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As ticket prices in the Premier League climb steadily, an increasing number of football fans are turning their attention to the more affordable, local experience offered by non-league football. This shift reflects a desire for a game that feels more rooted in community and less like a costly entertainment spectacle.
On a warm bank holiday Monday in Spalding, Lincolnshire, the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field is bustling with more than 2,700 fans crowding into the stadium. Among them are nearly 500 visitors from Bedford, who have traveled to support Real Bedford, a club that, in its current incarnation, is only a few years old. Their aim: to witness their team take yet another surprising step upwards in the football pyramid. This recent team was born after Peter McCormack, an entrepreneur and podcaster, purchased Bedford FC in 2021 when it was competing in the 10th tier. Renaming it Real Bedford, McCormack set ambitious goals for the club. Since then, Real Bedford have achieved three promotions in a row, secured considerable investment, and ignited optimism in Bedford—one of England’s largest towns lacking a professional football club—that it finally has a side gaining genuine momentum.
Peter McCormack explains the club’s mission: “Bedford has always had the people, the pride and the appetite for football, but it never had a club that matched the size of the town. The ambition is huge, but it has to feel local first. If people in Bedford don’t feel this belongs to them, then it doesn’t work.” Supporting this sentiment, fans like Andy Chinneck, who also follows Manchester United, appreciate the different atmosphere. “At United, unless you’re lucky, wealthy or very organised, you can feel like a customer at a global entertainment business,” he says. “At Real Bedford, I can turn up with mates, have a pint, stand near the pitch and feel like I’m actually part of the club. Having lived in Bedford most of my life it feels like it’s brought a much needed sense of local community back to the town.”
The dissatisfaction with Premier League football has been mounting for years. Findings from the Football Supporters’ Association reveal that ticket costs at top-tier matches rose well beyond inflation during the late 1990s and early 2000s and continue to climb. Their recent research shows that for the 2024/25 season, 19 out of 20 Premier League clubs increased prices, with 13 of those clubs again raising them for 2025/26. The FA’s data also indicates a 20% increase in ticket prices since the Covid pandemic, alongside a sentiment among 71% of fans that traditional supporters are being priced out. The change in ownership models, often dominated by wealthy American billionaires, Middle Eastern investment groups, and international consortiums, has intensified this feeling. Top clubs have grown to be worth billions: Manchester United, for example, is estimated at more than £4 billion, closely followed by Manchester City and Liverpool, with Arsenal valued above £3 billion.
This prevailing model prompted supporters of Manchester United to create their own club, FC United of Manchester, in 2005. Displeased with the American billionaire Malcolm Glazer’s takeover, these fans sought a community-oriented alternative. FC United operates on a one-member, one-vote basis and is owned by its 2,475 members, including adults and juniors. Jules Spencer, the club’s spokesperson, emphasizes their mission: “We are making football affordable for ordinary football supporters. Many of us can no longer afford to go to Premier League games with our families, but we can afford to go and watch FC United where the quality of entertainment on offer in non-league football is real value for money.” Today, FC United competes in the seventh tier and regularly attracts crowds exceeding 3,000 supporters, making it one of the best-attended clubs outside the professional leagues.
Across England, attendance at non-league matches reflects growing interest in grassroots football. The National League South recorded a 10-year attendance high in the 2024/25 season, averaging 1,221 spectators—an increase of 134% since 2014/15. Likewise, the Isthmian Premier Division saw its average crowd rise by 94% over the same period, reaching 764. James Doe, founder of Non-League Day—a campaign encouraging fans to explore football beyond the elite levels—explains why more people are discovering the appeal of grassroots football: “It’s very accessible – clubs are nearby, admission, food and drink are affordable, it’s far more child friendly and you can get really close to the action. You can even change ends at half time.” He adds, “For many people, football has been something they’ve only ever enjoyed on television and it’s often been marketed in a way that teaches them there is nothing else. When you go to a local club you realise that’s not the case and can quickly get hooked. Why stay at home when you can be out with your friends being part of something?”
Back in Spalding, Real Bedford’s match exemplifies the growing enthusiasm for non-league football. Despite leading 2-1 late in the game and appearing poised for promotion to the sixth tier, they were pegged back by a contentious penalty and ultimately lost 4-2 after extra time. Although their fourth consecutive promotion has been delayed, the passionate atmosphere created by the traveling fans signals that something significant is happening within this tier of English football
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