Fans turning to lower league football

I think it’s mainly to do with price. Premier league football has become so unaffordable for most people, especially if you want to take a family.

A lot of my mates, both city and United fans have stopped going and now attend games at clubs like county. As someone who also attends a few county games, I’ll say it’s way more affordable, there’s loads of pubs and the crowd demographic is much younger and local as a result

I’m still at city fan though and until I get priced out I’ll still attend, but I am getting kind of fed up with top flight football. I just want to go to the football with my mates, but that’s becoming very difficult to do.
 
Hoping to finally move up to Scotland in the early part of 2026.
Somewhere in Dumfries & Galloway, preferably the Whithorn/ Newton Stewart area.
So my choices for following some 'home games' up there would fall between Stranraer and Queen of the South in Dumfries.
Think I'd still wear a City top as well, just to spread the word of the sky blue gospel
 
CTID...but yes, have always had a soft spot for Kettering Town (where I was born). The Poppies are in the 7th tier of football, and normally utterly shite - but its a real community on my handful of visits and as a FOC - takes me back to Maine Road days.

Thankfully I don't think there will ever be a time when we will play them, and if we did, we would need to build a bigger scoreboard/screen for the likely result....
 
Kippax77 said:
Hoping to finally move up to Scotland in the early part of 2026.
Somewhere in Dumfries & Galloway, preferably the Whithorn/ Newton Stewart area.
So my choices for following some 'home games' up there would fall between Stranraer and Queen of the South in Dumfries.
Think I'd still wear a City top as well, just to spread the word of the sky blue gospel
Click to expand...
I deliver up that area, Stranraer FC would be the closest but Queen of the South is the better team.

If you wanted a little bit better action, Ayr Utd is around 40 miles up the the way.
 
TheGhost said:
I moved to Leeds 20 years ago and used to watch the local non league side Farsley Celtic. A new owner came in and they went on a run of getting promoted 4 times in 5 seasons and ended up in the National League Conference (5th tier in the Pyramid) and played and drew against MK Dons on TV in the 1st round of the FA Cup.

I was paying £8 a game and could get pie and peas for a couple of quid. When they got promoted to the Conference there were new ground regulations that had to be adhered to.

The pie hut was replaced by a burger van. But more importantly there was a minimum ticket price charge of £18 in the league, a £10 increase per game. I didn’t go to many home games that season.

Farsley were part time and most of the other clubs in the Conference were fully professional. Also 16 of the teams in the League were south of Luton whereas the league they were promoted from was regional and all Northern clubs.

They really struggled on and off the pitch got relegated on the last day of the season at York away. I was there.

That summer the club went bust.

A phoenix side was formed AFC Farsley and they worked their way up to a reasonable level. But over the last two seasons they are back in the financial mire, there’s issues with the land where the stadium is, and for some reason were playing some of their home games in Buxton Derbyshire, 65 miles and 2 hour 15 minutes away from West Leeds.

Life, watching City, having a family and a lack of spare time has got in the way of me going back to the Throstles Nest.

But if I gave up watching City I’d happily watch lower league football instead.
Click to expand...

Interesting post. Like I said in my post above I live in Buxton and found it mad that Farsley were playing home games so far from home. Not fair at all for the fans of which hardly any came down for the games (understandably). I went to one of the games, I forget who they were playing but it was a weird atmosphere. Hardly anyone there, I felt sorry for the players.

From what I heard from a guy I know who works for Buxton, the owner was putting a 4G pitch down at Farsleys home ground and ran out of money or was way behind schedule. Something like that.
 
bluealf said:
I deliver up that area, Stranraer FC would be the closest but Queen of the South is the better team.

If you wanted a little bit better action, Ayr Utd is around 40 miles up the the way.
Click to expand...
We were on holiday in Kippford a couple of weeks ago and we did the 3 hour round trip to the nearest game which was Ayr United v Forfar Athletic in the Scottish League Cup. Ayr won 3-0.

The standard wasn’t great but the Pie of the Week was Donner Kebab Pie. I declined the opportunity to try it.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_9511.jpeg
    IMG_9511.jpeg
    1.2 MB · Views: 33
Last edited:
Gorton_Tubster said:
Crewe Alex for me. Started going there last season and it's like going to football as it should be... about football, and maybe a pie.

No VAR, so it's faster and more natural. There's no carnival going to a concert feel, it's for supporters and because of that we get fans not tourists, and because of that there's passion in the crowd.

There's no feeling of being ripped off for as much money as they can make out of you while they treat us like a herd of animals.

No costly memberships just for the privilege of maybe being able to buy a ticket.
And certainly no "how much money can we make out of our customer-base" feeling.

Going to lower league clubs has more of a community feel to it, more of an all in it together feeling. Going to the Etihad (besides the football) leaves me cold and feeling like iv been a consumer rather than a fan they cherish.
Click to expand...
Cracking little ground the Mornflake.
 
bluealf said:
I deliver up that area, Stranraer FC would be the closest but Queen of the South is the better team.

If you wanted a little bit better action, Ayr Utd is around 40 miles up the the way.
Click to expand...
Yeah I go up there alot, and there's more boozers in Dumfries to visit before and after a game.
It's just a matter of if Mrs Kippax would drive the 50 miles from Newton Stewart to pick me up after the match lol.
Scenic enough drive for her though
 
TheGhost said:
We were on holiday in Kippford a couple of weeks ago and we did the 3 hour round trip to the nearest game which was Ayr United v Forfar Athletic in the Scottish League Cup. Ayr won 3-0.

The standard wasn’t great but the Pie of the Week was Donner Kebab Pie. I decline
Click to expand...
Not a white sheet in sight. Not much of a ghost are you?
 
I watch as many City women's games now as much as I do the mens. Its so much cheaper and I still get to enjoy live football with daughter. I'll still watch the men at the ground 6 or 7 times a season but nowhere near the amount i used to (35 games in the league 1, or whatever it was called in them days, season). Having said that I will watch every game I dont go to on dodgy tinternet though.
 
I gave up my season ticket a couple of seasons ago. The group of us going dwindled to just cousin and me. He is a Cop, so missed many games through shifts, and I'd end up driving there and back alone, yes I got to know people around me in the stadium, but no beers or craic in town before or afterwards with mates as before. Then on moving away I didn't fancy driving further for the same thing. (and trains are too unreliable)

The cost wasn't a factor, luckily can afford it, but it was for others in our group, especially nephews, who just couldn't afford it at all.

Now looking at trying nearby clubs like Fleetwood and AFC Fylde with couple of mates in the Fylde area too. It will never replace my City, but I'll enjoy the match going experience.
 
Kippax77 said:
Yeah I go up there alot, and there's more boozers in Dumfries to visit before and after a game.
It's just a matter of if Mrs Kippax would drive the 50 miles from Newton Stewart to pick me up after the match lol.
Scenic enough drive for her though
Click to expand...
Just watch out for McBurnie/Manfreight lorries, they are nutters
 
TheGhost said:
We were on holiday in Kippford a couple of weeks ago and we did the 3 hour round trip to the nearest game which was Ayr United v Forfar Athletic in the Scottish League Cup. Ayr won 3-0.

The standard wasn’t great but the Pie of the Week was Donner Kebab Pie. I declined the opportunity to try it.
Click to expand...
Kippford, the village near Dalbeatie?

Delivered to the Mariner and the Arc at the bottom of the road a fair few times.

That is some dedication to watch a random game of football lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top