Stay tuned…

This is going to be a very exciting week for the blog, with three awesome videos in the pipeline. These include a day in the life of a football fan on match day, a review of my visit to Woking FC, who can boast of one of the largest stands in the non-league game, in their clash against Bath City in the Vanarama National League South. I will also be conducting a fascinating interview with a young football fan, who is part of a new generation of football fans who opt to support a non-league and a Premier league football team.

The videos will be posted on this blog as well as on my brand new YouTube channel, so go ahead and subscribe to get ahead of the game!

I will also be stepping up the amount of ground reviews, with another one to be posted this weekend from a ground that is very local to me (exact one has not yet been decided!)

#WellingFC #BathCity #NonLeague #VanaramaSouth #PremierLeague #Football #Footballfans #groundhopping #nonleaguefootball #englishfotball #welling #bath #footballground #footballstadium

Sorry..

Unfortunately I was unable to attend the Berkhamsted vs South Park match today as planned due to unforeseen circumstances. Although out of my control, I was very disappointed to have not been able to make it to the game and celebrate Non-League Day 2018 by supporting a local club.

The match saw Berkhamsted defeat South Park by 5 goals to 1, seeing them through to the next stage of the FA Trophy.

I can only apologise for not providing a review today; this was not the start to the blog I envisaged.

Next week I will be visiting Vauxhall Road, home of Hemel Hempstead Town FC, as they take on Oxford City in the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup, so stay tuned for my review of what is a difficult to predict match up between two Vanarama National League South teams.

Thanks,

R.S.

My First Post: Non-League Day 2018

Hello and welcome to the Football Ground-Low, the blog dedicated to providing you with in-depth reviews of my match day experiences from football grounds across the country; big or small.

This Saturday I will be bringing you my first match report, the FA Trophy Preliminary Round tie between Berkhamsted FC and South Park, which coincides with Non-League Day 2018 (13th October 2018).

Braodwater, home of Berkhamsted FC, will be TFGL's first expedition

The Football Ground-Low aims to showcase football at all levels, and therefore, to celebrate this special day in the football calendar, I will dedicate my first post on the blog highlighting the differences between the professional and grassroots game, why non-league football is so great and why and how you can get involved in getting behind your local semi-professional team, no matter who you support.

Non-League day, which started in 2010 and has occurred on the October international break every year since, is backed by the Premier League and Football League, MPs and celebrities with the aim to encourage people to check out their local side and see the unique things non-league football has to offer.

Non-league clubs are mainly run by volunteers who have a passion for football and the community and the extra match revenue made by clubs on Non-League day can help them stay afloat financially.

Non-League clubs will be hoping to see a few extra faces come through the turnstiles this Saturday

It is played by people who balance a normal life while training a few times a week and playing a match on a Saturday, which allows them to make a little bit of money on the side, nothing like the six-figure pay checks some premier league stars bring home at the end of the week.

The matches are enjoyed by fans that are passionate, friendly and often with a good story to tell, who are drawn in by the good prices and sense of community and keep coming back for more. 3PM on a Saturday allows these people to escape the harsh realities of life and enjoy a football match with good food, drink and company, often only a stroll away from their house.

Dogs are also welcome at many non-league grounds around the country, with twitter account @nonleaguedogs showing them off to more than 7000 followers. That’s something you don’t see at the Emirates!

The football is approved by our four-legged friends

Non-league football is also packed full of goals and excitement. I have personally seen a 7-4 (equal to the premier league record) and 5-5 all in the same season while Halesowen Town beat Nuneaton Borough 8-9 just last week in an FA Youth Cup tie, even though Nuneaton were leading 7-2 after sixty minutes!

Although you may not see world class players’ week in week out at the lower depths of English football, the passion, sense of community and quality of the British non-league scene is unrivalled anywhere in the world and making a trip to your local team this weekend will be well worth your time.

You can find a local match for this Saturday by following this link and entering your location:

http://www.nonleagueday.co.uk/map.html