Non-league pyramid - do you play?
Discussion
There are many thousands of people on here, and I'm sure I saw someone mention that they used to be a pro (quietly), but where abouts does your team's league sit?
You can find out here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_football_lea...
I just think it's great that a team can rise from absolutely nothing to wherever they want if they have the potential/backing. I think I'm right in saying that Wigan used to play down at about level 8/9 before Dave Whelan took over?
Personally, I'm resolutely average - I spent 3/4 seasons playing at level 10, but we were relegated into level 11, where we still are. Have played against a handful of level 9 and one level 8 club (in a friendly). The standard at this sort of level varies enormously. Some teams are glorified Sunday league clubs (like ours!) with people playing for pride and maybe some petrol money if they're lucky, but some clubs are bankrolled by a local big-time Charlie and are paying £60-100 a week to key players and quickly rise through the leagues.
Anyone currently playing at 6/7/8? Had any good runs in the Vase/FA Cup prelims?
You can find out here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_football_lea...
I just think it's great that a team can rise from absolutely nothing to wherever they want if they have the potential/backing. I think I'm right in saying that Wigan used to play down at about level 8/9 before Dave Whelan took over?
Personally, I'm resolutely average - I spent 3/4 seasons playing at level 10, but we were relegated into level 11, where we still are. Have played against a handful of level 9 and one level 8 club (in a friendly). The standard at this sort of level varies enormously. Some teams are glorified Sunday league clubs (like ours!) with people playing for pride and maybe some petrol money if they're lucky, but some clubs are bankrolled by a local big-time Charlie and are paying £60-100 a week to key players and quickly rise through the leagues.
Anyone currently playing at 6/7/8? Had any good runs in the Vase/FA Cup prelims?
My boss is chairman of Stansted who play in the Essex Senior League, step 9.
The stories that come out of that level of football are more entertaining than any reality show.
A few weeks ago they had open manager vacancy. My boss had 1 person in mind and he was offered the job. But everyone else on the board (essentially just his drinking mates) wanted someone else who had just become available. That someone else came in instead of the original guy.
New guy then emailed a resignation letter in after 3 days (After watching one game, not even managing it) and my boss had to ring the guy they messed around with originally to offer him the job (...again).
The biggest problem they have is sharing the ground with the cricket club so they can't get barriers around the whole pitch which is apparently needed for the step above... not quite sure how Stourbridge get round this, though?
The stories that come out of that level of football are more entertaining than any reality show.
A few weeks ago they had open manager vacancy. My boss had 1 person in mind and he was offered the job. But everyone else on the board (essentially just his drinking mates) wanted someone else who had just become available. That someone else came in instead of the original guy.
New guy then emailed a resignation letter in after 3 days (After watching one game, not even managing it) and my boss had to ring the guy they messed around with originally to offer him the job (...again).
The biggest problem they have is sharing the ground with the cricket club so they can't get barriers around the whole pitch which is apparently needed for the step above... not quite sure how Stourbridge get round this, though?
Are you sure Essex Senior League is Step 9?
I play in Wessex league which according to the Wiki article is also Step 9 & 10. We have to barriers, stand, lights, turnstyle etc as we play in the FA Cup prelimary rounds and the FA Vase.
At my level some clubs don't even pay but there are a few clubs with rich owners that can pay over £100 a week plus. Attendances range from from one man and his dog to several hundred (Salisbury).
A friend at mine is a manager at step 7 and their wage bill is £1400 p/w.
I play in Wessex league which according to the Wiki article is also Step 9 & 10. We have to barriers, stand, lights, turnstyle etc as we play in the FA Cup prelimary rounds and the FA Vase.
At my level some clubs don't even pay but there are a few clubs with rich owners that can pay over £100 a week plus. Attendances range from from one man and his dog to several hundred (Salisbury).
A friend at mine is a manager at step 7 and their wage bill is £1400 p/w.
Edited by pedrotunes on Thursday 17th December 15:27
pedrotunes said:
Are you sure Essex Senior League is Step 9?
I play in Wessex league which according to the Wiki article is also Step 9 & 10. We have to barriers, stand, lights, turnstyle etc as we play in the FA Cup prelimary rounds and the FA Vase.
At my level some clubs don't even pay but there are a few clubs with rich owners that can pay over £100 a week plus. Attendances range from from one man and his dog to several hundred (Salisbury).
A friend at mine is a manager at step 7 and their wage bill is £1400 p/w.
Might be getting steps and levels muddled up, wouldn't be the first. I play in Wessex league which according to the Wiki article is also Step 9 & 10. We have to barriers, stand, lights, turnstyle etc as we play in the FA Cup prelimary rounds and the FA Vase.
At my level some clubs don't even pay but there are a few clubs with rich owners that can pay over £100 a week plus. Attendances range from from one man and his dog to several hundred (Salisbury).
A friend at mine is a manager at step 7 and their wage bill is £1400 p/w.
Edited by pedrotunes on Thursday 17th December 15:27
I'm secretary and commercial manager of a Step 6 (or Level 10) club near Bristol. We have never sacked a manager and we have never paid our players although we do have a group of supporters who contribute into a fund from which the players are paid.
I managed to get them a £21k grant from the local council for new dugouts, containers, CCTV etc last March and used that money to get a further £50k from the Football Foundation last month. This extra money will be used for a new perimeter fence, new stand and lots of little jobs such as new speaker system, white lining the car park, security measures and an entrance kiosk. We are currently fourth in the division, three points off the top with three games in hand. If we did achieve promotion, it would be massive for what is a village club with an average gate of 34 this season. We'd move up to within five steps of League Two... bloody hell!
GloverMart said:
pedrotunes said:
Are you sure Essex Senior League is Step 9?
I play in Wessex league which according to the Wiki article is also Step 9 & 10. We have to barriers, stand, lights, turnstyle etc as we play in the FA Cup prelimary rounds and the FA Vase.
At my level some clubs don't even pay but there are a few clubs with rich owners that can pay over £100 a week plus. Attendances range from from one man and his dog to several hundred (Salisbury).
A friend at mine is a manager at step 7 and their wage bill is £1400 p/w.
Might be getting steps and levels muddled up, wouldn't be the first. I play in Wessex league which according to the Wiki article is also Step 9 & 10. We have to barriers, stand, lights, turnstyle etc as we play in the FA Cup prelimary rounds and the FA Vase.
At my level some clubs don't even pay but there are a few clubs with rich owners that can pay over £100 a week plus. Attendances range from from one man and his dog to several hundred (Salisbury).
A friend at mine is a manager at step 7 and their wage bill is £1400 p/w.
Edited by pedrotunes on Thursday 17th December 15:27
I'm secretary and commercial manager of a Step 6 (or Level 10) club near Bristol. We have never sacked a manager and we have never paid our players although we do have a group of supporters who contribute into a fund from which the players are paid.
I managed to get them a £21k grant from the local council for new dugouts, containers, CCTV etc last March and used that money to get a further £50k from the Football Foundation last month. This extra money will be used for a new perimeter fence, new stand and lots of little jobs such as new speaker system, white lining the car park, security measures and an entrance kiosk. We are currently fourth in the division, three points off the top with three games in hand. If we did achieve promotion, it would be massive for what is a village club with an average gate of 34 this season. We'd move up to within five steps of League Two... bloody hell!
Currently in my level 11 (step 7 league), the top 3/4 would be fairly competitive with most of the league above. The bottom 3/4 in our league would get beaten by lots of teams in more local leagues.
In the level 10 (step 6) I played in (NCEL) then the bottom 7/8 are very comparable with the division below, but the top 4/5 are a different proposition altogether and can hold their own against teams 2 leagues higher. Quite a few ex pros and loads of players who have played significantly higher up the ladder when younger are playing for the better teams in steps 6 and especially step 5. The highest I've personally seen is an ex-Championship player, but I'm sure I read somewhere that Jonathan Greening was playing at step 5 not so long back. It's a fair distance from winning the UCL!
Over the span of eight or nine years I played for clubs in the Herts Senior County League and also the Surrey Elite Intermediate League.
I think it's right to say that the quality varied significantly in and around the teams, divisions, grounds, facilities and players.
Looking back I think university football quality was much higher generally. the combination of loads of free time, top class facilities, coaches, and a broader (international) group to select from meant that say if you got through your college ranks - and each, like Imperial or UCL or Kings had 4,5,6 teams each - and then made it into the University XI was pretty cool. Then you got fixtures like Crystal Palace reserves, the Met Police, Loughborough, etc...
Not sure how much has changed since but can't see where Uni football fits in (or doesn't) into the amateur or non-league pyramid.
Thanks for the thread - opened my eyes up to something I'd never really thought much about! But very interesting...
I think it's right to say that the quality varied significantly in and around the teams, divisions, grounds, facilities and players.
Looking back I think university football quality was much higher generally. the combination of loads of free time, top class facilities, coaches, and a broader (international) group to select from meant that say if you got through your college ranks - and each, like Imperial or UCL or Kings had 4,5,6 teams each - and then made it into the University XI was pretty cool. Then you got fixtures like Crystal Palace reserves, the Met Police, Loughborough, etc...
Not sure how much has changed since but can't see where Uni football fits in (or doesn't) into the amateur or non-league pyramid.
Thanks for the thread - opened my eyes up to something I'd never really thought much about! But very interesting...
Played for Tooting & Mitcham during university and then spent a few years playing for Dulwich Hamlet afterwards. Did a few games for Colliers Wood in the Combined Counties as well, the standard there varied from pub league to a solid Isthmian standard, some players took it very seriously, some were snorting coke and drinking beer on the way to away matches 
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