Tom’s reflection on his day out with Proper Football at Nuneaton town

To those with relevant interest, the name Nuneaton mentioned in a football context carries, in the eyes of some, a rather unsavoury reputation, with various examples of poor running and ill-intentioned ownership cited as the reasons behind this. The club’s ever loyal fanbase have seen their club hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons in the not-too-distant past, longing for stability and a club they can be proud of.

A New Regime in Town at Nuneaton!

Fast forward to the present day however and what we are now presented with is a club that bears no resemblance of the old regime, demonstrating that they are firmly on track and powering forwards in the right direction, providing fans with what they’d been longing for and more. Testament to the fans’ passion, dedication and unrivalled determination, a steering group was created and the wheels set in motion to bring football back to Nuneaton, which proved to be a huge contributor to the inception of Nuneaton Town FC. 

As a result of the new set up and the club now having the right people in the right places (something I personally witnessed and experienced firsthand), coupled with a completely fresh outlook and a real determination to move this club in a positive direction, fans now have the opportunity to support their local club and turned out in decent numbers with a total attendance of 405 on the day of my visit. 

 Whilst what I am about to reference can be demonstrated at various clubs regardless of the level they play at, and something I find is not talked about and celebrated enough are those within clubs like Nuneaton dedicating their time on a voluntary basis, purely for the love and passion they hold for their club. Nobody that I have ever encountered epitomises this and provides a more existential example than Phil, a match day volunteer that I met during our visit to the home of Bedworth United, where Nuneaton currently play their home games. 

 What was clear to me from my very first interaction with Phil was how much he loves the club and how much his role within the club means to him, he spoke with pure passion and brimmed with excitement when providing me with his thoughts on the new regime and what he hopes the future holds for the club, a full interview on which can be found below and is well worth a watch. Something equally apparent to me from the early exchanges with the hierarchy at the club is how much people like Phil and roles that can sometimes go criminally unnoticed are spoken about with such appreciation and clearly valued immensely. It was a real pleasure and a privilege to meet a real-life grassroots hero!

As many a football fan will attest to, you can’t beat a bit of good old fashioned footy fare, which is exactly what I managed to get my hands on and finding decent value in terms of the pricing to boot made it taste that little bit better. Value in football is an ever-dwindling commodity, demonstrated in no small part by those at the ‘top’ of the game, who are quite frankly ripping the heart and soul out of football for me with inflated prices to match the inflated egos that dominate topflight football in this country, thus creating a corporate style environment no longer aimed at your traditional football fan. Drop a bit further down the pyramid however (where the entertainment value is just as high might I add) and you can enjoy your football fix for a fraction of the price and contribute to organic growth of clubs deserving of your hard-earned money and time. 

‘Chicken Balti Pie & Chips with Gravy – £7.50

Pint of Guinness - £4.65

What’s not to love about that!’

‘Tickets – Adults £8 Concessions (65+) £6 Young Adults (16-18) £6 Children (5-15) £1 Children (Under 5) FREE

Value for money if I ever did see it, and in case you were worried about a lack of atmosphere, you need not!’

For me, a day at the football isn’t just about the football itself, it’s the whole experience from the atmosphere to the food (and beer) on offer, your surroundings and the general feel within the stadium. A friendly, family, community feel around a club is immensely important to me and it would be an understatement to say that Nuneaton Town possesses all of this and more in abundance. There absolutely is a new regime in town and the fans have a club they can shout about once again. I cannot thank everyone at Nuneaton Town enough for their phenomenal hospitality or speak highly enough of their exemplary ownership model and vision for the future. It’s safe to say that I will be back, not just as part of the Proper Football team, but also as a fan!