We made the trip up to Fylde and we got hammered for the 5th game in a row.
18 million pounds to build their ground and facilities in a tiny village. They have a restaurant, massive sports bar, executive boxes on a big complex with a KFC, Aldi and industrial businesses.
Three sides of the ground are terrific, with a flat uncovered area behind the home goal.....
They are being bankrolled by 300-400k per year as they have no fan base and are surrounded by Preston, Blackpool and Fylde.

They will do a Rushden and go bust when the owner gets fed up.

As long as they spend within their means, it's not an issue.
East Manchester has a similar issue - FC United, Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley, Droylsden, Ashton Utd, Curzon Ashton all within 5-10 miles of each other

Tividale are step 5, same league as the mighty Worcester City! So there will be 16 leagues across the country at this level when the reshuffles finally sort themselves out. Step 4 is where they really struggled big difference going down to 8 regional leagues, number of players able to cope with pace of game reduced dramatically but tough to get out of step 5 as usually only one club goes up, normally best of that step by some difference. 

Beautifully made little documentary https://www.theblizzard.co.uk/news/beeches-tividale-fc about the club in step 6 last season.

Sums up what step 5 football should be all about, although the quality of and effort put into what goes on on the pitch at this level isnt really covered. 

I would agree that they are about as super cool as you can get in the Black Country. You can see the ships at Dudley port from the ground

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Wednesday 15th of January 2020 05:17:09 AM

Tividale looks a great place to spend a Saturday afternoon in the future perhaps when Wolves are on Sky a Sunday or a Monday night, you could probably squeeze a trip in when Wolves are @ home in the early or late Saturday games. Remember that? Saturday afternoon football.

Love the documentary, beautifully shot, great audio, really representative of the enormous work volunteers put into non league football, everybody doing something to get the match on and keep the club ticking over. Obviously got the sports scientist in to plan the half time snack selection.

No plastic pitch at Bromsgrove but last nights Vase game went on and Worcester won!!! 452 for an OUT OF TOWN WEDNESDAY Night (Bromsgrove is 13 miles from Worcester) step 5 game is absolutely cracking!!! Things were looking shakey in the afternoon but they got it on.

Generally dont see Vase gates like that until QFs. Cray Valley Papermill got 700 for home SF on a Sunday & nothing else was on in SE London.

Next up step 6 Atherstone Town (beat Malvern in an earlier round 10-0!!) Their Sheppy Rd ground has a capacity of 3.5K. Worryingly the council have approved planning permission for 44 houses.

Worcester could really do with a good Vase run bit like Canterbury City last year (Now really struggling!) to raise the clubs profile in the town they represent and hopefully will go back too in August for 2020/21 season. Lights Out last fan out of Worcester on the 8th of Feb.

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Thursday 16th of January 2020 05:33:56 AM

Oakland2002 wrote:

---

Tividale looks a great place to spend a Saturday afternoon in the future perhaps when Wolves are on Sky a Sunday or a Monday night, you could probably squeeze a trip in when Wolves are @ home in the early or late Saturday games. Remember that? Saturday afternoon football.

Love the documentary, beautifully shot, great audio, really representative of the enormous work volunteers put into non league football, everybody doing something to get the match on and keep the club ticking over. Obviously got the sports scientist in to plan the half time snack selection.

No plastic pitch at Bromsgrove but last nights Vase game went on and Worcester won!!! 452 for an OUT OF TOWN WEDNESDAY Night (Bromsgrove is 13 miles from Worcester) step 5 game is absolutely cracking!!! Things were looking shakey in the afternoon but they got it on.

Generally dont see Vase gates like that until QFs. Cray hValley Papermill got 700 for home SF on a Sunday & nothing else was on in SE London.

Next up step 6 Atherstone Town (beat Malvern in an earlier round 10-0!!) Their Sheppy Rd ground has a capacity of 3.5K. Worryingly the council have approved planning permission for 44 houses.

Worcester could really do with a good Vase run bit like Canterbury City last year (Now really struggling!) to raise the clubs profile in the town they represent and hopefully will go back too in August for 2020/21 season. Lights Out last fan out of Worcester on the 8th of Feb.

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Thursday 16th of January 2020 05:33:56 AM

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 Atherstone are the only step 6/ level 10 team left in the Vase. The rest are all level 9. 

 

In the Trophy, level 8 Aveley are in, I think a couple have replays to navigate though. 

On the islands theme, I heard on Talksport and then read more about an Isle of Man team being formed and looking to join the North West Counties Football League (Step 6) for next season. 

For many years in non league circles Dulwich Hamlet were better known for their inspirational openly gay totally committed fan commonly known as Dulwich Mishi. By no means an angel he had a tendency to call a spade a shovel but even then was worth listening to (sometimes) everything he did was focused on developing the club he loved, in turn he got an immense amount of enjoyment out of following Hamlet from 7-53.

He was interviewed at half time during the Carlisle game this year, I think the game was the pinnacle of his years of devotion. He was a recovering alcoholic having been abstinent for at least a decade and always out front selling 50:50 tickets even in the boozy days when Hamlet got gates of 200 he was the fanzine editor, club in the community officer and the clubs worst hooligan.

Unfortunately he beat the booze but eventually fell victim a diet of fast food passing away at the funeral of a fellow fan a couple of weeks back.

twitter.com/dulwichhamletfc/status/1218159061461585921

 

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Sunday 19th of January 2020 07:11:31 PM