Non-league football

[Stifler]

19 hours ago, Yorkie said:

Never ceases to amaze me, the attendances at non-league grounds. 1000+ at basically every FA Cup qualifier yesterday, including at teams as low as the eighth tier. Helped by the international break no doubt, but still.

I’ve long thought that international breaks should be an opportunity for our big teams to help the lower league clubs.

Image a weekend of double headers at SJP where 4 home local non-league team play. North Shields vs whoever, then Morpeth vs whoever on Saturday. On Sunday you have Newcastle Benfield vs whoever, then Ashington vs whoever.

 

Tickets are flat £5 fee, each club has merchandise for sale in the club shop or stalls around SJP. A small percentage of food and drink sales go to the clubs. NUFC looking to make minimal amounts of money after they have cleared expenses, and to pass it on to the clubs.

Even if you only sold £10,000 tickets each day, at least those clubs would be playing in front of crowds larger than they could otherwise get, get a nice little earner out of it, and hopefully gain a few new fans. Have it once or twice a year, with local teams alternating between getting a chance.

[ponsaelius]

20 hours ago, Disco said:

Guess it was always likely with 3 ‘southern’ teams going down last season. Doesn’t help that under normal circumstances a big team coming down in Spartans wouldn’t be an absolute basket case. On the flip side it looks like Redcar might go straight through the league. 

 

I'm sure the funding is dodgy at Redcar. There was rumours it was gonna collapse even last season before they took the NL title. 

 

They don't really get the crowds to support what they're trying to do. Plus there's two teams in Redcar.

[Stifler]

44 minutes ago, ponsaelius said:

I'm sure the funding is dodgy at Redcar. There was rumours it was gonna collapse even last season before they took the NL title. 

 

They don't really get the crowds to support what they're trying to do. Plus there's two teams in Redcar.

I’m also guessing that having Boro 5 minutes down the road with plenty of tickets available at the drop of a hat has an effect as well.

[Choppy Chop Chop]

Good luck to Gateshead and South Shields in tonight's FA cup draw 

[Paullow]

Regarding NPL East, it's hard to gauge without knowing budgets etc. there was a thread on the nonleague forum about budgets just the other day, but a lot of that would be guess work (and troll posts).

 

https://nonleaguezone.proboards.com/thread/1912/budgets

 

We do know that Redcar Ath have a big budget and, hence, are doing well, but in recent years we've seen the likes of Morpeth and Hebburn come through the NPL East quite quickly and move up to the 7th tier, Stockton as well (although that is a lot bigger town than many of the 9 sides in the 8th tier). Dunston are usually in and around the playoffs, Newton Aycliffe have finished 7th and 6th in their two seasons at this level, just missing out on the playoffs last season, but it looks like they have lost a few players this year and were more expected to struggle, but teams can, and in some cases, do make a good fist of things after leaving the Northern League. Plus this year, as well as Blyth Town and Redcard Ath, we've had Lincoln Utd, Silsden and Hallam all promoted from the Northern League 9th tier equivalent, obviously if they had Redcar-esq budgets then that's a different story, but with Brighouse just staying up last year due to a reprieve, you'd like to think there'd be at least 2 or 3 non NL clubs in and around the bottom so that we just lose 1 or 2 teams to relegation, not 3 or 4.

 

I mentioned Kendal on here about a month ago, but since then they won 5 in a row (in the Northern League) before drawing on Saturday, but if they get promoted I assume they will join the NPL West instead, so we could have a net loss of 3 clubs next year if 4 teams did go down and one of the promoted 2 don't join the NPL East league.

 

 

Edited October 13, 2025 by Paullow

[Wallsendmag]

3 hours ago, ponsaelius said:

 

I'm sure the funding is dodgy at Redcar. There was rumours it was gonna collapse even last season before they took the NL title. 

 

They don't really get the crowds to support what they're trying to do. Plus there's two teams in Redcar.

 

Just having a look there and they are averaging 306 so far this season. That puts them 12th out of 22 in the attendance table. You have Hebburn and Morpeth in the League above averaging 408 and 402 respectively. You'd think if they did go up they'd be pulling similar numbers to them with an increase in home and away supporters as you have the likes of FC United and Hednesford who both average over 1,500 and then Workington and Stockton who pull in 700/800 a game and bring a good away following with them.

 

Got to say I've never understood these towns who have 2 Non League clubs. The likes of Blyth, Billingham, Redcar, Chester le Street. Sure it's challenging enough to attract people to Non League games without having to share your catchment with another team. What you find a lot of the time is that when one of the clubs flourish, the other one struggles.

[Disco]

Wimbledon away for the Heed sinkholes permitting and Shrewsbury at home for South Shields. Spennymoor at home to Barrow n all. 

[leffe186]

On 12/10/2025 at 13:23, Yorkie said:

Never ceases to amaze me, the attendances at non-league grounds. 1000+ at basically every FA Cup qualifier yesterday, including at teams as low as the eighth tier. Helped by the international break no doubt, but still.

Just about my most favourite thing about football in England tbh.

[Yorkie]

York with an annoyingly difficult away trip to League 1 Barnsley. That'll be curtains to any cup run and the hope of a big tie for another year.

[Wallsendmag]

2 hours ago, Yorkie said:

York with an annoyingly difficult away trip to League 1 Barnsley. That'll be curtains to any cup run and the hope of a big tie for another year.

 

Aye Barnsley going along well this season. Just about as hard a tie as they could have got. Might have fancied York at home to cause an upset but it's a tough ask to go to Oakwell and get a result.

[Disco]

On 13/10/2025 at 13:38, Wallsendmag said:

 

Just having a look there and they are averaging 306 so far this season. That puts them 12th out of 22 in the attendance table. You have Hebburn and Morpeth in the League above averaging 408 and 402 respectively. You'd think if they did go up they'd be pulling similar numbers to them with an increase in home and away supporters as you have the likes of FC United and Hednesford who both average over 1,500 and then Workington and Stockton who pull in 700/800 a game and bring a good away following with them.

 

Got to say I've never understood these towns who have 2 Non League clubs. The likes of Blyth, Billingham, Redcar, Chester le Street. Sure it's challenging enough to attract people to Non League games without having to share your catchment with another team. What you find a lot of the time is that when one of the clubs flourish, the other one struggles.

Always wondered what the financial differences for a Northern League club moving up in to the NPL East are.

 

Invariably have to do your ground up a bit to comply plus travel costs and likely increased wages versus usually not much more on the gate and, I assume, a little bit more money from the FA.

[Wallsendmag]

1 hour ago, Disco said:

Always wondered what the financial differences for a Northern League club moving up in to the NPL East are.

 

Invariably have to do your ground up a bit to comply plus travel costs and likely increased wages versus usually not much more on the gate and, I assume, a little bit more money from the FA.

 

Don't think it would effect the likes of Redcar so much but Heaton Stan for example being an hours drive further north and pulling in similar crowds as in the NL days, albeit higher admission costs must be taking a financial hit. Other factors are that a lot of players don't want to travel and would rather stay in the NL. 

 

Enforced promotion has helped mind and as a result there's quite a few NE clubs in there now when 5/6 years ago there wouldn't have been any I don't think so if you took promotion you were out on a limb really.

[Big Geordie]

Spartans 2-0 down at Dunston. Heading down to the NL, with barely a whimper.  

 

 

Edited October 14, 2025 by Big Geordie

[Wallsendmag]

Just now, Big Geordie said:

Spartans 2-0 down at Consett. Heading down to the NL, with barely a whimper.  

 

They're playing Dunston tonight mate. 3-0 down now!

[Big Geordie]

Just now, Wallsendmag said:

 

They're playing Dunston tonight mate. 3-0 down now!

 

My bad. Town are at home to Consett. 

[Wallsendmag]

Just now, Big Geordie said:

 

My bad. Town are at home to Consett. 

 

Even worse for them. They're 6-1 down!

[Big Geordie]

Bishop Auckland winning too, I think. 

[Stifler]

If they go down, do they play North Shields next season?

[Disco]

4 minutes ago, Stifler said:

If they go down, do they play North Shields next season?

Yup, assuming N. Shields don’t go up. 

[Paullow]

Didn't realise they were pairing the local sides up this midweek. Blyth T 1-6 Consett, Dunston 3-0 Blyth S. Heaton vs Newton Aycliffe and Redcar vs Ashington tomorrow. Bishop Auckland being the odd one out, but they got a big 3-1 away win and go from bottom (22nd) to 18th and just outside the relegation zone. Good news for them, but bad news for the 3 Northumberland sides in trouble.

 

Blyth Spartans now bottom of the league. Crazy.

 

 

[Matt]

4 hours ago, Big Geordie said:

Spartans 2-0 down at Dunston. Heading down to the NL, with barely a whimper.  

 

Worth bearing in mind that when Spartans went up from the NL in 94-95, the route up was NL1 > NPL 1 > NPL P > Conference, so the NL1 was 4 steps from the Football League and across the 'Northern' region there were only two divisions between the NL1 and Conference. With the expansion of the league they are still 4 steps away from the FL and there are four divisions in that same gap. They are to some extent, already below where they were back then.

 

There is no excuse for a club with the gates and infrastructure at Croft Park to be struggling in this way. 

[Benwell Lad]

7 hours ago, Matt said:

 

Worth bearing in mind that when Spartans went up from the NL in 94-95, the route up was NL1 > NPL 1 > NPL P > Conference, so the NL1 was 4 steps from the Football League and across the 'Northern' region there were only two divisions between the NL1 and Conference. With the expansion of the league they are still 4 steps away from the FL and there are four divisions in that same gap. They are to some extent, already below where they were back then.

 

There is no excuse for a club with the gates and infrastructure at Croft Park to be struggling in this way. 

 

I seem to remember that the NL was structured even higher than that when the "Conference" or Alliance Premier or whatever it was first called came into being.

NL clubs refused what would have been direct access to the top tier of non league football at that time.

You do wonder with Spartans' level of support and infrastructure how on earth they cannot be a successful top level non league club. If any club has the structure in place it's them.

When they eventually sink to their rightful level (in a current playing sense) they'll start winning, they will have gates way above anyone else in the league and hopefully the super tanker starts slowly turning aroound.

[Big Geordie]

Supposedly, Spartan's budget should have them around mid-table in the league they are in, so clearly - something isn't working. Apparently the new owners are intent on building a community club, which is good - but as we see, it will sharp fail if results on the field don't back it up. Crowds will dwinde which means less money, etc. I suspect they are still paying off debt accrued from the previous owner, who turned out to be a con man and probably leveraged it with as much debt as he could, which he then asset stripped. 'Transparency' was supposed to be a key word from the new owners (who include Kevin Miles), but there doesn't seem to be  much of that going on in recent weeks.

 

Colin Myers is surely on borrowed time. 

 

 

Edited October 15, 2025 by Big Geordie
typos

[Matt]

4 hours ago, Big Geordie said:

Supposedly, Spartan's budget should have them around mid-table in the league they are in, so clearly - something isn't working. Apparently the new owners are intent on building a community club, which is good - but as we see, it will sharp fail if results on the field don't back it up. Crowds will dwinde which means less money, etc. I suspect they are still paying off debt accrued from the previous owner, who turned out to be a con man and probably leveraged it with as much debt as he could, which he then asset stripped. 'Transparency' was supposed to be a key word from the new owners (who include Kevin Miles), but there doesn't seem to be  much of that going on in recent weeks.

 

Colin Myers is surely on borrowed time. 

 

 

 

 

I believe that as of the end of last season, the club had cleared the books in terms of money owed to third parties thanks to the sponsorship money from QTS. It seems to be the same story each season of starting out with untested lower level players then being surprised when it doesn't work out. 

 

Change in the dugout is inevitable.

[Matt]

4 hours ago, Benwell Lad said:

 

I seem to remember that the NL was structured even higher than that when the "Conference" or Alliance Premier or whatever it was first called came into being.

NL clubs refused what would have been direct access to the top tier of non league football at that time.

You do wonder with Spartans' level of support and infrastructure how on earth they cannot be a successful top level non league club. If any club has the structure in place it's them.

When they eventually sink to their rightful level (in a current playing sense) they'll start winning, they will have gates way above anyone else in the league and hopefully the super tanker starts slowly turning aroound.

 

The NL rejected the chance to feed into

the Alliance when it was set up, it would have been the same level as the NPL became. It’s taken best part of 40 years to get proper representation from the NE into the expanded pyramid.