The Season of Non-League Football

Last season BBC Sport’s Price of Football study discovered that English football is pricing supporters out, with the cheapest tickets rising at twice the rate of the cost of living.

Whilst this research made excellent headline news, most football fans already knew this considering their wallets have been feeling lighter for many seasons now.

Three years ago I started my degree at Oxford Brookes University and for the first time in my life I lived in a city with a Football League club, Oxford United. Before I joined I was excited about finding a group of football-loving mates and watching the mighty U’s every other Saturday at the Kassam Stadium.

But during my three years at University I never turned up to cheer on Oxford.

The reason? Oxford United’s cheapest ticket was £20.

Now whilst ticket prices in the Premier League might be £40 - £50, I don’t mind this as much as having to fork out £20 to watch League Two quality football on a cold and wet Saturday afternoon.

Pork, Pint & Play

This left me with a void to fill on my Saturday’s. I wanted to watch live football and during my second year I turned to Oxford United’s local rivals, Oxford City.

Though the quality of football wasn’t amazing at Marsh Lane (home of the Vanarama North side), no one could question the price and enjoyment of the occasion.

Oxford City had done brilliant marketing towards a student audience and teamed up with a university society to offer a “Pork, Pint and Play” deal for £5. That’s a pint of beer, a hot dog AND a 90 minute football match for just a fiver!

Over the next two years at university I started following City closely going to home and away matches with a group of fellow non-league football loving students.

But many football fans don’t know what’s on offer in their own back-yard.

With the 2015/16 season closely approaching non-league football could offer a brilliant alternative to the over-priced Football League if, as a collective, the marketing was done right.

Unlike Football League clubs, non-league sides don’t have the privilege of a massive marketing budget or an avid fan base. Instead each club should work together off of the pitch to increase attendances on match-days.

Passion for football

The student demographic is the ideal target audience for non-league football clubs to attract. Zero disposable income but willing to spend a fiver if they get a pint out of it.

It is important for non-league football to acknowledge their differences from the Football League. No, they cannot offer the individual brilliance of Eden Hazard, or even Patrick Bamford. But what they can offer is a passion for football, goals and a family-friendly atmosphere.

If this campaign was to be instigated by the clubs, the FA, or even an organisation such as The Non-League Paper, then hopefully there would be an upward trend in attendances throughout non-league sides.

If marketed well it could also lead to League Two sides, such as Oxford United, re-thinking their pricing strategy and offering tickets at a more sensible price, affordable for real fans.

With no-let up in sight for the continued rise in the price of football, this could be the perfect opportunity for grass-roots football to really make an impression.