It was a busy week here last week at the Our Game Football offices as we launched our mini campaign to bring football CLOSER to home this World Cup.
In fact, it got even busier on Friday when the editor of the hugely respected ‘The Non-League Football Paper’ got in touch for a chat to find out what we were up to.
You can find out more about the campaign and Francis’ chat with editor Matt Badcock HERE but, in a nutshell, we’re trying to make EVERY day a non-league day during this World Cup.
That’s because while the eyes of the world are drawn to Qatar and football’s biggest showcase event, we are on a mission to show that the month-long Premier League break can be an opportunity for smaller local clubs, if they think outside the (corporate) box…
We know that away from the global spotlight, million-pound contracts, mega endorsements and commercial partnerships, it’s a harsh reality that football is really suffering at grassroots and lower levels.
Some are even describing the current period as “the biggest threat to non-league football since the second world war.”
However, there is a real window of opportunity over the next month for local clubs to showcase themselves and grab a slice of the attention, back here at home. For all the glitz and glamour of the World Cup, there’s still a huge demand for live football and smaller community-focused clubs.
In fact, we think there’s no reason why EVERY match day over the next month can’t be a #nonleagueday .
It’s an opportunity for local clubs to build awareness and get ready for the new year and Non-League Day in 2023. Smaller clubs can and should be the beating hearts of the local community; here’s hoping that football really does come home this World Cup.
We’re not running an official event but together with the Non-League Day team, we have created three top tips for clubs keen to leverage the World Cup Window:
We’re not running an official event but together with the Non-League Day team…..
1. Create a mini season ticket for the World Cup period to try and get more people in the gate over this entire month of ‘Non-League Days’.
2. Invite local businesses to your club on match days to raise awareness of themselves in the local community while generating extra sales.
Propose a split of the proceeds, with your club getting some extra income for the day – food vendors reflecting World Cup participants and Christmas present providers are two great examples this could work with.
3. Sign up for a FREE Our Game Associate Club Membership and let us show you how to turn World Cup activity into new ways of re-engaging with all who participate, all while tracking and quantifying it for the benefit of the fans, club and all stakeholders.
