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Non-League Day: Grassroots football takes centre stage

From Cornwall to Northumberland and at all points in between throughout the country, fans of Premier League and Championship clubs are being urged to support Non-League Day this weekend.

By Rob Parrish - Follow me on Twitter @skysportsrobp

Friday 6 September 2013 09:42, UK

In the corridors of power at the Premier League, the common name given to the dates when international football takes centre stage is 'the dark weekend'.

"The first thing was to get money in because times were tough for a lot of teams - and they still are," he explains. "We've seen Kettering Town in all kinds of trouble this week. A lot of people don't know there are these great little teams on their doorstep. "The atmosphere is totally different, it's a lot cheaper, it's more friendly, you get the chance to meet the players, it's very easy to become a volunteer for the clubs. "A lot of people could get some great work experience with non-league clubs. They don't realise that there's this great resource and experience out there that people can have."

Arsenal

It may be an event to celebrate the grassroots, but Non-League Day has captured the imagination of even the biggest Premier League clubs, with Arsenal helping out with the offer of luxury transport for one of their neighbours. Doe said: "For the second year running Arsenal have loaned their team bus to Boreham Wood so that they can go to their away game in comfort and luxury. This year we have also got lots of players to come and back us - Jamie Carragher is probably the most high profile. Martin Tyler is our principal ambassador and he is doing lots of good work for us. "One club is actually paying people 5p to come and watch - Bungay Town in Suffolk - they've been making quite a few headlines with that story. "People are coming over from places like the Netherlands to take part in our event, they do every year, it's becoming a bit of an international event. We want to make Non-League Day a proper permanent fixture that everybody knows about - like the Boat Race - so that it is just in people's consciousness." With much hand-wringing and angst currently enveloping the upper echelons of football over the future prospects of the England side amidst a flood of foreign talent into the Premier League, it is worth remembering that not every international is nurtured at a top-flight academy awash with high level facilities. Doe said: "The primary example you can quote is Chris Smalling - he's now an England squad member and with Manchester United. He was playing for Maidstone in non-league not that long ago and he has been spotted and made it right to the top. "Players can continue to be developed that might be missed by the big teams, or given a second chance in some cases and given another go. You hear a lot of stories of players rejected by the bigger clubs and then turned it around in non-league and gone back up again - Charlie Austin for example. "It's very important for the game." Click here to find out more about Non-League Day and how you can get involved.

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