What Are You Offering Other Than the Football?
Dugout News
We all know there is no single formula for improving the matchday experience. Every club is different, with its own ethos, community, facilities, culture and social setup. What works for one club may not work for another.
That doesn’t mean clubs shouldn’t be looking at what they already have and asking themselves a simple question:
What are we offering people other than the football?
Fresh ideas and new blood are essential if clubs are going to keep moving forward. Building a regular and loyal fanbase isn’t just about getting people through the turnstiles once; it’s about creating an environment where supporters want to come back, bring friends and become part of the club.
That also creates something equally important off the pitch: volunteers, sponsors, community involvement and a pathway for people to become invested in the club. Ultimately, all of that helps keep the gates up and those vital income streams coming in.
Marketing Is More Than Posting on Your Own Page
Clubs can produce all the fancy graphics, videos and social media content they like, but if that content only reaches the people who already follow the club, how much new ground are they really covering?
Marketing needs to go further.
Local Facebook groups, community pages, football groups, local media, WhatsApp groups and other social platforms can all help spread the word. And clubs shouldn’t be afraid to encourage supporters, volunteers and players to share content themselves.
You have to get outside your own comfort zone.
If you have a big fixture coming up, a local rivalry, an important game, a special event or something happening around the ground, tell people about it. Give them a reason to talk about it and, more importantly, a reason to come along.
Value Matters
There is also a difficult conversation to be had about the cost of watching non-league football.
We can all say that more people should support their local club, but people are still spending their hard-earned money to attend. If the price of admission is high, the overall experience has to feel like it’s worth it.
That’s not necessarily about having a pristine stadium or a huge budget. A club doesn’t need to pretend to be something it isn’t.
But if you’re charging people for the privilege of attending, you need to think about what they’re getting for their money.
And sometimes it’s the simple things that make the difference.
A burger and a pint for a tenner. Clear ticket information. Published admission prices. Food and drink prices available before people arrive. A matchday offer. A club shop or merchandise. A programme or something to take home. A local initiative. A half-time competition. A special fixture. A rivalry.
None of these things individually are going to transform a club, but together they start to create an experience.
Give People Something to Talk About
Football gives you plenty to work with.
Stats. Head-to-head records. Rivalries. League positions. Promotion battles. Relegation fights. Former players. Local history. Milestones. Big fixtures. Special occasions.
Use them.
The football is your main attraction, but everything surrounding it is the window dressing on the shop front.
You want people thinking: “That looks like a good day out.”
You want them talking about the club before they arrive, enjoying themselves while they’re there and having something to talk about afterwards.
Most importantly, you want people who aren’t currently attending to feel like they’re missing something.
That’s where creating a sense of occasion becomes so important.
So, Why Aren’T More Locals Coming?
We often hear the same argument: “More local people should be supporting their local football club.”
I agree.
But that works both ways.
Before asking why more locals aren’t coming, clubs need to ask themselves what they are doing to attract them in the first place.
What is the offer? How is it being presented? Is the club visible within its own community? Are people aware of what’s happening on matchday? Does the experience justify the price?
And, perhaps most importantly, are you giving people a reason to choose your club over everything else they could be doing on a Saturday afternoon?
Non-league football has something that the professional game can struggle to offer: accessibility, community, personality and the feeling that you are genuinely part of something.
Clubs need to make the most of that.
The 90 minutes on the pitch will always be the main event.
But if we want bigger gates, stronger clubs and healthier non-league football, we need to start thinking about everything that happens before, during and after those 90 minutes.
Because the question isn’t simply: “Why aren’t people coming to watch our football?”
It should be: “What are we offering them that makes them want to come?”
First published in Dugout News, Issue 002, Sunday 16 August 2026. Republished here in full.
