The NLP says… Sing it loud and spread the love! Non-League is a serious old business

By Alex Narey
Something quite remarkable happened last Sunday. Sat in the pub, a friend of mine asked how work was. I told him we were busy, as always, and that January and February always wreak havoc with postponements. “Saturdays,” I remarked… “They’re a minefield. It’s blood, sweat and tears.”
That, however, wasn’t the remarkable bit.
The remarkable bit came when he continued to ask me questions about work and the wider landscape of Non-League football. I’ve edited this paper for the best part of two years and yet in that time, not one of my pals has shown the slightest interest in the football and clubs my job covers. Until now…
The friend in question is a lifelong Manchester United fan – despite living and growing up in Hampshire – who has spent close to a small fortune over the last 20 years on petrol, hotels and grossly inflated ticket prices in his quest to watch the club he loves.
His three kids – all boys and all football mad – have followed in their old man’s footsteps by picking one of the richest clubs in the world to support, and they tag along to any games he attends, all decked out in the latest replica kits. Believe me, one man’s love affair with football has never been so expensive.
And so the probing continued… What league do Basingstoke play in then? What sort of money are these guys on? And is the Vauxhall Conference still going?
Suddenly, with every answer I gave, the penny was beginning to drop; there was a whole new world out there and he wanted to discover more of it.
Living just 13 miles away from Aldershot, I told him he should get himself down to the EBB Stadium (The Rec as we both know it), where he could watch one of the best footballing sides in Non-League as they fight for a promotion that will take them back to the riches of the Football League.
He even checked the fixtures, pencilling in next Saturday’s top-of-the-table clash with Macclesfield, clearing the date with his wife before informing his eldest that he would be taking him along.
Why traipse 212 miles up to the other end of the country once every three months when you can take in the delights of Aldershot? That’s not me being tongue in cheek either. It’s an absolute no-brainer.
Whether he actually goes to the game is another matter. Something will probably get in the way; a prior engagement that hasn’t been marked on the family calendar. But the fact we even had that conversation was music to my ears.
People often ask me what the toughest part of this job is. They want to know what it’s like on a Saturday night, with a deadline looming and with hundreds of games being covered. That’s tough, no doubt. But the real challenge is making people take Non-League football seriously; making them realise that it is a serious business played to a serious standard, and that relatively speaking, no one game is bigger than the next.
So keep spreading the love for Non-League footie. You’ll probably spend most of your time banging your head against the wall but once in a blue moon, someone may just surprise you and take notice.
 
*This article originally featured in The @NonLeaguePaper which is available every Sunday and Monday