With a number of Kent clubs making it into Round 2 of the FA Cup, and a couple with replays against EFL clubs, I thought it would be a good idea to write about whether Non-League football is getting far more popular around Kent.
From Dover Athletic in the Vanarama National League, to the likes of Kent Football United in the Southern Counties East League Division One, there are over 100 teams from the county who compete in various leagues at every level of the Non-League Pyramid. We have a county where football is popular at every level.
For example, Chatham Town have recently been attracting over 500 people to their Southern Counties East Premier Division fixtures. The club have very much grown over the last couple of years forming numerous partnerships with coaching academies such as Soccer Elite FA and appointing former Forest Green Rovers assistant manager, Scott Lindsey, as first team manager and former Arsenal u23s coach, Carl Laraman, is now also involved at the club. With numerous friendlies against Gillingham also being played over the recent years, the only way is surely up for this ambitious club.
The ever-increasing popularity of Non-League football in Kent is also being helped by events such as Non-League Day where, during the International Break in October, Football League and Premier League fans are encouraged to watch Non-League football, where the environment is generally relaxed and the football is cheap. This event has been a huge success in Kent where there are a number of teams who usually put on special discounts to attract more fans through the turnstiles. A lot of these clubs can also be helped away from Non-League Day when Gillingham are away or are not playing, this allows many fans who don’t generally go to a lot of away games to still watch a good level football but for an affordable price.
As I said before, there a number of teams who have been drawn against EFL clubs in the 2nd Round of the FA Cup, and Bromley who have a replay live on TV next week. This can give the clubs more exposure to fans who may not have heard of these clubs before. This can be shown in Dover’s 1-0 win over Southend United last Sunday which was broadcast live on BT Sport and in front of their highest crowd of the season.
It may be hard for Dover to attract new fans where the catchment area of their ground involves the English Channel, but for other clubs continuing to promote their clubs on and off the pitch to try to attract new fans who will keep their clubs running for generations to come.
It’s become harder for the Non-League clubs to survive with the amount of money that is flowing around the Premier League, however, if more and more fans around Kent continue to support the clubs around the county, then there is no doubt that Non-League football can continue to thrive in Kent.