The Elland Road alternative

Leeds United were once Yorkshire’s beacon of the Premier League and Europe. Their demise was a financial mismanagement catastrophe, with high expectations landing the club in tens, sometimes hundreds of millions of pounds in debt. However, as the club battle to re-establish themselves as the powerful force they once were, a bigger financial hardship is permeating through the Championship club.

Attendances at Elland Road have dropped by 14 per cent this year, and by 20 per cent in some selected fixtures. There were 5,000 less fans at the Bristol City fixture this year over the last, and 9,000 less fans at the Portsmouth game. In a period of relative success, it is safe to assume that the 14 per cent have been out-priced from the football games.

Lucrative match-day pricing can be enough to turn many football enthusiasts away from live games. Indeed, it was the pricing structure at Elland Road which became the catalyst of a u-turn in my own local loyalties, as my family and I abandoned our closest club for a non-league outfit 30 miles down the road. In an ironically cruel twist of fate, that team then got promoted three times in five seasons, but our allegiance has stuck.

As the vested interests in Leeds continue to build ‘concrete on sand’ by pushing the limits on the already bemused wallet of the loyal football fan, here is a chance to look at the non-league terraces of Yorkshire as an alternative to the (recently refurbished) Elland Road Stadium.

Guisley AFC

Guisley AFC missed out on the Conference by 11 minutes last season, losing to AFC Telford United in the play-off final in extra time. The promotion push of 2010 showcased some of non-league’s best attributes, with fans hoisted through a roller coaster ride of extra times, penalties, ups and downs, trials and tribulations. Located in the north of Leeds, the club have continued their conference aspirations this season, bringing in new players who have successfully managed to keep the Lions at the top end of the table. A match-day ticket at Nethermore’s 3000 capacity stadium will costs £10 for adults and £6 for children, with free car parking on Netherfield Road and a fully licensed club house, which is a major perk of non-league grounds.

Garforth Town FC

You don’t tend to associate many names with the small town of Garforth, but Socrates is a name you would hesitate to associate with any club in England. The Brazilian legend did play for Garforth Town (if only for 20 minutes), but his objectives at the club were external to the publicity and fame the team received from his short appearance. Futebol, endorsed by the late Socrates, was introduced by Simon Clifford who expressed his ambition when he became the club’s chairman:

“Many will say that at these lower levels you can’t play the good stuff, you’ve got to scrap your way out. I don’t believe in that. I think if you’re fit enough, fast enough, strong enough then you can play the good stuff.”

Clifford, once a school teacher, is now the head of soccer schools around the country that are promoting ‘Futebol de salao,’ which translates to ‘football indoors’ or the commonly used acronym Futsal. Pele, Jairzinho, Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Juninho are all products of the Samba football Clifford is attempting to introduce in England, and the routs are ever so romantically placed at its heart; the non-league.

Garforth also house a clubhouse in their recently refurbished main stand, littered with Brazilian paraphernalia and newspaper clippings of international legends that have graced the ground. The club, conveniently, sport a yellow and blue home kit, with match-day tickets also priced at £10 for adults, with a season ticket for a family working out at £2.40 per person per game.

Halifax AFC

The Shay ground is a particular favourite of mine. To me, it encapsulates the city. Built into the hills that mark the start of the trans-Pennine trail, it acts as a gateway to Yorkshire. FC Halifax Town is one of many non-league outfits to have been born or reborn with FC preceding the name. The Shay, that can hold a massive 14,000 spectators, saw a 30 game unbeaten run spanning from a victory over Telford in April of 2009 to a 3-0 win over Retford United in November of 2011, which included 24 wins and 79 goals. The club have also enjoyed good cup runs, with 4,600 people watching a first round tie against Charlton Athletic. A match-day ticket will cost you £12.50 at The Shay stadium, with 16 and under tickets priced at £7.50.

York City

York City is a club that is closely knitted to its supporters. The Supporters Trust acquired the club in 2003 and, under the strong guidance of Jason McGill, managed to attract stadium sponsorship from Rowntree Nestle (hence the Kit Kat Crescent). McGill, a life-long fan, gained a majority shareholder position with an investment of a million pounds into the club, which was agreed three to one by the Supporters Trust. City are set to remain at home stadium Bootham Crescent until 2015, where they have the seventh highest attendances in the Conference. However, a campaign for a joint stadium venture for the city of York has seen plans for a 10,000 stadium endorsed by fans and the City Council. The club have been teetering on the verge of League football for the past few years, and have enjoyed, or participated in, two unsuccessful trips to Wembley stadium in the Conference playoffs (defeated 3-1 by Oxford Town) and the FA Trophy, where they were defeated narrowly by Stevenage Borough. Ticket prices at the Crescent are relatively more expensive, with adults paying £15-18 and child admission ranging from £7 to £12.

Harrogate Town and Harrogate Railway

The spa town of Harrogate plays hosts to two non-league teams, both of which have rich and successful histories. Town are the highest ranked of the neighbouring clubs, although only just. In the 2009-10 they retained their Conference North status thanks to Northwich Victoria’s financial troubles, which saw the Yorkshire club reinstated in the league. Town’s CNG stadium is all you would expect from a quaint spa town team, where admission costs £10 for adults and only £2 for 16 and under.

Harrogate Railway are one of many Northern Premier League Division One teams that reside within close vicinity of Leeds. As well as the aforementioned Garforth Town, there is also the Osset teams of Osset Town and Osset Albion, Wakefield FC and Farsley AFC (formerly Farsley Celtic). All of these Yorkshire teams offer a wealth of non-league attractions, from the club house to the turnstile, that have become magnets to the disillusioned (or broke) fans of Elland Road.