing Club Warwick on Boxing Day this year and the Racers are offering free admission to all for the 3pm kick-off.

Stand Together

Given that this blog is peppered with pictures of the famous grandstand at Great Yarmouth Town FC it will be no surprise that my interest is always piqued by a glimpse of a stand that has stood the test of time or offers something different.

My dad was at a game at Gala Fairydean the other week, home of Peter Womersley's category A listed beauty, now happily open to supporters again.

And thanks to Harwich & Parkeston FC for allowing me to use this picture of the main grandstand at their Royal Oak ground which celebrates its 75th birthday shortly.

To celebrate, the home game against Dussindale & Hellesdon Rovers on Saturday 18 November has been designated as a 'Groundhopper Day' with a ground tour at 2pm.

Admission will be £6 adults, £4 concessions and free for under 16's with a printed programme for £1.

Happy Birthday...

Happy returns to The London Football Guide which is twelve today and, fittingly, this week's guide covers an international break given James' founding of Non-League Day which generally takes place when the top divisions are not in action.

This season's official NLD is not until 23 March but there are still usually some good offers out there for season ticket holders at Premier League or EFL clubs whose teams are not in action.