From record-breaking attendances to the Premier League trophy touring several clubs within the league, accompanied by an England legend, the Essex Senior League produced a wicked programme for Non-League Day's 2025 version.
Non-League Day - founded by James Doe in 2010 - is a specific mark in the footballing calendar, dedicated to supporting clubs lower down the pyramid. The celebration of non-league football takes place on a weekend when there is no Premier League or Championship action, encouraging fans of bigger sides to support their local team.
The Essex Senior League took this year's campaign to a whole new level!
I spoke to the Secretary at the Essex Senior League, Michelle Dorling, who headed up the programme with colleagues. She was very proud of what the league had accomplished over the weekend, creating memorable moments alongside history.
"I take immense pride in how our league stands out in a highly competitive football landscape. We embrace innovation, finding new ways to elevate our clubs and engage with supporters. Our recent Non-League Day celebrations were a testament to this ethos, as we not only showcased the quality of football in our league but also worked to raise awareness and funds for Prostate Cancer UK.
"In a historic first, we collaborated with the Premier League to bring the Premier League Trophy to our ground hop, travelling from Benfleet FC to Buckhurst Hill FC and onto Takeley FC. This event highlighted the strength of our league and the wider non-league community, proving that we can create unforgettable moments while making a real difference with ambition and unity."
The kick-off
In a unique term of events, the action got underway on Friday night with two games taking place.
Woodford Town, a side that once bore the names of the late great Jimmy Greaves, his former Tottenham Hotspur teammate Joe Kinnear and Fulham legend Johnny Haynes, continued their title push with a 3-1 victory over Ilford, whilst local rivals West Essex beat play-off hopefuls Barking 1-0.
At Woodford, centre-back Mike Agboola swapped his normal number 22 for the number 45 in support of Prostate Cancer UK's 45 shirt campaign, signifying that every 45 minutes, a loved one is lost from Prostate Cancer. I spoke to him after the game regarding his tribute, which many others across the league also adopted throughout the weekend.
"Happy for everyone to be involved, happy with the little thing we did at the start. We're getting the message out, it's a good thing for charity and I'm proud to wear this shirt for Woodford Town."
Meanwhile, just 4.5 miles down the road, West Essex chose to honour the same campaign, albeit in a different and touching way. I caught up with their First Team General Manager, Dan Reading, who shared his views on the day and the thought process behind their incredible entry system and charitable donations.
"We’re huge fans of the NLD initiative at West Essex and have always tried to find inventive ways to support it since our arrival in the Essex Senior League. It’s a fabulous weekend that gives clubs in the lower echelons of the pyramid a wonderful opportunity to show everyone that, despite not having the extraordinary resources at our disposal unlike the professional game, we more than compensate with passion, authenticity and a deep love for the huge section of the football community that we represent.
"When we heard that the Essex Senior League were working closely with Prostate Cancer UK to promote this year's event, there was a really strong sentiment within our committee that this was something we wanted to really get behind. The demographic of the non-league community is so closely aligned with the high-risk groups of this terrible disease and we knew there were people within our club that had direct experience of it.
"Our chairman Mark Penfold signed off on the spot on the principle of us sharing the gate with the charity. As the days passed by we agreed to several initiatives to make the night stand out. We went with ‘pay what you want’ as the entry mechanic."
In a slightly different method, they also honoured Prostate Cancer's 45 shirt campaign. Defender George Forrest, who sadly lost his Grandad Melvyn to the disease, wore the name of his lost family member in a touching tribute, with his relatives having no idea that he would be doing such an admirable thing until they saw him wearing the shirt.
"George Forrest volunteered in memory of his dear departed Grandad Melvyn - whose name was on the back of the shirt. A beautiful and emotional tribute. There were certainly a few people with something in their eye when George and his Dad embraced on the night. We are so proud of George for going the extra mile to raise awareness about the extraordinary work Prostate Cancer UK is doing and we’re absolutely delighted to announce that we’ll be donating £1500 to the cause."
James Forrest
James Forrest wears the number 45 shirt with his late Grandad Melvyn's name on the back of it. (Photo credit: Katie Dorling - Essex Senior League)
In a truly unique method to attract fans, the league arranged for the Premier League trophy to join the tour of Essex, with former West Ham and Manchester City defender Stuart Pearce journeying on alongside it.
Firstly, it was to Benfleet, a team experiencing step-five football for the first time in its history this season and they've found a way to turn their small town just off the east coast of England into a thriving community.
Having attracted crowds of over 400 and 500 throughout a historical campaign, Non-League Day saw them take it to a new extreme as they broke a club record, as well as hitting the highest attendance the league has seen so far during the 2024/25 season, with 702 people entering through the turnstiles to see them beat relegation-threatened FC Clacton 4-2 in the lunchtime kick-off.
I spoke to their Chairman, Dan Wright, to discuss the events of the past weekend, as well as the overview of their season so far.
"Non-League Day for us at Benfleet was extraordinary. It’s such a fantastic initiative and although we’ve surprised ourselves time and time again this season by the way that the locals of Benfleet have got behind us. To get over 700 people to come and support us was beyond our wildest dreams. To welcome Stuart Pearce and the Premier League trophy to our little ground in Benfleet was so special. We had queues of over 200 people backing up the car park from 10:30 am waiting for the gates to open at 11 am, which is fairytale stuff really and gives us such a solid platform as a club.
"Our first season at Step 5 has been an interesting one – last season was all about what happened on the pitch and our remarkable promotion. This season, as it's turned out, has been a huge success off the pitch, with our new stadium opening and building such a strong core of local support.
"But it's been a mixed bag on the pitch, we’ve been hammered by injuries with probably half our first-choice side missing for every game we’ve played since August, but it’s a new league and a much higher level and we’ve held our own, and with yesterday’s three points we hope we’ve done enough to ensure our place in the league again next season."
Benfleet squad
Members of the Benfleet squad pose for a photo with the Premier League trophy before their 4-2 win over FC Clacton in front of 702 people on Saturday afternoon. (Photo credit: Katie Dorling - Essex Senior League).
The trophy continued its trip as it travelled down the A127 to Buckhurst Hill, with Stuart Pearce following again as he did throughout the entire day.
The Stags, who were play-off hopefuls before a dip in their form at the beginning of the new year, fell behind to Hullbridge Sports, before an Archie Hammond goal secured them a point in front of 411 spectators - their biggest crowd of the season to date.
In a 3:30 pm start, league leaders Stanway Rovers came from behind to beat Little Oakley and cement their push for promotion, going above Woodford by two points and still having a game in hand over them. These two sides were again at the centre of special tributes to Prostate Cancer UK, as were many other sides in the league in the Saturday fixtures.
A magnificent day of football was rounded off with a trip to the Full Vision Stadium as Takeley welcomed Saffron Walden Town. TALK Sport's Ian Abrahams, more commonly known as 'The Moose', was in attendance too, with many group-hoppers also paying a visit.
The club unveiled their new LED floodlights prior to kick-off, and these were funded by the Premier League's stadium fund. They were granted £100,000 to make the changes - as were the other two clubs which the most glamorous prize in English football visited - as part of the Premier League's attempts to make it easier for clubs on a limited budget to improve infrastructure.
Goals in the second half from Jordan Wescott and Olly Miles secured three big points for Alex Martin and Kieron Amos' side as they overtook Barking to go third, six points off second-placed Woodford Town with two games in hand as well.
Overall success of the weekend
Ignoring the fact that fans and players were able to take photos with the Premier League trophy and Stuart Pearce put a smile on many faces, there were some even greater highs.
Over 2,600 spectators attended the ten games throughout the division, some of which were 'ESL Passport Holders', where the league charged fans a fixed fee to attend four games of their choice over the weekend, with staggered kick-off times making this possible.
Ashley Leat, the league's Social Media Manager, and a key part of the preparation that went into the big weekend, spoke to me.
"It was brilliant to see so many people enjoying the action, proving once again how vital non-league football is to local communities. A huge highlight was the Premier League trophy visiting Benfleet, Buckhurst Hill, and Takeley, giving fans a special moment to remember - massive thanks to the Premier League for their incredible support.
"Beyond the football, the day carried an important message as we raised money and awareness for Prostate Cancer UK, using the power of the game to make a real difference. Work now starts for next year...roll on Non-League Day 2026!"
The partnership with Prostate Cancer UK will see the league collect all charitable donations made to clubs before handing over a final cheque to the charity, and although exact numbers are yet to be confirmed, the figure could be breathtaking knowing the levels to which clubs put in. The handover will take place before the Errington Challenge Cup Final on May 5th.
Not only has this put a huge spotlight on the league and their respective clubs, but it is sure to attract many more regular hoppers and possibly even new fans for life, and I'm sure it will have a positive effect on the plans for Non-League Day 2026, with plans already underway.
Woodford Town squad
The Woodford Town squad show support for Prostate Cancer UK ahead of kick-off before their win over Ilford at home on Friday night. (Photo credit - James Walkinshaw - Woodford Town FC Club Photographer).