How is lower league football unique- The Coach
Such an investigation often changes direction, as the obvious questions get answered and questions you never ask are answered too. The next step in capturing the lower league football experience was talking to someone integrated into the system. It was valuable to talk to those who enjoy the football, as the most important thing about any goods or services is its perception from the outside. There’s a certain dream complex around going somewhere once a week for a great time, where you don’t see behind the scenes, but you would assume a different perception from those who make a living from what they grew up loving as a hobby.
Rob Moore is youth coach for Colchester United, a team currently residing in 6th position in Football League 2, the bottom division in the Football League. On having hobby as a job, had this to say:
“For anyone that loves football, working in football in some profession is surely their dream job. I’m part time coach at the moment, I coach 5 days a week, but there are full time staff and there are times I talk to them about what they’re doing and envious to a point. But that is their full-time job, they wake up in the morning thinking football, watching football, planning football, that is their day job. So, from my personal viewpoint, from where I am, I got into football coaching another way, fairly late. A lot of the full-time staff are either ex-players that didn’t quite make it, they were close in one way or another but never end up making it, so they go into coaching full-time. I’ve got a young family it’s not something I can do, so personally I’ve got the best of both worlds, I always treat my football coaching as a hobby, and it’s a hobby I get paid for, and it’s a hobby I do at a fairly good level. This year we’ve played Arsenal, Tottenham, West Ham.”
“Take money out the equation, 100% it’s a dream job, because you just wake up thinking of football all day.”
Rob brings light to the notion that football is a dream job just for the sport, not the television side of it necessarily, the money is different of course and the magnitude of the games are lesser. But, again, this sheds light on the importance of cups and friendlies, which have cheapened in value from a global supporter’s viewpoint recently. Pre-season friendlies and the FA Cup allow even the smallest teams to visit or host the biggest teams in the world, not only is this a huge boost for the clubs’ finances, but it brings down the wall between lower league sides and the giants of football. For the fans and even the players in lower leagues, away days against Premier League sides is an amazing experience. Not many people can ever dream of running out onto a pitch with 50 000+ fans watching you, and it’s the unity between all levels of football which on occasions will fulfil that dream into a reality.
Children pouring their Premier League ambition into football academies currently have a 0.012% chance of making it there, who could still sell that dream as a parent or coach without feeling horrifically pessimistic. Consequently, there tend to be some very handy players that are left heartbroken at a young age, as the academy sifts through the very slim minority. Something you become aware of when you watch lower league games or talk to their diehard fans, is that the likes of league one for instance, tend to have teams with a mix of talented, flashy players, to players in their 30s who keep afloat at that level through experience and heart. Everyone loves an underdog, and seeing an isolated aging centre half lumbering after a youthful athlete, before making a crunching tackle, is a delicacy for crowds.
The likes of Danny Ings, Callum Wilson and even Peter Crouch were players founded into non-league sides, the former two are current starters for established Premier League sides. Peter Crouch has a book, a podcast and 42 caps for England. Its one thing to be talented, and it’s another thing to prove it out on the football field, and this is why playing at a league one/two level is a medium for keeping the Premier League dream alive.
It’s important not to view football as just the top tier, as Rob mentioned, he feels privileged just to be involved in football as a career, none of us ever cared what level we were playing at when we lashed one home at the park, it was football. Many players never had the ability to make it, but they got close because of dedication and an attitude in life that would get them places wherever they directed that focus. One example being a player Rob coached, I wanted to know who he remembered coaching, whether his memory drew him to a talent or an attitude:
“My favourite player to coach so obviously working predominately with younger players mainly. Yes, I do remember, I’ve got a few, one in particular, he’s now 17/18 and he’s playing non-league football, so he’s done really well for himself. He came to me when he was 12 years old. The reason he was my favourite player, lad called Jacob, was because he was talented, but his desire and will to learn, succeed, be better and most importantly, listen, was what gave him a better chance. He wasn’t necessarily the most talented, but he was certainly one of them, but he had the desire to listen and learn. Particularly when he got to 14/15 years old when that age kicks in and where hormones kicks in and what have you, and a lot of the kids that age A) get into other things, be it girls or going out, or B) it could be just generally thinking they know it all. He wasn’t, he started to challenge more and ask more questions, but it wasn’t to undermine authority, he just wanted to be a better player and he saw me as his coach and gave me a lot of respect, for me that almost made him one of the better player to coach.”
A lot of things can happen when you’re young, and a lot of those things can hinder your ambition, be it a tough time, a bad attitude growing up. Often non-league can be a second chance, where scouts may take a leap of faith, and the next thing you know, someone is paying 1 million pounds for you to come to the Championship, and then the Premier League!
‘Rags to riches’ Jamie Vardy was 25, playing for Fleetwood Town in the 5th division of English football. He secured promotion into the Football League after netting 34 times throughout the season, but rather than the dream stop at that, he met with Nigel Pearson and signed for Leicester that same season. There are many players in the Premier League, and many more who try to make it, but no one has surpassed his record of scoring in consecutive games, for which he made it 11 against giants Manchester United for whom their legend Ruud Van Nistelrooy held the previous record at 10.
3 years prior, he was another non-league player, then being the most exciting sensation in Premier League and a few months later, he would lift the title as one the biggest upsets football has ever seen. What we can take from this is that football league and non-league can be a great place for a variety of different players with a plethora a different ambition. It can be home for talented individuals who just want to play football, or it can be a platform for people who want to make it big, but who couldn’t quite on their first attempt. Rob summarised his experience knowing players in these leagues:
“Certainly in lower level and in non-league players have to balance, there’s two spectrums of non-league and lower league you’ve either got the younger players who are trying to take a step up and be a professional you’ve got others who were perhaps a professional at 18/19 but they’re on the way down and football is an extra income for them, but it’s not their main income, they’ve got mortgage and such. You might have a non-league player on 200/300 a week that supplements their income but it’s not their main income and they can’t risk anything playing football. I do know one or two players that have got injuries and not necessarily had to, but had taken the decision to quit football, because they can’t jeopardise their main job.”
One case he spoke about drew awareness to the fragility of being a footballer as well as something else:
“I won’t say his name, but there’s someone I know who as a youngster played for Arsenal never made the 1st team but he was captain of Arsenal under 18s, he was a professional without ever playing for Arsenal, he signed a two year professional contract for Arsenal, was released, played in the Football League, played League One, League Two, ended up playing non-league. Was involved in a freak freak injury which actually resulted in him losing a testicle”
This kind of scenario shows how erratic events in life can happen, and so quickly too. Here’s someone who went from being a single step away from his dream, to considering his future in prioritising football. Rob told the story:
“He wanted a family, and life goes on so to speak beyond 30/31, and therefore he quit football, and he quit football fairly young, he was like 29/30 years old. And he was still playing at a very good level, and it was an injury that technically didn’t end his career directly because he was perfectly able to play football. One or two of the people he played with ended up being signed and played in the Premier League, and still playing now and being on the money they’re on, and that’s almost a harsh reality of what side of the fence you’re on.”
It’s a rare anecdote, and it should be teachable, what is says to me is that at a non-league level, you have to really get something out of football, it can’t just be a way to make money. I think what I would find, is that people getting paid short change to play football love the sport just as much as the people living their dream job, and that is because the people at that level who don’t really adore football get filtered out when the wages aren’t enough. What is left after those people are gone as a passion for a football, and a passion that isn’t separated fences and a 3-acre estate. It can be revelled and celebrated in the same pub; you can show your gratitude for your entertainment by buying the captain a pint if you spot him at the bar. A tightknit community will always be unique in some way.
Rob seemed familiar and well associated with the quirks or lower league supporters, when I asked him what he believed was unique about it, his answer corroborated each answer I’ve had so far:
“It’s one of the special things about non-league, the camaraderie, the friendships that people have. Going to football in non-league isn’t about going to football necessarily, it’s about the social aspect, you’re gonna get there an hour before the game because you know all your mates are doing the same thing and you might talk about the Premier League game the day before or whatever, but you’re all there for one thing. Most non-league fans support a non-league team because they love it, they love the whole social aspect and that makes it very different.”
This should not take away from the magic of the Premier League, but such findings give important insight to the other side of football, ad what changes about the way you enjoy something when you’re committed, especially when you are with friends and family. However, for the players and supporters both, the Premier League dream is alive, dim at times, but very much there.
