Merseyside is all set once again to cash in on Non League Football Day which is now a part become a showcase for the game at grass roots level.
This is the 11th year where the footballing focus can be directed to local clubs. Every year since 2010 (apart from during covid) around an international break, the focus is on the fortunes of local teams local teams who raise money for both charity and the teams themselves.
Non League clubs like Prescott Cables have seen an increase in attendances over the past few years. Club Director Richard Tigwell said: “We have seen our gates double since COVID anyway, but yes on Non-League days we have seen the number of attendees at the game increase by 100 to 200. And you can imagine that the financial side of that is also huge for a club like us, at this level”.
Another team playing at home on the Non League day is Bootle FC and their Chairman, Dave Miley, praised non-league day and urged teams to put on incentives to attract fans and raise money. He said: “The day is a great showcase for non-league clubs, especially for clubs that aren’t seeing an increase in attendees. They can show off their facilities and the football that they offer, and I do think putting benefits on will benefit teams”.
The scheme is the brain child of non league football fan James Doe who his own team Harrow Borough, struggling to make ends meet. He wanted to spark a change and help teams across the nation, he said: “I thought this is a pretty sorry state, I just thought what can I do?
“So, I saw that there’s an international break coming up. I thought, we could try and do something, people could go and watch their local non-league club they could have a great time and have a great impact at their local club.”
