International football may well be interrupting the majority of Europe’s top league fixture lists this weekend but there is no change from the non-league schedule with fans urged to back their local team.
Tomorrow is the annual Non-League Day, an event which has been running since 2010 which encourages football fans to get involved with the sport’s grassroots.
With the vast majority of games kicking off at 3pm, non-league football stays true to the traditional roots of the English game, a novelty that is becoming less of a part of the professional game in the age of multi-million pound TV deals and global audiences.
Organiser James Doe says he doesn’t want fans of United or City to ditch their club but stressed the importance of the grassroots movement.
He said: “The non-league game is highly important to the sport in this country and still produces international players to this day – Manchester United and England’s Chris Smalling was playing for Maidstone United as recently as 2008 – so to neglect it would be criminal.
Some clubs are doing whatever they can to get people through the gates, with Skelmersdale United, for example, offering discounted ticket prices of £5 for anyone who holds a Manchester United season ticket.
Brian Lee, the Chairman of The Football Conference, said: “Such an opportunity gives all clubs the chance to open their doors and develop new friends and fans to over ever-growing family.”
On average, non-league attendances saw a decrease in attendances from the 11/12 season to the 12/13 season, with teams including Stockport County, Ashton United and FC United of Manchester all seeing a decline.
Some of the Greater Manchester sides involved in Non-League Day include Cheadle Town, Oldham Boro, Salford City, Hyde, Wigan Robin Park and Stockport Sports.
All of the non-league games taking place this Saturday can be found here: http://www.nonleagueday.co.uk/map.html
Picture courtesy of Matthew Wilkinson, with thanks.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
