Author: Liam Hoofe

The Bristol Street Motors Trophy, the JPT, the Pizza Cup, whatever you want to call it, the Football League Trophy is a staple of the football calendar in League One and League Two, but for the best part of a decade now, attendances have taken a pummeling, and fans appear to care about it less each year.

The big turning point for the competition was the inclusion of Premier League and Championship U21 and U23 sides in 2016. The addition of 16 teams to the trophy changed the format of the cup, with a group stage being added, with 16 groups, each consisting of three league teams and an academy side battling it out for a place in the knockout stages.

This Sunday, Wycombe and Peterborough will line up under the iconic Wembley arch in what will be the eighth final since the introduction of academy teams. With that in mind, let’s take a look at whether this has been a success and whether or not the competition is ever likely to become popular again.

Boycotts

The initial announcement of U23 teams joining the competition was met with backlash from fans, with many calling for boycotts. The bulk of fans stuck to their words, with the average attendance of games in the trophy taking a serious hit.

Pre-2016, the competition would average around 4,000-5,000 for games, hitting a high of 6,292 in 2010. While the later stages definitely inflate these figures a bit, for many fans, the competition was taken seriously, and it also provided a chance to maybe snatch a victory over a rival from the other league that you hadn’t played in some time.

Let’s examine this on a more individual level. I’ve chosen a team at random, Port Vale, and have looked at their home attendance in the competition. They break down as follows:

• 2012/13: 2,744

• 2013/14: 2,581

• 2014/15: N/A (Knocked out away to Preston – 3,836)

• 2015/16: 2,645

• 2016/17: 1,111

• 2017/18:1,037

• 2018/19: 2,512 (7,940)

• 2019/20: 914

As you can see, there is a clear drop-off after 2016/17. The anomaly in the mix is the 2017/18 season, where they drew a crowd of nearly 8,000 for a game with Stoke U23, a rare example of this competition serving up a fixture fans wanted.

What’s more depressing when looking at these numbers is that in the seasons prior to 2016, Vale had played the likes of Carlisle and Blackpool, teams with which they have no real connection, and they still drew respectable crowds. In the 2017/18 season, they had two local derbies with Crewe and Shrewsbury, games which should draw big numbers, even on a Tuesday night. The Shrewsbury game drew less than 1,000 fans, with just 965 turning out for it.

This was not an isolated incident, with fans regularly sharing posts of incredibly low attendances across the country. The record low is 202, which was in a game between Middlesborough U23 vs Burton in 2018. A shocking number that you would expect to find around the seventh-eighth tier of English football.

Has it been a success for the Academies?

This one is harder to quantify. Each year, 16 academies participate in the tournament, and there is no data available on how many of them have gone on to succeed.

One thing we can do, is look at how far they have advanced in the tournament and look at players that have helped teams progress. Chelsea U21s are the team that have gone the furthest. They were beaten by Lincoln City in 2017/18 on penalties, and their team from that day has some very notable names on it.

Trevor Chalobah, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ethan Empadu, and Reece James all lined up at Sincil Bank that evening, and each has gone on to have a great career. However, how much the experience of playing in this tournament helped them remains to be seen.

There is just as strong an argument to be made that academy players benefit more from going on loan to teams instead. Of the four players mentioned above, three spent time out on loan, with two of them, Chalobah and James, playing in the Football League at Ipswich and Wigan, respectively.

Do Fans Want It?

While I can’t speak for all fans, the numbers tell a sorry story for the competition. The final will often pull a half-decent crowd, but ultimately, if you are a small club, you are not going to want to miss your club playing at Wembley.

We have also never witnessed an academy side reaching for the final. Would Everton fans really bother going down to London to watch their academy side take on Leyton Orient in the Bristol Street Motors final? I highly doubt it. The numbers would be alarmingly low and could really punish the other club, which would benefit from a bigger crowd and increased attention.

Ultimately, the change in format does not benefit the Football League teams at all. Fans do not want to attend games; it adds extra fixtures to the list (something Premier League managers regularly complain about), and it’s not really producing the big stars we were promised it would.

A return to the older days of bigger crowds feels highly unlikely, with many fans now seeing the tournament as an inconvenience until they reach the quarter-finals when the temptation of a trip to Wembley might pull a slightly bigger crowd.

Wycombe and Peterborough will no doubt put on a showcase of everything the Football League has to offer this weekend, as the final so often does, but it is time to reconsider this situation and try to breathe some life back into the tournament before it is too late.

Why it is important to support non-league day

This weekend, the Premier League, Championship, and several clubs in League One will participate in the Spring international break. It also marks another important day in the football calendar – Non-League Day.

Non-League Day was originally launched in 2010 by James Doe, a QPR fan who felt inspired after visiting a non-league side during a pre-season trip to Devon. Since then, the movement has snowballed, and in the 14 years that have followed, it has been backed by Premier League clubs, EFL Clubs, celebrities, and even some politicians.

The idea of Non-League Day is simple: with no Premier League football on to distract you, head down to your local non-league team and support them for the day. Buy a beer and a programme and give a little back to grassroots football.

At Directors’ Box, we are huge supporters of Non-League Day, and here are just some of the reasons why.

Supporting volunteers

Most non-league football clubs rely on volunteers to get through the season, whether this be match-day stewards, the ticket office, the media team, and sometimes even the backroom staff. These people live and breathe those clubs, and the non-league day is often a chance for them to showcase their hard work.

A little bit of appreciation goes a long way in football, and an increased crowd, with new friendly faces and vocal backing, can really help those people feel as though their hard work is all worth it.

It’s cheap

It’s no big secret that the Premier League is extortionate. A matchday, when everything like food and travel is factored in, can easily cost in excess of £100, and that’s just for a home game.

Non-league football is still very much a place where fans are the priority. As such, ticket prices and prices within the ground for things like programmes and beer are still very affordable. In most cases, ticket prices are at least half of what you would pay in the Premier League.

If we were to choose one example at random, in Hertfordshire, Watford’s Championship home clash with Leeds next week is priced at £35 for the cheapest home ticket. On Saturday, a ticket to watch Hitchin Town vs Telford United will cost £13. Even better, teenagers will be able to attend the game for just £4 if they buy their ticket in advance or £5 on the day.

Entertaining football

One of the biggest myths surrounding non-league football is that the quality of games is poor. While you are not going to be watching the tippy-tappy football of Manchester City, you will still find some quality players plying their trades in the lower reaches of the English pyramid.

For many fans, Non-League Day will also provide a welcome break from issues that plague the modern game, like VAR and a sanitised match-day experience. Football purists can enjoy good-fashioned scrappy games between two teams determined to put on a show for a big crowd.

In many cases, these teams will be comprised of local players who take a great sense of pride in playing for their home teams, and that sense of community can be incredibly infectious.

Coming back for more

Many football fans feel as though football is becoming inaccessible for the average working person. Prices are hugely inflated, waiting lists for tickets are huge, and the general matchday experience has become increasingly sanitised.

Non-League Day offers an alternative to this, and many fans over the years have actually found that they prefer the matchday experience and the idea of showing support to a local team. Even if it doesn’t become a weekly habit, a lot of fans will develop a soft spot for a local team that they may not have shown any attention to in the past.

Fans returning to these clubs is essential to the future of non-league and grassroots football in the UK. Likewise, introducing the next generation to football and showing them that football is not just something they can watch on TV ensures that the future of the game in the UK is strong.

So, if you have some free time on Saturday afternoon, head down to your local non-league team and show them some support. We also implore fans to make a habit of this when possible. Non-league games nearly always kick-off at 3 in England, with different times in Wales, and with altered Premier League fixtures, clashes are not as common as they were. After all, non-league football is for life, not just for the international break.

Transparency (n): a situation in which business and financial activities are done in an open way without secrets, so that people can trust that they are fair and honest.

In the age of social media, Disney+ documentaries, and podcasts, football has become more open than ever. The days of a tell-all memoir hitting the shelves years after a player had retired or a manager had stepped down have long gone, with access to our club’s inner workings more available than ever.

While the general idea of transparency should be promoted, some openness from clubs makes you wonder if there is a line with transparency, and also, how much information is too much information?

Online Personas 

When discussing club transparency, Accrington Stanley makes for an excellent case study. The club’s owner, Andy Holt, is often held up as a leading example of a chairman being transparent with the fans. However, some of his recent activity has also caused a rift with the fanbase.

Many were surprised by the sacking of club legend John Coleman, but in retrospect, the signs had been there for some time. Coleman and his assistant, Jimmy Bell, had both been vocal about their issues with the club in recent months, and Holt had also been very clear about issues facing them off the pitch.

Holt addressed their dismissal from their position in a club statement, which, unsurprisingly, received a mixed reaction. Some people, whether they agreed with the decision or not, praised Holt for his honesty about the situation. In contrast, others argued that the statement aired dirty laundry, alienating some fans and creating a needless media storm around the club.

Drawing a Line

Coming down clean on one side of these debates is extremely difficult. How often have we seen a manager dismissed out of the blue, leaving fans feeling disconnected and frustrated at owners? Rumor and hearsay can also craft a narrative that the club doesn’t want, which can sometimes be hugely detrimental to a chairman’s reputation.

Holt has recently stepped away from X, and the whole thing feels like a cautionary tale. Fans from all over the country have praised him for his honesty when it comes to transfers, budget, and other issues at the club, but a line was crossed with the recent move.

Of course, Holt is not the only owner who has taken this approach. Darragh McAnthony, the Peterborough United Chairman, has been incredibly open over the years, even running a podcast called The Hard Truth, where he talks all things Posh and football ownership.

The Posh Chairman is a divisive figure. Like Holt, he has been applauded for his honesty but has also met criticism from some elements of his fanbase for being a little too open about issues and causing controversy at times.

A Professional Approach

Fan involvement is essential to the running of a good club, especially as you look down the leagues. Look at clubs like Newport County and Wimbledon, or even further down the tables to the likes of Aldershot and Telford United. Poor management behind the scenes has left clubs in ruins. Who was there to pick up the pieces? The fans.

All fans deserve effective communication, but there is a way to do this professionally. For example, during a takeover process, fans need regular updates on how far along the club is in proceedings.

Regular updates keep fans happy and let them know things are going in the right direction. Likewise, statements from the chairman throughout the season can also be incredibly effective.

Social media is also a very useful tool for transparency. Clubs can use it to gauge fan responses to issues and, if necessary, reach out to them to discuss matters. Fan involvement is never going to be a bad thing; after all, these are the people who care about the club the most.

A Right Way and a Wrong Way?

Transparency is incredibly important in the modern age. Fans have a better understanding of what is happening at their clubs and more access than ever. It is clear, though, that there is a line to be drawn somewhere.

Fans do not necessarily need to be privy to a player’s, manager’s, or chairman’s innermost thoughts about club issues. Sometimes, it is best to keep these things to themselves at 10 pm on a Saturday evening. If someone is unhappy or has personal issues, they should be kept in the dressing and board rooms.

Professionalism and a healthy distance are the keys to a strong relationship. Many clubs have found an effective way of keeping fans involved without sharing their personal dramas all over the internet.

But what do you think? What are the limits to club transparency? Should there be any limits at all? Get involved at Directors’ Box at let us know.

If there is one club across the 92 that understands the importance of community, it’s Newport County.

In 1989, after slipping out of the Football League, the club filed for bankruptcy and went out of business. They were expelled from the league in what was the darkest day in their history.

In June 1989, just a few months later, 400 supporters rallied together to help reform the club. The task that lay ahead of those supporters, however, was mammoth. They were initially re-appointed to the Hellenic League and were now forced to play their home games in Gloucestershire, earning themselves the nickname ‘The Exiles’.

The club’s astonishing journey back up the leagues was completed when they defeated Wrexham 2-0 in the National League Play-Off Final in 2013, returning to the Football League after a nearly 25-year exodus. Ten years later, the club looks healthier than ever, with the fans and local community playing a huge part in this.

Volunteers

Newport is, and always has been, a working-class city with working-class values. Locals believe in looking out for one another and supporting each other through tough times. A rising tide raises all ships, and Newport, as a city, has always gone up and down together, enthusiastically championing local success and helping lift one another up when they have fallen.

One area where this has been embodied over the years is through the club’s volunteers. Newport has, in the last decade, relied on the goodwill of its supporters to help it steady the ship. The spirit of those fans who helped reform the club is still alive and well and can be witnessed at Rodney Parade every match day.

Take Nic, the club’s photographer who enthusiastically drives the media team up and down the country every week gives her time to attend training sessions, and proudly shares photos of fans every match day, asking for nothing in return. You could also look at Alfie, the lifelong Newport fan who creates graphics for the club and saw his dreams realised when they were shared far and wide for the Man United game. Newport is in his blood, with his mother helping to organise the away travel and volunteering in the club shop.

The club’s beating heart and day-to-day mechanics are in the capable hands of these people, who are very much their unsung heroes. To the locals of Newport and its volunteers, the club means everything and the club understands the values of community care and giving back.

Local Talent and Grassroots Football

While teams further up the football pyramid rely on vast scouting networks that cross continents, teams in League Two, for the most part, do not have that luxury. Newport is a club focused on local talent, building strong relationships with many of the Cymru Premier sides in the local area and supporting grassroots teams.

This has reaped huge rewards, with Will Evans, the man who pulled them level against Manchester United in the FA Cup and has already bagged more than 20 goals this campaign, joining the club from Bala Town in 2022. Evans has been a constant threat for the Exiles this season and has established himself as one of the best players in the division.

Will has grabbed the headlines this year, but he is not the only player to have been plucked from the Welsh leagues. Nathan Wood, who signed in June 2023, played for Bridgend’s team, Penybont, before entering the football league. Wood has had a hugely positive impact on the club on and off the pitch, with the Wales Under-18 star being a big advocate for men’s mental health on his social media channels.

Newport has fostered a culture that supports local football talent and the Welsh leagues. This is also evident through its Academy, which supports local boys and girls looking to enter the game and become the next Will Evans or Nathan Wood.

County in the Community

One of Newport’s biggest contributions to its community is through the County in the Community program. This was established in 2013 and earned charity status two years later.

The charity uses the power of football to help people throughout the community across different areas of life. For many people in Newport, it has been able to provide a life-changing, positive experience and is something that we at Director’s Box believe perfectly embodies the spirit of what Newport County as a club is all about.

A Perfect Match

So why are Newport County supporting Director’s Box? It’s clear that we both share a lot of values. We believe in helping communities through the power of football, in supporting our local communities, and in fostering the next generation of football talent through grassroots football and organisations.

Derby Day: What Determines a Derby Match?

Last weekend, Newport and Wrexham clashed in an intense all-Welsh affair at Rodney Parade. Inevitably, given Wrexham’s newfound celebrity status, the game was given significant media attention.

However, a phrase thrown around in the buildup that caused some contention was ‘derby’.

While there is no denying a rivalry has formed between the two clubs, largely in part due to Newport’s 2-0 play-off final victory over Wrexham in 2013, describing it as a derby feels like a stretch. There are 125 miles between Newport’s Rodney Parade and Wrexham’s Racecourse ground, roughly a two-and-a-half-hour drive.

Most fans of both clubs would agree, with many just feeling it was another attempt to push a narrative for their documentary series. But the situation does raise an interesting question: what exactly determines a derby? And do both sets of fans need to agree?

Geography and League Status

To stick with Wrexham for a moment, the club had a much more local derby take place last month when they took on Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup. The Shrews had all but condemned Wrexham to relegation in 2009, and it was the first chance The Reds had been given to get revenge on them.

However, despite both clubs and fans calling it a derby, many quickly protest on social media. There are 33 miles between the clubs, but the thing that appeared to cause contention was the presence of a border between them.

Less than a month earlier, Norwich City and Ipswich had clashed in the East-Anglia derby. It is one of the most famous rivalries outside of the Premier League, and it has a fiery reputation. However, there are 44 miles between the two sides, more than the Shrewsbury vs Wrexham clash.

For some clubs, it can also be a case of a team simply being the closest and most relevant. There are nearly 50 miles between Brighton and Crystal Palace, with teams like Crawley being closer to both sides. However, their rivalry has been the first game most fans have looked for in the fixture list for years, and their continued status in the top flight continues to up the ante.

League Position

In many cases, rivalries can fall away if teams do not play each other for many years. And to the younger generation, they can often feel like a bit of a myth. A romantic tale of days gone by when the terraces were packed, local lads filled the field, tackles were flying, and red cards were handed out like points deductions for Everton.

To other generations, however, these can often be the fiercest derbies, and they dream of seeing that one team’s name gets drawn out of the hat in the FA Cup or League Cup. Teams will sometimes even settle for the EFL Trophy, with Stoke fans flooding to Vale Park in 2018 to support Stoke U21s away at their rivals.

The aforementioned clash between Shrewsbury and Wrexham is an excellent example of this, with this year’s FA Cup clash being the first time many fans would have experienced a rivalry that felt long forgotten.

Oftentimes, the younger generation, while not forgetting their main rivals, may adopt teams that they play more frequently as a derby. This can feel like they are settling for someone else while they wait to rekindle or get to experience an old rivalry.

Promotions, relegations, and takeovers all play a part in shaping the future of a rivalry. In some instances, such as Newcastle’s recent clash with Sunderland, or Wrexham’s rivalry with Chester, one team has been taken over and is now in a huge position of financial strength, leaving the derby feeling one-sided.

Sticking with Port Vale, they have developed fierce rivalries with the likes of Shrewsbury and Walsall in recent seasons, with the three Midlands teams often sharing leagues. Likewise, Newport County and Forest Green Rovers have developed a serious dislike for one another due to their league status and relatively close proximity.

While for many fans, these derbies will never live up to their biggest ones, they have grown a certain atmosphere over the years and have become a chance to grab bragging rights for fans and to provide them with an almost quasi-derby-like atmosphere to tide them over until they get a chance to meet old foes.

Rivalries, Not Derbies

Back to the beginning and Wrexham’s clash with Newport. Some rivalries are born out of a heated history and are often mistaken as derbies. This can often be down to simple things like a manager leaving a club for another, an off-the-cuff comment from a player in the press, or something slightly more impactful like beating someone to promotion or relegation.

Rivalries like this are fuelled much more by revenge, and they tend to be intense for periods of time, but don’t stand the test of time in the same way.

Clashes like Cardiff vs Wolves are good examples of this. There was a period in the late 2000s when fans were being banned from attending games after things had become incredibly heated in the crowd. Future clashes between the two will be intense, but no one is going to label a clash between a team from the West Midlands and a team from South Wales as a derby.

Some of these rivalries can be intense though, and perhaps the most unique rivalry in English football is MK Dons vs Wimbledon. The two sides recently clashed once again in the League, and there is no doubt of the intense hatred share between the clubs, especially from the Wimbledon fan base. Once again, defining this as a derby would be questionable, but there is no denying the hostile nature of the clash.

Conclusion

So, ultimately, what determines a derby game? For fans down the leagues, the changing makeup of the divisions means that derbies will chop and change, and as such, for some clubs, the older generation’s biggest derby may be different to the younger.

For most, it will ultimately come down to the local team you have played the most in your time as your fan. One thing is for sure: a game separated by 150 miles is not and never will be a derby.