The Football Pyramid

Arrival: I arrived at the ground by car about 10 minutes before kick-off but the small car park at the recreation ground was already full up, so I had to park in a nearby street. The ground is at the edge of the village and is surrounded by fields which were occupied by some fairly loud mooing cows.

The Ground: It's a fairly basic playing surface with a spectator barrier around 3-sides of the pitch of which 2 of the sides had a plastic walkway. There are two small covered benches for the home and away dugouts. The game kicked off an hour early at 2 pm, which I quickly found out was due to a lack of floodlights. The centre circle and both penalty areas seemed to have been given an extra mow but there was a fairly large number of leaves on the rest of the pitch. Proper autumn stuff!

Match: The match ended 1:1 and was a fairly entertaining affair with a string of chances for both sides towards the end of the 2nd half. A draw was a fair result by two teams fighting for promotion near the top of the table.

Atmosphere: I counted about 35-40 people watching the game, and including both benches about 50 people in total. Not really enough people to create much noise but you could definitely hear reactions to some of the bad tackles and both goals. There was one bloke walking his dog who shouted a few profanities at the referee from time-to-time which was interesting!

Food & Drink: There is a great little bar tucked away at the back of the community building complete with a darts board and a few TV's. I was driving so I couldn't drink but had a very warming coffee for £1.20.

Ticket Cost: N/A

Merchandise: N/A

Arrival: I drove to the ground and arrived about 10 minutes before kick-off. As I turned into the ground I was greeted by a man on the gate who asked for the entrance fee (£5) and directed me to the final space available to park. I wasn't expecting to pay at this level, so I was a bit taken back, but I appreciated the free programme. It was clear within a few minutes of arrival that I'd made a big step up the football pyramid.

The Ground: I was immediately struck by the upgrade in facilities compared to my experience in tier 11. The pitch was surrounded on all four sides by a spectator barrier and there was a small covered stand with 66 seats for visitors. The pitch seemed in good shape with no autumn leaves hanging around and of course, there were the all-important floodlights. The view from the stand was excellent as it was on the half-way line and raised a few meters above pitch level.

Match: The match was a ten goal thriller which was played at pace from the first whistle. I was impressed with the quality of some of the goals and again the quality seemed like a big step up from tier 11. The game finished 6-4 to the home side and that didn't include the missed penalty!

Atmosphere: There were unfortunately only about 30 spectators in attendance and about five of those seemed to be supporting Ampthill Town and another five seemed to be the players family & friends. I'm not sure if people were put off by the entrance fee as there really was a good match on display. Hopefully, attendances will pick up in the future.

Food & Drink: There was a nice little clubhouse with a well-stocked bar and a friendly barman. Again I was driving so I couldn't drink but had a decent hot chocolate for £1 and a packet of crisps.

Ticket Cost: £5 (including a free programme)

Merchandise: N/A

Arrival: I arrived at the ground about 30 minutes before kick-off and took one of the few remaining spaces in the small car park. To enter the ground you have to walk past a small wooden hut where a lovely old guy collects your money (£7) and hands you a programme. It was a cold day so I headed straight inside to find some food. The bar area was already fairly busy by 2:30 with about 30 or so older guys watching the early kick-off on the big screen. The combination of the number of people, the busy bar and quality of programme again made it obvious I'd taken a step up the Football pyramid.

The Ground: Although the playing area itself was a fairly similar standard to Amersham Town (step 10) having the clubhouse and adjoining viewing area right on the side of the pitch made everything seem a little bit more connected. You could easily get your drink from the bar and pop right outside to watch the game. There were two rows of seats right at the front of the covered viewing area and while it was dry underneath the view of the action wasn't great due to the limited elevation and various posts and pillars.

I also noted about 30 advertising hoardings around the pitchside perimeter fence. The club is obviously trying to take advantage of as many commercial opportunties as possible.

Match: The game was a much more closely fought contest then the 4-1 score suggested. There was a lot of action played in the middle of the pitch (especially in the 2nd half). The difference was that Colney Heath were more clinical in their finishing which included a wonder strike from Jon Clements that wouldn't be out of place at a much higher level.

Atmosphere: The focal point of the clubhouse and the much bigger crowd (about 90 people or so) created something that began to feel a little bit like a 'football' atmosphere. I got the sense that a lot of people used the match as an opportunity to get together and have a drink - a real community feel.

Food & Drink: As well as the full bar there was hot food available (hot dogs, burgers etc.) I was so hungry I had my £2.20 hot dog pre-match and as it was so tasty I was seriously tempted by another at half-time!

Ticket Cost: £7 (including a free programme)

Merchandise: Hats, scarves and car stickers were all available for purchase behind the bar. I didn't get anything due to lack of funds, but I wish I had now!

Arrival: Due to personal circumstances this was my first mid-week match (a Tuesday evening) and as such it was tight getting to the match on time. The ground is somewhat hidden on the outskirts of Welwyn Garden City but was easily identifiable 5 minutes before kick-off by the 20 or so cars parked on the curb near the entrance. I drove on and found a parking spot about 5 minutes away from the ground on a residential street.

As I arrived at the ground on foot, I passed the club bar on my left and then entered a covered area on one of the corners of the ground where I paid my £10 in cash and for the first time on my journey up the pyramid ..... I went through a turnstile. I later found out this turnstile had been donated by Tottenham from the old White Hart Lane stadium.

The Ground: There are three distinct covered areas around the ground, but I think only the 1 can be considered a 'stand'. This stand (the main stand) is on the halfway line and has 4/5 rows of seats. I sat here for some of the match and the view was decent enough. although it would have been better if it could have been more elevated.

Other than that there is the covered area where you enter the ground, and an interesting covered 'chill out' area complete with reclining chairs for standing or indeed lounging.

Match: The match itself could best be described as 'niggly' and there seemed to be a lot of ill feelings between the teams which boiled over near half-time with a bad foul, pushing and a general melee between most of the onfield players. There is no doubt the guys could play decent football and I'm sure a few will end up at a higher level, but a significant number were constantly trying to raise a perceived injustice with the referee rather than playing a positive game.

Overall AFC Dunstable were much the better team and were comfortably in control during the first half with a stand-out goal from John Shamalo (@jshamz88). Welwyn Garden City FC did push hard in the second and were able to get a goal back, but the overall result was never really in doubt.

Atmosphere: As it was a midweek game that was also sandwiched between two home Saturday games the attendance was lower than it normally would have been at 82 people. This was still enough to create some energy and a little bit of noise when goals or indeed scuffles happened on the pitch. The following Saturday there was an attendance of over 200 people for the game vs. Bedford Town. I would have liked to have attended that as well to see what difference a doubling of the crowd size would make for the overall atmosphere.

Food & Drink: Almost immediately on arrival I set about getting a hot dog to eat from the food kiosk. For £4 it was decent enough and definitely filled a hole. Quite a few of the supporters were bantering with the lady that was serving in the kiosk and it was all well received.

At half-time, I went into the bar area and had a non-alcoholic beer. They were playing a league cup game on the big screens and there were about 20 people inside enjoying a beverage. The bar people were extremely friendly and I felt very welcomed and not at all like an outsider.

Ticket Cost: £10

Merchandise: I didn't see any available at the ground itself but I did find an online Macron store with home and away shirts.

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