You win promotion and ..........?

[Supersub6]

Last season AFC Ashington won promotion to the Northern Premier League East Division.
They had been doing well all season and had attracted decent crowds, in fact, only two clubs in the NPL East, to which we are promoted. had better average attendances.
My friend, who has a lot of experience in running non-league teams, including Blyth Spartans and Bedlington Terriers had advised that, because of necessary ground improvements and increased travelling costs, it would be in the interest of the club to attract sponsors. He actually suggested a few things and paved the way for the club to just make approaches because money was available. Basically, he was ignored and we wondered how things would progress.
A few weeks ago, this appeared on the Club's website:- https://www.ashingtonafc.com/2023/06...ld-the-budget/

All I can say is that, with the increased amount of travel to away games (more than three times as much as last season) and the current financial situation in the country, this request smacks of desperation.
Sadly, it is a reflectoin of the struggles which non-league clubs encounter season on season whilst the top echelons of the game are swimming in money.

[sinkov]

Your fixture list is horrendous Sub, all that travelling takes the fun out of it. I don't think you'll have any problem at that level, but I suspect after a few months of it you might wish you'd stayed where you were.

[Supersub6]

Your fixture list is horrendous Sub, all that travelling takes the fun out of it. I don't think you'll have any problem at that level, but I suspect after a few months of it you might wish you'd stayed where you were.

sinkov, the main problem is attracting players to sign for us and play. We have lost almost half of last season's squad because the players do not want to travel, some of them having signed for us when they had left other local clubs for the same reason.
We are the club who, along with Morpeth, are the furthest north in the Pyramid system and this will always go against us unless we could pay players hefty wages.
Anyway, we shall see what happens but will be very selective in attending away matches, although I am away for 11 weeks of the season anyway.

[outwoodclaret]

Last season AFC Ashington won promotion to the Northern Premier League East Division.
They had been doing well all season and had attracted decent crowds, in fact, only two clubs in the NPL East, to which we are promoted. had better average attendances.
My friend, who has a lot of experience in running non-league teams, including Blyth Spartans and Bedlington Terriers had advised that, because of necessary ground improvements and increased travelling costs, it would be in the interest of the club to attract sponsors. He actually suggested a few things and paved the way for the club to just make approaches because money was available. Basically, he was ignored and we wondered how things would progress.
A few weeks ago, this appeared on the Club's website:- https://www.ashingtonafc.com/2023/06...ld-the-budget/

All I can say is that, with the increased amount of travel to away games (more than three times as much as last season) and the current financial situation in the country, this request smacks of desperation.
Sadly, it is a reflectoin of the struggles which non-league clubs encounter season on season whilst the top echelons of the game are swimming in money.

My hometown club Fareham Town FC were reasonably successful and gained promotion to the Southern League Premier Division in the early 1980’s but lacked the finances to manage at that level resulting in their dropping back down to the Wes*** League in the 1990’s. There is so much more money in football these days as you point out Supersub but it largely stays at the top. A pyramid system with promotion and relegation on merit is what fans have clearly voiced their support for but lack of funding can effectively produce a closed shop.