You could forgive non-league supporters around the country for having a rye smile on their faces when Qatar reversed their ruling on alcohol ahead of the World Cup Finals.
Less than a week ago, one prominent brand declared club football is ‘on pause’ and ‘all eyes are on England’ as the most controversial tournament in history gets under way. This is the same company that pushed the non-league game not so long ago - but have now clearly forgotten or just plain ignored clubs at that level as they prepare to enter a crucial period in their own season.
Supporters of Newcastle United, Middlesbrough and Sunderland saw their clubs bring down the curtain on the first half of a unique season last weekend and will now be found wanting as they look to get their matchday fix over the coming weeks.
The answer is right on their doorstep.
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Over the coming weeks, North East non-league clubs across the National League, Northern Premier League and Northern League will hope to benefit from the break at the top end of the game. There are eye-catching fixtures taking place across the next six weeks and beyond as our clubs compete in both the league and cup, with some fascinating ties scheduled in the FA Trophy and FA Vase.
We are very fortunate in the North East to have such a vibrant non-league scene that contains some forward-thinking clubs that have made great strides across the last few years and their progress is built on the foundations of hardworking, loyal and committed volunteers that go above and beyond through wind, hail, rain and snow to give their all for the clubs they love.
The next six weeks is a chance to reward their hard work and the clubs they serve by seeing an increase in attendances as supporters of ‘the big three’ get behind our non-league scene. Speaking last week Ebac Northern League chairman Glenn Youngman told ChronicleLive: “Despite what people may think, there's still lots of football in the region during the World Cup.
“We will be running a full programme of fixtures and we'd be delighted to welcome fans of Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough who are looking for their football 'fix'. We have clubs across the region and your nearest one will be only a couple of miles away. And I think fans will be pleasantly surprised at the quality of the games on show - local lads playing for their local team.
“It only costs around £6 or £7 to get in and spectators are right next to the action so we hope fans will give us a try. We'd obviously be even more happy if they kept coming to our games once the World Cup is over and their team is away.”
Although Youngman’s comment understandably focus on his own league, there can be no doubt non-league clubs across the region have a golden opportunity to showcase themselves and attract new supporters over the next six weeks.
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