While the magic of the FA Cup may have faded a little at the elite level of English professional football over recent years, it certainly endures further down the pyramid. That’s clear from the spectator numbers alone: For example, three of the five step-8 teams playing in the fourth qualifying round in October pulled in over 1,300 spectators for their respective matches.
We could also look to the likes of Bromsgrove Sporting for further evidence of the Cup’s appeal. As the spiritual successor to the now-defunct Bromsgrove Rovers, Bromsgrove Sporting regularly enjoy higher attendances than most other step-7 clubs. Nevertheless, the 3,218 supporters that passed through the Victoria Ground turnstiles for Sporting’s fourth qualifying round clash against Grimsby represented an almost 500% increase on the turnout for their previous Southern League Premier Division Central home match four days earlier. It’s also higher than the average attendances this season of ten League Two teams as well as Burton and Accrington in League One.
That all translates into a lot of extra cash for these clubs – cash that is needed now more than ever given how revenue streams have been decimated by covid disruptions over the last two years. For non-league clubs, the FA Cup truly is a lifeline.
Take Yate Town, for example. Yate’s balance sheet as at March 2020 (the most recent date for which accounts are available) showed the club in the red to the tune of almost £40,000. A win against Yeovil in this year’s first round (which is surely worth a punt, especially if you take advantage of some of the excellent online bookmaker offers currently available) would bring Yate’s total prize money for this season’s competition to £43,254.
To put that in perspective, Yate Town’s League Two neighbours Bristol Rovers would need to reach the semi-final to come anywhere close to meeting their total liabilities (as at June 2020) with FA Cup prize money alone.
On top of significantly boosted gate receipts, clubs also benefit from prize money plus further exposure and revenue if they’re lucky enough to be involved in a nationally televised fixture. AFC Sudbury‘s first-round clash against Colchester will be on the BBC, with Colchester particularly eager to avoid a second consecutive exit against an eighth-tier team (they lost to Marine in the first round last year).
When a Championship or Premier League side who are prioritising league success fields a second XI in the FA Cup later this season – as several surely will – pundits will moan on TV and stories will be published about how the Cup has lost its sparkle. But they’re missing the point. Yes, there are some fantastic stories once the big boys get involved, but the FA Cup is at its best long before the Third Round.
Does a windfall from an FA Cup run result in improved fortunes for a non-league club on the pitch in the short term? Probably not (though Marine – who reached round three and played against Jose Mourinho’s Spurs last year – do look well set for a return to the Northern League Premier after a strong start to the season). But a long Cup run helps keep the lights on, pays the local business creditors and, most importantly, reassures fans that they’ll probably still have a local club to support in two or three year’s time.
