Welcome back to Through the Turnstile, this time we are heading to Staffordshire to check out a team that are currently plying their trade in the Northern Premier Division (the seventh tier of English football) and unfortunately at the time of writing are struggling for form in the league.

However as we all know, football is a funny old thing and the season is far from over, a turn of form and a few wins on the trot could be all that the club needs to pull away from the current relegation position it finds itself.

There are still many many reasons for you reading this to head to a Leek game this season and I hope to shine a light on some of those for you now.

Lets get stuck in!

A brief history of the club.

Leek Town’s history, as it is known today, began in 1946, although some trace its origins to 1876. Initially named Leek Lowe Hamil, they competed in the Leek and Moorlands League and later the Staffordshire County League, where they set a record by winning the 1949/50 championship undefeated. Renamed Leek Town in 1951, they won the Manchester League in their first season and transitioned between leagues before returning to the Staffordshire County League.

In 1968, the club began modernizing, adding facilities and achieving success under manager Paul Ogden. Joining the Cheshire League in 1973/74, they won the championship in their second season. Leek became a founding member of the North West Counties League in 1982 and later the Northern Premier League in 1987. They earned promotion to the Premier Division in 1989/90, also reaching the FA Trophy final at Wembley under Neil Baker. The following year, they made an impressive FA Cup run.

In 1993/94, Leek’s second-place finish should have secured promotion to the Conference, but financial issues relegated them to the Southern League. After returning to the Northern Premier League, they won the 1996/97 championship and briefly competed in the Conference before relegation in 1998. Following further struggles, they dropped to the UniBond First Division in 2001.

Leek experienced ups and downs in subsequent years, including near-relegations and playoff disappointments under managers such as Wayne Johnson, Neil Cox, and Lee Casswell. Neil Baker returned in 2017, leading the club to playoff contention and a strong 2019/20 campaign, only for promotion hopes to be dashed when the COVID-19 pandemic nullified the season.

(Source:https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/leektown/a/the-ltfc-archive–history-honours-managers-appearances-goalscorers–cups-59833.html?page=2)

Club legends (as told by Community Engagement Manager – Matthew Burton)

Neil Baker – It would be remiss of me to not mention Neil Baker. A local legend who has managed the club for 2 spells spanning over 20 years in charge of the Blues. Neil was in charge of the 1990 Leek Town squad that went to Wembley for the FA Trophy Final Vs Barrow and in more recent times shaped the squad for our recent promotion. Having narrowly missed out twice in the playoffs. It was eventually Josh Brehaut that was in charge during the most part of our promotion campaign but there is no debating that Bake had a massive part to play.

My second has to be Tim Grice. Gricey left this club this season but before doing so, he ammased 500 club appearances and 250 club goals. Even when courted by ‘bigger clubs’ he remained loyal to the Blues and has been a goal scoring machine over 10 years. The clubs record goalscorer, a real gentleman who was aptly named Mr. Leek Town in his last few years at club. He holds both records for appearances and goals which I personally think will take many, many years for someone, if anyone, to take away from him.

Kit

2024 /2025 Replica Kit – £35

Retro Kit (limited edition) – One for £15 or Two for £20

Stadium info

F.Ball Community Stadium (ST13 8LD)
Capacity – 3600 ( 600 💺)
Number of stands – 4
Artifical Pitch

Entry Price

£10 – Adults
£6 – Concessions (over 65’s and students in full time education)
£3 – U8 to U16 
Free – Under 8’s

Season ticket price – £200 (Which works out at a 20% saving compared to paying at the game for every home game)

Matchday Programme
£3

Stadium Shop

Well check out this little offering!

This little club shop is actually located at the side of the clubhouse bar and is the perfect little space, home of all branded goods you could ever want or desire.

For what is a very small dedicated space, the amount of different merchandise the club does offer is really quite impressive. Not only that but the overall quality is very good and it is clear that some genuine thought has gone into the overall design and offering for their fans, as opposed to just copy and pasting other teams ideas.

Bravo!

Itssssss pin badge corner…cracking little pin badge this with both of the teams matchday kits on display with the teams crest proudly on display in the middle. A lovely badge to add to the collection!

Price – £4

Special Mention – Matchday Sponsorship

I am a big believer in the value for money which you can get as a matchday sponsor of a non-league football match and this is very much the case here at Leek Town. Before we get into the nitty gritty of how much and what you get for it, lets just have a quick peek behind the scenes…

Now I am all for a pie, potatoes and some veg as a pre-match meal – load it up!! If I was being picky…round carrots, a big no no from me. But I could make peace with it as part of this offering and I am about to tell you why.

So then how much does it cost? The total cost for a match sponsorship including VAT is £300

So what do you get for that, I hear you ask!

Well the match day package includes:

• Entry 75 minutes before kick off
• Match entry for 10 people (more can be added by request)
• Hot drink pre-match & at half-time in the Sponsor lounge
• Hot meal pre match in the Sponsor lounge
• Private bar if needed
• Car parking for 2 cars
• Reserved seating in the stand
• Digital programmes for each guest
• Match day announcement

So that’s a game of football, two drinks, a hot meal, a digital programme and brand exposure for your name or your company for just £30pp?

I think that is cracking value, especially when you consider that all of that money is genuinely going towards helping support firstly the clubs existence, as well as any improvements they wish to make to the facilities etc in the future.

Interested?

Drop the club a message on their email – commercial@leektown.co.uk

Drinks

Now here is the lovely clubhouse bar area that Leek Town serve all of their thirsty punters from. The wooden panelled bar is very effective and gives the whole bar area a really smart finish. A wide selection of drinks are on offer with a selection of bar snacks also available to be bought.

The main personal love of mine is the amount of club branding which is on show, the clubs badge vinyled onto the glass mirror behind the bar is a class addition, alongside the club scarves hanging along the back wall and previous club shirts scattered around on the walls, it is clear the club is proud to show exactly whose bar this is, I love it!

Food

Blues Bites is the place to be when you are attending a match at Leek Town. Are you looking for Truffle fries with some Wagyu steak? If the answer is yes, get out of here! We don’t want any of that thank you very much!

Blues Bites is the home of the comfort food that all non-league fans look for and I am all here for it. All at exceptionally competitive prices, which of course allows you to enjoy a good day of football, some drinks and some warming and fulfiling food without having to break the bank!

Now as I have just mentioned the food and drink are exceptionally well priced and so it is fair to assume that they will fair well when it comes to their standings on the Fab 4!

Firstly, Leek Town make onto all of the 4 different league tables and make noteable moves on the Beer table, coming in at joint 3rd with just £4 a pint, alongside Dartford FC, cracking value for money. The what seems to be staple price of £1.50 for a cup of tea and the very good value of just £6 for burger and chips.

All in all, a very strong performance off the pitch for Leek Town and all adds into the overall value for money offered on a matchday for old and new fans alike.

Top 3 current players (as told by Fan Dave Tatton )

Dino Visser, Alex Hurst & Liam Buckley

Dino Visser – He is a colossus in goals and genuine nice family guy

Alex Hurst – He is one of our own born in leek and now plays for leek

Liam Buckley – Affectionaly known as buckers brilliant lad brilliant family great role model

Press Play!

The club have a very active Youtube channel with matchday highlight videos posted regularly after matches, all edited by Terry Boote. Alongside the matchday highlights there are post-match interviews which I find really refreshing as not all clubs do carry these out.

Video is a real winner and can definitely help make fans feel more connected to the club and Leek, in my opinion are doing a great job at that.

Views from the Staff

Q) Your role at the club is the Community Engagement Manager, what does that look like as a job list for yourself?

The role is massively varied. From organising and setting up our weekly monday evening and saturday morning soccer schools where we have over 70 children per session. To working closely with the local college to organise our College football academy programme. Inbetween I work closesly with local businesses, schools and charities to help bring the football club to the community. This December we are hosting a food bank collection with Leek Food Bank at one of our home games, back in October we held a large screen cinema event on the pitch showing Ghostbusters with a variety of activities on the evening. Theres a lot of opportunity in Leek and Staffordshire for us to bring the club into the community.

Q) What attracted you to carry out this role for the club?

I was selling windows and doors for a fantastic company. During this time I organised two large charity football games which Leek Town hosted, raising £45,000. The club approached me asking if I would be open to the role. Being a fan of the club and regular attendee of matches and a massive football fan who had always dreamt of working within football, it was a no brainer.

Q) What gives you the most satisfaction in your role?

Seeing the College academy programme come into fruition has been massively rewarding. This year is the first time Leek Town have hosted such a programme and it is going from strength to strength. We are already getting into schools and hosting trial events for next years school leavers. Also, just being able to have an impact in the local community is massively rewarding.

Q) What is special about Leek Town Fc?

There is so much to love about the club, as with many Non-League clubs. There is a massive sense of community between the fans, the club, the players and the boardroom. Leek is such a fantastic town and the club is almost the heartbeat. I love being able to watch the games, and sit in the bar afterwards with the players and coaches which you would just never experience in the higher divisions.

Q) Fan engagement with non league fans is so much better than with EFL and premier league teams, aside from the larger fan bases why do you think this is?

Non-League clubs rely on small local communites to get behind their teams. We dont have the pulling power of having fans from all around the world piling money into the club. We have 12,000 followers on our facebook page so it is really easy to engage with real Leek Town fans and fans of Non-league football in general. There are also guys like yourself who do a great job in promoting the Non-league game which creates a massive buzz of engagement.

Q) What is your elevator pitch to someone who has never heard of or been to a Leek Town match?

Come for the great football, stay for the community, the warm welcome, the great affordable food and drinks, the banter between a mixed non segregated crowd. It’s not just Leek Town, people all over the country are looking to Non-League for their football fix and many of them never turn back. The club reels you in, and once you are in, you don’t want to leave.

View from the fans

Q) Quite simply – why Leek Town?

I was born in Leek so I think it’s right to support my home team

Q) What about Leek in your opinion is a standout memory?

The standout has to be last year’s promotion 17 years to get it

Q) Why should someone come along to a Leek Town game this season?

The standard of football is great, good food and you can have a pint. It is good value for money to get in the ground, there is a good family atmosphere and an overall cracking town to sample food and beverage afterwards with local hotels to stay over.

Q) Is a matchday value for money?

I think it is value for money and the club values every single person that comes down to cheer on the blues

Q) What first attracted you to Leek Town?

It’s my local team

Q) What do you love about a matchday?

The Whole experiences, from walking to the ground, meeting my friends, and then watching a good standard of football

Q) In your opinion is a matchday ticket value for money?

Very good value for money in my opinion

Q) Non league football is….

The way to go!

Q) What is it about a Leek Town matchday that you enjoy so much?

It’s my local club ,I’ve got many friends at the club every one knows every one ,I enjoy the build up to the game ,getting my programme, a cuppa from the tea hut ,then go and stand in my favourite spot in the Grace Street and discuss the up and coming game question 1 sorted

Q) Why do you think clubs like Leek are seeing a rise in spectators?

The cost of following a professional club ,for less than 20 pounds you can have admission ,programme and a pie

Q) Why should someone give a Leek Town matchday a go?

I fully recommend Leek Town to anyone we are North Staffordshire number 1 non League club ,you get a friendly welcome in one of the best Non League grounds

Q) Who is your current favourite player for the club and why?

Well it was Tim Grice who played 500 times for us ,one of the clubs greatest player ,he left to further his career, and also Rob Stevenson who left us during the close season
In the new team Josh has brought together ,I would go for Ollie Shenton ,Billy Reeves and and Alex Hurst ,the latter two have been injured ,but Billy has been with us before ,and is a brilliant Midfield player

Q) If you could sign one player from a rival club, who would you choose and why?

Tim Grice get him back from Newcastle Town and Rob Stevenson back from Hednesford ,Tom Carr back from Chorley ,I’ve picked 3 from last season ,we need goals

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Future plans as told by Chairman Jon Eeles

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

To consolidate in the NPL premier league and continue to keep our healthy support for home games. We aim to keep financial sustainability moving forward With a view to build a squad for promotion into the National Football League.

Q) What are the future plans for:

Stadium – we have recently had a 4G pitch installed which has allowed for a multitude of community activities from hosting our own soccer schools and holiday clubs to having large screen movie nights on the pitch. We have recently redeveloped our boardroom and Further plans to develop the inside of the stadium are being talked over at board level to bring the facility upto date. We are currently applying for grants for solar panels and a complete re-do of our Grace street stand with better disabled access and toilets.

Academy – we have just this September inducted our first ever LTFC college academy programme. The students study at the Leek campus of Buxton and Leek college. They then train 3 times a week under the stewardship of First team player and ex Port Vale star Alex Hurst. They will be competing in the AOC West Midlands regional league.

Recruitment – as with many clubs at our level we rely heavily on volunteers. However for match days and events we have staff who are paid for security, bar work and first aid. We also have a full time community engagement manager who was hired this season.

Community projects – we offer a multitude of community projects. We have Monday evening and Saturday morning community coaching which host over 80 children per day. We have NETflicks events whereby we have a large screen showing movies on the pitch. We work closely with local school to provide holiday football clubs and have run Easter egg collections and food bank collections on a number of occasions. We also host a monthly lunch club and have plans to introduce an activity hub for pre-schoolers

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So that brings to a close our trip inside Leek Town our 20th club to have featured on Through the Turnstile!

The club have some amazing strong qualities going for it but none more so than the passionate people volunteering/supporting the club week in, week out. A special mention to Matthew Burton who has been a great source of information and was a great advocate and mascot for the club throughout.

Also a special shoutout to Kev Chandler who has been a season ticket holder for the last 6 years , last season he only missed one game in their title winning season due to having a pacemaker fitted ,this season he hasn’t missed one game home or away including friendlies, incredible dedication.

I have personally learned so much about the club in creating this feature and I am a massive fan of everything they are doing currently and also everything which is on their list of things to do in the future.

Clubs like Leek Town are the very reason I get such joy in bringing these features to life, more people need to know the great work they are doing and I for one am looking to see those string of wins come together this season and build for the future in the summer.

“Up the Blues”

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