ESL in Non League Paper

'Nurture Non-League'

For clubs operating at Step 5 of the National League System, one
postponed home match is not just an inconvenience, it can be the
difference between stability and serious financial strain. At Essex Senior League, we look at non-traditional ways to raise the profile of the clubs and the league, through our targeted calendar of events using the platform of football to raise key social and health awareness to subsidised first aid courses. These are driven to help the sustainability of our member clubs and provide social-value to our community.

Across our league, the signs are becoming harder to ignore

• Gates are gradually reducing
• Weather patterns are becoming more extreme
• Prolonged periods of heavy rain are causing repeated postponements

And when we lose fixtures, clubs lose much needed revenue!

The perception is that clubs playing within a stadium environment have rich benefactors or chairmen, pay vast sums in players wages (expenses) the harsh reality is, when the weather becomes inclement, the gates drop and games are postponed, sometimes for the second, third or fourth time!

At our level, sustainability is fragile. Clubs sharing ground
facilities, don't always have the opportunity to secondary spend incomes that the host club generates through bar and food booth takings, making ground sharing clubs less robust and more susceptible to the effects of the loss of gate receipts over a prolonged period.

When the pitch is waterlogged, all of that revenue potential disappears overnight, yet costs remain. Utilities must still be paid; discipline charges still stand; insurance, maintenance, travel and matchday preparation costs continue regardless of whether a ball is kicked. A run of two or three postponements can place a club in an extremely difficult position.

Non-League football is not driven by television revenue or multi-million pound sponsorships.

Clubs are being asked to do more with less, and to absorb risks that were once occasional but are now frequent. Weather-related disruption is no longer an anomaly; it is becoming part of the seasonal reality.

Non-League football is more than results and league tables.

It's affordable football for families; social connection and belonging; community identity; volunteer opportunities and skills development. If these clubs fold, you remove vital community infrastructure. The National League System is unique, and enviable across the footballing community both nationally and internationally, however it relies on strong foundations. Without sustainable clubs at grassroots and Step 5 level, the entire structure above is weakened.

It's a pathway for players and managers into the professional game and back again to share their experiences and knowledge.

Most notable players/managers to come through Essex Senior League are listed below

• Dwight Gayle (Stansted) – played in the ESL before moving on up the pyramid and eventually playing in the Premier League
• Richard Kone (Athletic Newham) – prolific in the ESL and then signed a first professional contract with Wycombe Wanderers and then onto Queens Park Rangers before making his International debut for the Ivory Coast
• Michael Kightly (Basildon United) – left Basildon United to join Southend United and went on to play in the professional leagues (including the Premier League)
• Gary Hart (Stansted) moved from Stansted to Brighton & Hove Albion
• Stuart Wardley (Saffron Walden Town) – progressed from Saffron Walden Town to QPR and later returned to manager them
• Trevor Putney (Brentwood) – progressed from Brentwood to Ipswich Town
• Scott Forbes (Saffron Walden Town) – progressed to Southend United.
• Steve Tilson (Witham Town) – progressed to Southend United as a player
• Jamie Cureton (Enfield) - played at every level of the game and eldest player to score English hattrick across England's top four tiers

 
Coaches / managers with an Essex Senior League connection who reached the professional game

• Steve Tilson - after his playing journey (which includes the ESL route via Witham Town), he went on to become a well-known professional manager (notably at Southend United)
• Ross Weare - a former ESL player with East Ham United, he played professionally for QPR and Bristol Rovers, and later moved into coaching/management

Well-known former pros who later played in the Essex Senior League

These are the 'headline' names that show the league's reach

• Jimmy Greaves (Brentwood Town)
• Alan Brazil (Stambridge)
• Kerry Dixon (Basildon)

Perhaps the most high-profile modern coaching success story linked to the Essex Senior League is Danny and Nicky Cowley, whose rise began with Concord Rangers at Step 5 before they climbed through the pyramid to the Football League.

The Need to 'Nurture Non-League'

Now more than ever, we must collectively nurture Non-League and
encourage communities to attend regularly, not occasionally; supporting local sponsorship wherever possible; exploring funding streams and grant opportunities; promoting volunteer recruitment and retention and investing in facilities and pitch resilience. Clubs and leagues need to work collaboratively to share best practice and ideas to make the whole pyramid system sustainable.

The Essex Senior Football League is proud of its member clubs. Their resilience, creativity and dedication are extraordinary. If we value local football, we must actively support it.

• Attend when you can
• Volunteer if you're able
• Sponsor locally if you have a business
• Choose Non-League

Bill Shankly (Liverpool Manager and Legend), once said 'Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.' At Non-League level, that sentiment rings true, not because of accolades or national prominence, but because these clubs are woven into the fabric of their communities.

Non League Paper on sale now £2.50 read Michelle Dorling's Article on Page 7

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