Welcome to Through the Turnstile, this series of features are intended to shine the light on some of non-leagues leading stars. This time we are looking at Belper Town.

A brief history of the club.

Belper Town Football Club was founded in 1883 and first competed in the FA Cup in 1887–88, losing 3–2 to The Wednesday. They became founding members of the Derbyshire Senior League in 1890, finishing as runners-up in 1895–96. By the early 1900s, Belper played in the Mid-Derbyshire League, winning the title in 1904–05 and finishing second the following season. The league was renamed the Derbyshire Alliance in 1907 and then merged with the Notts & District League in 1908 to form the Notts & Derbyshire League, where Belper were also founding members. However, financial problems forced the club to leave the league and fold midway through the 1911–12 season.

Belper reformed in 1951, joining Division One of the Central Alliance by taking over the fixtures of Mansfield Town ‘A’. After the league was restructured in 1956, Belper was placed in Division One North, where they finished as runners-up in 1956–57 and won the title in 1958–59. They also secured their first Derbyshire Senior Cup in 1959. The club joined the reformed Midland League in 1961 but struggled, finishing bottom in 1969–70 and again in 1978–79, though they avoided relegation. Belper rebounded to win both the Premier Division and the Derbyshire Senior Cup in 1979–80.

In 1982, the Midland League merged with the Yorkshire League to form the Northern Counties East League (NCEL), with Belper placed in the Premier Division. They won the NCEL Premier Division in 1984–85 and the President’s Cup in 1995–96. The following season, Belper finished as Premier Division runners-up and were promoted to Division One of the Northern Premier League (NPL). In 2007, the NPL was restructured, and Belper were placed in Division One South. In 2008–09, after finishing second on goal difference, they qualified for the promotion play-offs, but lost the final 1–0 to Stocksbridge Park Steels. In 2012–13, a third-place finish led to another play-off campaign, but Belper lost in the semi-finals. The following season, after finishing fourth, they won the play-offs by defeating Leek Town and Mickleover Sports to earn promotion to the Premier Division.

Belper’s promotion was short-lived as they finished bottom in their first season in the Premier Division, resulting in relegation back to Division One South. In 2021–22, they finished fifth in Division One Midlands, securing a spot in the promotion play-offs. They beat Stamford 2–1 in the semi-finals and Chasetown 1–0 in the final to return to the Premier Division. However, once again, Belper finished at the bottom of the table the following season and were relegated to Division One East.

(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belper_Town_F.C)

Club legends (as told by fan Bobby Bowmer)

Jon froggatt – An ex-player for me is the best striker I’ve seen at Belper Town in my time as a fan.

Rex Barker – May he rest in peace, gave his life to Belper. Volunteered at the club as long as I can remember gave his everything to Belper, a true legend.  

Kit

2024/2025 Replica Kit – £40

https://www.belpertownfc.co.uk/payments/202425-home-shirt-118169.html

Stadium info

Raygar Stadium (DE56 1BA)
Capacity – 2600 ( 500 💺)
Number of stands – 3
Grass Pitch

Entry Price

Matchday Tickets
Adults (16 to 60) – £11.00
Concessions (Under 16 and 60+) – £7.00
Students (with valid ID card) – £7.00
Children Under 11 (with accompanying adult) – Free

Season ticket prices
Adults: £180
Concessions: £110
Students (with valid student union card): £110

Matchday Programme
£2

Stadium Shop

Well look at these two friendly faces!

The on-site stadium shop is a very neat and tidy affair with everything available, from a branded bobble hat, polo shirts, pin badges, scarves, caps, mugs, pendants and much much more! What a might fine selection of branded goods, BRAVO!

Alternatively if you cant make a game or simpy dont want to be carrying home your huge haul of merchandise, you can head to the clubs online shop and purchase everything your heart desires there instead!

https://www.belpertownfc.co.uk/payments?category=all

Itssssss pin badge corner…and check this out! What a tidy little number this one is!

Price – £4

Special Mention – Matchday Sponsorship

Now I have to give a special mention to the sponsorship booklet/options on the clubs website, with a particular callout to the matchday sponsorship option. I have had a look at quite a few different matchday sponsorships now and this one strikes me as great value for money.

The overall exposure, the bespoke service offered alongside a two course meal, with a complimentary bar and all of the other trimmings for just £45 per person is a steal in my opinion. Especially when you factor in a matchday ticket is £11 so you are essentially only paying an extra £34 per person for all of those extras.

Drinks

Now check out this lovely little clubhouse, vast in space and with an old vs new overall vibe the space is inviting and open.

All in all the clubhouse is a good size and offers everything you need and want on a matchday. Perfect! Plus…it has a food hatch and I am quite the fan of the old school food hatches at grounds!

Fancy grabbing a drink outside of the clubhouse on a matchday? Just head to this lovely little shack which can ensure you don’t go thirsty! But in all seriousness it is additional bar spaces like this that does help reduce the pressure on the main clubhouse and ensures fans cups dont stay empty too long, which in turn maximises the overall revenue/profit for the club.

Food

Well well well – this is a first for the Turnstile features!

Check out this lovely little food shack which offers all of the goodness you could expect from a greek offering – traditional Gyros, with their delicious pork gyros costing just £8. YUM!

I do love the fact the club have got a multiple food options available, as much as I love the standard football food, sometimes you do want to mix it up and the option of ‘The Mad Greek’ is just the ticket.

And there it is again, the food hatch…! If you want something else you can head here and check out the Millside Tea Bar… which offers everything you come to expect from a football stadium!!

Now lets all gather round and see how Belper Town fare in arguably the most important set of league tables of all time…the Fab 4!

Lovely stuff!

4/4 entires for Belper and the standouts being the Cider and Burger and Chips. At just £4.20 for a pint of cider, I think provides cracking matchday value plus when twinned with a burger and chips at just £6 it means you can grab arguably the perfect football meal for just over a tenner!

Entry + A pint + Burger and Chips for £21….yes please!

Top 3 current players (as told by fan Mike Ward)

Harry Draper, Curtis Burrows and Paulo Aguas

Harry Draper – A great striker, strong, good in the air, good turn of pace

Curtis Burrows – Extremely versatile (spends more time as emergency full back than in midfield), a very hard worker, great crosser and passer of the ball.

Paulo Aguas – A very pacey left back, reads the game well, good overlapping down the wing, strong in the tackle.

Press Play!

The club has recently started to use their Youtube channel again for match highlights and being a big fan of video within football clubs myself I am all for the club looking to revive this media outlet.

Any good channel has to start somewhere so why not jump over there today and give the club a subscribe!

Views from the Staff

Q) What got you into commentating for Belper Town, and how’s the experience been so far?

I got into commentary 5 years ago from my friends who were doing commentary at the time for Mickleover Sports and I put the idea across to a few Belper town fans and the chairman and they said it be a fantastic idea, the experience has been fantastic I have learnt a lot and also did an online training course to help me improve over the last 5 years.

Q) What’s it like covering matches for a non-league team compared to higher leagues, and do you face any unique challenges?

It’s amazing to cover for Belper town because I don’t think there is a lot of pressure because it’s not sky being a commentator for sky or tnt sports, I mean don’t get me wrong there is a lot of pressure just want to make sure I’m doing saying the right things, the only challenge I found is to remember to keep my emotions in check.

Q) What’s been your most memorable moment or game as a commentator for Belper Town?

This is a tough one, as there are quite a few but because it’s been 5 years since our great FA Cup and when we played Notts County at Meadow Lane, and Danny Gordon scored a fantastic goal against Notts County and my famous quote on commentary ITS DANNY GORDONNNNNNNNNN.

Q) How do you prepare for a match and keep things interesting for the listeners, especially if it’s a quieter game?

I always prepare make sure I’ve got a team sheet, I learn players names if they are hard to pronounce and keep listeners up to date with live scores and speaking to other fans getting their thoughts during the game as well.

Q) How important is the connection with the fans and local community for your role, and how does their support impact your commentary?

Just by keep asking them how am I doing on commentary and is there anything I need to prove on, people message me that I don’t know say how fantastic my commentary is, I have fans messages from abroad like South Africa, Brazil and Netherlands, and fans even listen to me when they are abroad when they are on holiday and they send me messages to say how great the commentary is and the fans share it around social media and fans I haven’t met before introduce themselves when they see me walking in the street in Belper as well.

Q) What made you want to manage Belper Town Ladies, and has your experience been what you expected or different in any way?

I’ve been coaching for nearly 20 years having started off in boys grassroots. I have previously coached at Derby County Women’s academy and Dronfield Town Ladies. The Belper role came available and I went and watch the team train. From that moment I knew there was something I could build here.

The experience has been better and that’s down to both the woman committee but also the support of the committee and chairman at the main club. 

I have a long term goal to manager either higher up the women’s pyramid or at a good level in men’s non league and I’m enjoying developing my skills here at Belper. 

Q) What are some of the unique challenges of working with a non-league club compared to higher-tier teams, and how do they affect your daily routine?

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi never had to do a shift before training. Our players do. They turn up worn out and sometimes have had a bad day. 

I have teachers, nurses, engineers, police officers and mothers. For women it’s so hard to have access to this sport. For me it’s about understanding that people have lives outside of football… Because honestly I don’t. 

Q) What have been some of the most memorable or rewarding moments since you’ve been with Belper Town Ladies?

Winning our first ever FA Cup game Infront of a crowd of 220 at the Raygar stadium. It gave the girls a taste of what this game would be like for them if they’d been born male. 

We have some incredible talent who would be earning good money in the men’s game if they weren’t women. 

Q) How do you handle player development and recruitment with the resources of a non-league setup, and what’s your approach to building a solid team?

Ultimate we have no resources, I have some players where I financially help them out of my own pocket with travel. There is unlikely to ever be a wage budget at Belper Town Ladies.

Due to my history coaching in Derby County Academy’s I have been able to bolster the squad with talented youngsters who will develop into fantastic players. 

I have also recently been heavily targeting Sheffield and South Yorkshire as honestly it’s the best womens football location outside it London. 

Q) How does support from the local community and club officials play a role in the team’s performance and morale, and how crucial is that support for the club’s success?

Simply put, I want this team to be a reflection of our community. Belper is a town full of hard working skilled people and that’s what I want our players to be. 

As for club officials, honestly the club Chairman Ian Woodward is one of the best people I’ve met in football. He lives for that club and rhav includes us. When he’s watching it lifts our players. We are very lucky at Belper. If you look at local clubs like Matlock and Mickleover, neither seem very interested in their own women’s teams and frankly that’s embarrassing in 2024. 

We don’t ask the club for a penny and never will. All we ask is to be recognised for the badge on our chests. 

Q) What’s it like juggling your roles in the tea bar and as the first aider at the games? Do you enjoy the variety?

I really enjoy working for the teabar, it may only be a small job, but getting to interact with the home fans, as well as the away fans, it certainly makes it a lot more enjoyable. As a first aider thankfully we don’t have many incidents, I’ve only had to deal with the one in the 6 years of volunteering with the club, but it’s still nice to know I have a couple different responsibilities.

Q) What’s the most interesting or memorable experience you’ve had while working at the tea bar or providing first aid?

I think my most memorable experience will be when a football came flying through the teabar window and knocked over all my products and knocking me on the back of my head! I managed to duck in time, but still managed to get an impact. I still get very close calls like that!

Q) How do you manage to keep the tea bar running smoothly during busy match days, and what’s the most popular item you serve?

On the busier days of matches, I do get an extra pair of hands and when it comes to halftime my dad (Guy) will come and jump on to help me. It’s nice to have the help every now and again. I would say popular items vary on the time of season, teas and coffees are a winner in the winter and alcohol and pop are the winners in the summer. 

Q) Can you share any funny or unexpected moments that have happened while you’ve been working at the club?

My most memorable memory will always be when we had our Belper music festival, with the final performance being a Queens tribute act. The atmosphere was fantastic and everyone you talked to had an amazing time.

Q) How important is the support from the fans and the rest of the club staff in making your job easier and more enjoyable?

The support is fantastic and especially the appraisal of knowing that I’ve done a good job. The club is really like one big family and I’m very lucky to be apart of it. 

View from the fans

Q) What first drew you to Belper Town, and what keeps you coming back to support the team?

My dad first took to me watch belper town when I was 6/7 years old I remember falling off what was the old stand that was just wooden benches and banged my head my dad took me into the changing rooms at halftime and the physio cleaned my cut head up I remember looking up at the players thinking I’m in the changing room as I grew older I started going bk on my own and got the buzz for non league football when I got older etc starting buying a season ticket and I have for many years.

Q) What’s been your standout memory or most exciting moment as a fan of Belper Town?

We have had a few promotions in the last 10 years or so but unfortunately come bk down to this level which them times where amazing but the best stand out moment for me was the fa cup we had a good run a few years ago we got to the last qualifier before the first round proper we was drawn away against notts county what an amazing day although we lost it’s the best was at day for me ever we scored the first goal the stadium erupted. Ps it’s on YouTube the highlights worth a watch.

Q) How have you seen the club evolve over the years, and what changes have stood out to you?

The club has changed a lot in recent years since Ian woodwood as come in the current chairman as updated the ground the facilities are great good food drinks etc the gates are bigger since Covid so more money coming in hence better money for players.

Q) What do you love most about being a fan of a non-league team like Belper Town?

I just love non league the way it is get to a game no set seats stand where you want you can have a pint if you want whilst watching the game we get to travel to away games on the bus with players so you can talk to them even after the games at home in the clubhouse 

Q) How would you describe the fan experience at the games, and what makes the atmosphere special for you?

For me non league is just a real experience I just enjoy meeting my friends in the pub for a pint before the game and at belper where like a family everyone knows everyone just a great day out home or away apart from when you lose lol but that’s football the atmosphere is always good. 

Q) What 1st drew you to Belper Town?

I was invited to a match by family member who was club photographer, enjoyed it and kept on going.

Q) Can you describe what a matchday is like for you at Belper?

Match day is all about spending time with my daughter and son who both follow the Nailers and meeting the friends I’ve made through following BTFC

Q) Why do you think non-league is growing so much?

Non-league is “real” football that fans can get involved with, we know the directors, managers, players, volunteers etc, they know us. Also generally you can have a chat and laugh with opposition fans, no aggro.

Q) Is Belper value for money?

Definitely value for money in my opinion

Q) If you could resign any former player for the club, who woudl you choose and why?

George Milner, cracking player, great attitude, smashing bloke and family

Photo credit throughout go to: Tim Harrison

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Future plans as told by Director Chris Nelson

Q) What does the 5 year plan for the club look like?  

Playing at the highest level of non-league football consistent with our financial capabilities

Q) What are the future plans for:

⁃ Stadium  Achievement of FA Stadium Accreditation Level 2 (equivalent to standard required in National League regional divisions) by uplifting stadium capacity to 3,000 (from 2,200).  Creation of major new first floor extension to main building to create a new hospitality area.

⁃ Academy  Retain current 2 Academy teams and create opportunities for players to progress to first team football (two players progressed in 2023/24).

⁃ Recruitment  No specific plans

⁃ Community projects  Continue with walking football sessions, create opportunities for local clubs to use our facilities, supporting mental health initiatives, supporting Prostate Cancer UK, zero tolerance to all forms of discrimination.

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So that brings us to the end yet another ‘Through the Turnstile’. Belper Town are having a good start to the season and should they continue then I have every belief that everything else is in place for them to experience further success. As expected with non-league football, but still a lovely feeling every time, the staff have been wonderful and a real testament to the club they represent.

The overall vaue for money is up there with the best we have featured to date and I would encourage you to get down there and enjoy a game or two. Or…grab 7 mates and enjoy the matchday hospitality and live the afternoon like a king.

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Now before you go, you may or may not have seen the very exciting news break the other day that I will be launching a brand new non-league football magazine next month!

The magazine will be called ‘Parks to Pitches’ and will feature regular contributors from around the non-league scene, covering everything you could possibly think of, but most importantly of all it will feature ONLY Non-league football!

Keep an eye open on all social pages for the link to purchase (will be listed on an ebay store)

EXCITING TIMES!

Until next time!