By SportTrades Adam DenneheyWell ‘Non League Day’ has come and gone and from the publicity and reports from around the country, it looks likes suggest the day was a resounding success.
On Saturday I went down for my fix of Non League football to see two Ryman League sides Ilford and Enfield battling it out at Ilford’s Cricklefields Stadium. SportTrades director Rob McAvoy was also there to attend the game and we both were looking forward to a good game.
The game itself was an entertaining game, which was not boring or dull in the slightest. Ilford like a lot of clubs at this level have struggled financially in the last couple of years, which has forced their management over that time to rely on hard working players with virtually no budget to bring in talented players. Enfield by no means have a lot of money but they have a good support and of the 138 fans in attendance at the match, 2 thirds were Enfield supporters.
Ilford alike many clubs at this level struggle for supporters and this is a point that people in charge of running clubs at this level up and down the country are worried about. Football league clubs find may find it hard to attract local fans as there are always fans attracted to the lights and power of the top flight. So it makes it even harder for non league teams to attract not just fans for a match day but a hardcore group of supporters who will come along to matches regularly which will improve the club’s status and impact in the community.
If we take Ilford as an example, they have to compete with a vast amount of teams for supporters in a busy and crowded area of London. Just at Non League level alone they have clubs like Barking, Redbridge, Romford, Barking, Hornchurch, Aveley and Brentwood all within 20-30 minutes drive away. That alone makes it difficult enough and if you add that fans in those areas can support league teams like Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, West Ham, Crystal Palace, QPR, Fulham, Leyton Orient and Dagenham & Redbridge – It really hits home just how hard it can be for clubs to attract supporters.
As great as the little teams are, sadly it’s the big teams that attract the publicity and status within the community. Due to this sometimes local people may not even know there’s a team right on their doorstep. Often it really does make you wonder how these teams survive and makes you think just how different it would be if there were fewer clubs in the area as it would make life far easier for them. However as much as competition for supporters is a problem, it’s one that perhaps clubs need as it makes them work harder to survive and it’s always good to have abit of friendly rivalry.
Going back to the match itself, Enfield grabbed the win thanks to an Adam Wallace strike that came early in the second half. In truth Ilford fought hard and were unlucky not to get a draw in what was a spirited performance. In the first half both sides had great chances to score. For Enfield Liam Hope struck a volley against the bar after a corner and Ilford’s Sam Adejokun shot wide inside the six yard box after a Derek Hawtin cross. Adejokun’s miss right on half time was probably the turning point of the match as it came seconds before the half time whistle blew.
The winning goal came just after half time when Wallace scrambled home inside the box following confusion inside the box. Although Ilford tried hard to get back in the game they could not, allowing Enfield to grab their third win of the season putting them fourth in the table. Ilford remain 18th in the table although they have played two games, due to having one game postponed and another one put back due to their FA Cup Replay against Witham Town.
Here's the highlights of the game taken by thecoldend (an Enfield fan) on youtube, who also runs a fantastic non league blog which has regular news and video highlights from non league and grassroots football, which i'd highly reccomend.
I grabbed an interview with 2 Ilford fans who i know, Dave Albert and Faisal Iqbal who gave me their take on Non League Day and why people should go and support their local team. It's refreshing to see two young fans who share the opinion that Non League footy rules, isn't it.
Ilford’s manager Colin Walton, whom i know from my work as a local sports reporter is hopeful that Non League Day can be a turning point for the game at grassroots level. Walton who has been involved in the Non League game for years is a great advocator of the game: “I encourage people to come and watch the games here and a few of them have been surprised with the level of football and have been regular attendee’s since. Being able to go to a ground and getting closer to the action is something that people should give a chance.”
My full interview with Colin, which also contains his thoughts on the match can be heard online via this link: http://tinyurl.com/2vllwpz.
That last point by Walton is hopefully something that those fans who are not regulars to their local sides will think about over the coming months. There are lots of supporters for grassroots football who love the game with a passion. Clubs are welcoming to supporters and every club around the divisions has a story to tell. There are some great characters at every club too. Hopefully now post-‘Non League Day’ more people will be finding out more about their local team and will spread the word.
All Non League sides want is a chance for a brighter future where they can move forward, hopefully after this weekend more of them will be in a position to do that. After all as we’ve seen in the past with clubs going bust, fans coming through the turnstiles really do make a difference. Hopefully then 'Non League Day' really can be every day.
As ever comments would be appreciated..
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