The Other Man's Grass...
Mon 27th October 2014 | Winsford United | By Ian Templeman
There is no doubt that the majority of clubs in our division, including Winsford United, start out each season with the aim of getting promotion to the next level, but there is no guarantee of success when you get there.
Fleetwood Town are of course a notable exception, but since they were promoted in 2005, success stories are hard to find.
A look at Step 4 this season tells a sorry tale for many of the clubs that have been promoted from the NWCFL over the past few seasons with Padiham, New Mills, Clitheroe and Prescot Cables firmly entrenched at the bottom of the Evo-Stik League Division One North, and Kidsgrove Athletic at the bottom of Division One South.
Even Norton United, doing so well in the FA Cup were finding it a struggle until recently, and were sitting in the bottom half of the table until they strung a run of wins together to move them up a few places. But despite their recent good form, their gates have been only around the 120 mark.
Only AFC Fylde, Ramsbottom United and Nantwich Town have found any success, with Fylde now in the Conference North and the other two clubs in the Evo-Stik Premier Division and maintaining a high success rate there with crowds averaging around 300 mark.
Newcastle Town have found some consistency without getting out of Division One South, and even clubs like FC United with all their resources have found it hard to go higher than they are at present.
The truth is it's all about money. The intermediate divisions should be looked upon as a springboard for better things, and the aim should be to get to the Evo-Stik Premier Division as soon as possible.
To do that, you have to invest heavily in the squad and team management with contract players as the only way you can pay players more than out-of-pocket expenses is by putting them on a contract. That leads to other problems if they fail to perform, or if they get long term injuries.
Probably the only teams in our division with the resources to go those two steps higher are Runcorn Linnets, Glossop North End and possibly 1874 Northwich but they have the problem of probably going into Division One South with long journeys and no big clubs, so it would need a lot of investment and sponsorship if they were to pull it off.
I have said for a long time that the Evo-Stik Divisions One North and South should be made East and West to make use of the motorway systems that run up both sides of the north. It would also encourage some of the very strong North East Clubs to progress up the pyramid, as now I'm sure the logistics is one of the main reasons where they prefer to stay at Step 5.
It's an expensive business which several clubs have found to their costs, in some cases going out of existence all together. What's the answer? I don't know, but the days of big crowds in Non-League Football are few and far between.
Perhaps all the teams below the Conference North and South should be strictly amateur like it used to be, to stop clubs buying promotion by paying non-contract players silly amounts of money - although how exactly you would implement that is another issue all together......
Bob Astles, Secretary, Winsford United
If you have any comments on Bob's article, e-mail League Media Officer Ian Templeman at ian.templeman@nwcfl.com.
The Other Man's Grass...
Mon 27th October 2014 | Winsford United
By Ian Templeman
There is no doubt that the majority of clubs in our division, including Winsford United, start out each season with the aim of getting promotion to the next level, but there is no guarantee of success when you get there.
Fleetwood Town are of course a notable exception, but since they were promoted in 2005, success stories are hard to find.
A look at Step 4 this season tells a sorry tale for many of the clubs that have been promoted from the NWCFL over the past few seasons with Padiham, New Mills, Clitheroe and Prescot Cables firmly entrenched at the bottom of the Evo-Stik League Division One North, and Kidsgrove Athletic at the bottom of Division One South.
Even Norton United, doing so well in the FA Cup were finding it a struggle until recently, and were sitting in the bottom half of the table until they strung a run of wins together to move them up a few places. But despite their recent good form, their gates have been only around the 120 mark.
Only AFC Fylde, Ramsbottom United and Nantwich Town have found any success, with Fylde now in the Conference North and the other two clubs in the Evo-Stik Premier Division and maintaining a high success rate there with crowds averaging around 300 mark.
Newcastle Town have found some consistency without getting out of Division One South, and even clubs like FC United with all their resources have found it hard to go higher than they are at present.
The truth is it's all about money. The intermediate divisions should be looked upon as a springboard for better things, and the aim should be to get to the Evo-Stik Premier Division as soon as possible.
To do that, you have to invest heavily in the squad and team management with contract players as the only way you can pay players more than out-of-pocket expenses is by putting them on a contract. That leads to other problems if they fail to perform, or if they get long term injuries.
Probably the only teams in our division with the resources to go those two steps higher are Runcorn Linnets, Glossop North End and possibly 1874 Northwich but they have the problem of probably going into Division One South with long journeys and no big clubs, so it would need a lot of investment and sponsorship if they were to pull it off.
I have said for a long time that the Evo-Stik Divisions One North and South should be made East and West to make use of the motorway systems that run up both sides of the north. It would also encourage some of the very strong North East Clubs to progress up the pyramid, as now I'm sure the logistics is one of the main reasons where they prefer to stay at Step 5.
It's an expensive business which several clubs have found to their costs, in some cases going out of existence all together. What's the answer? I don't know, but the days of big crowds in Non-League Football are few and far between.
Perhaps all the teams below the Conference North and South should be strictly amateur like it used to be, to stop clubs buying promotion by paying non-contract players silly amounts of money - although how exactly you would implement that is another issue all together......
Bob Astles, Secretary, Winsford United
If you have any comments on Bob's article, e-mail League Media Officer Ian Templeman at ian.templeman@nwcfl.com.
