Football can provide dreams for people around the world. From being a child to a fully-grown adult, football fans always dream about being a superstar.
The majority of players make it at a young age but the non-league football ladder provides players the opportunity to develop their game at a lower level. Although most non-league players will never reach the heights of the football leagues elites, it still provides hope for thousands.
Stockton Town F.C, renowned for its ability to develop young talent since its establishment in 1979, recently created a first team.
Adam Nicholson, now 21, started off his football life playing for club before leaving at the age of 11. He returned when he found out there was a newly developed first team, hoping for the possibility of establishing a footballing career.
Nicholson said: “I returned because the team I was playing for had no teams after the Under 16’s and I wanted to keep playing football.
“I hoped I could make a run in the starting line-up and then who knows were I could have gone from there. I just wanted to do well for (Stockton) Town and climb the league ladder.”
The team plays competitive non-league football in the Wearside League, which is situated six divisions below the Conference Premier. Nicholson spoke of the team’s success, but with that success came a bitter disappointment.
He said: “We won the league in my first season with the team. Obviously it was a good feeling. I’d won league titles and cups throughout youth football but winning a proper non-league title is the best achievement so far.
“It made me feel like I could get to a decent level of football but that ambition got crushed when we were told we wouldn’t be applying for promotion.”
This problem seems to be an issue for money clubs playing at the lower levels of non-league football. Financial reasons mean that clubs cant afford to be promoted because they cant afford the costs that playing in a higher league demands.
Teams like Wakefield and Eastwood team are no longer around because of the problem. The jump for Stockton Town from the Wearside league to the Northern League is huge and at this moment something they can’t afford to do.
Nicholson said: “We’re small compared to other teams in the division; our pitch is on a field that is part owned by us and part owned by a school. We have no stands for fans to sit in and the only real money that comes into the club is what the clubhouse earns.
“We can’t afford to move into the Northern League. We would have to travel further to away games meaning more money needs to be spent. The structure of the non-league ladder doesn’t favour small clubs like us.”
Without investment some teams will never be able to climb the ladder, and there aren’t many teams at this level able to bring in the funds. Unfortunately a small team like Stockton Town isn’t an attractive investment.
Nicholson said: “We just want to establish ourselves as the best team in the league. Without any major investment there won’t be a promotion.”
For a young talent, who still has years ahead of him, Nicholson may yet have the chance to make a name for himself but for now he doesn’t see it that way.
He said: “I don’t think that’s going to happen. I’m already 21 and I think it will be years before we progress up the non-league system. It may be a negative outlook but I’m trying to stay realistic.”
