MIDLAND FOOTBALL LEAGUE
  • Home
  • News
    • Podcasts
    • The Voice
  • Match Centre
    • League Tables
    • Fixtures
    • Results
  • Directories
  • Archives
    • Honours
    • Cup History
  • Forms
    • New Applications
  • League Info
  • MATCH BALLS
  • Home
  • News
    • Podcasts
    • The Voice
  • Match Centre
    • League Tables
    • Fixtures
    • Results
  • Directories
  • Archives
    • Honours
    • Cup History
  • Forms
    • New Applications
  • League Info
  • MATCH BALLS

CITY OUT TO MAKE THEIR NAME

2/9/2021

 
What do you think of when you think of Lichfield? The three spired cathedral? Author Samuel Johnson? An actress who grew up in nearby Shenstone and appeared in Friends? 
Perhaps the last one is now a quiz question, answer below,  but whatever you think of, the Staffordshire city is not really noted by the general public for its football team. Rugby Union in the 1980s? Yes but football, no.
But Lichfield City are about to change all that when they take on Nuneaton Borough on Saturday in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup, to a potential worldwide audience of millions.
Lichfield's attractive home tie with Nuneaton Borough has been chosen for coverage on the BBC and the 3.30 kick off on Saturday will be available on the red button, i-player, the BBC sport website and app. 
Ok you won't see hoardes of TV vans roll into the City Ground, one camera and one operator is all that is needed in this digital age and commentator Tom Gayle and summariser, former Everton midfielder Leon Osman will be broadcasting 'off tube' from Salford.
But make no mistake, this game and the occasion is massive for a club which has only existed in continuance since 2008 and before then had only had two seasons in the 1990s in the West Midlands League.
Darren Leaver is the secretary of Lichfield City and the man tasked with the preparations for the TV coverage, including an interview for Midlands Today because the chairman is 'camera shy'.
Seriously though, TV doesn't just 'happen' and Darren has spent a large part of the week taking calls off the BBC for their preparations, as well as dealing with any number of other things such as ticketing, a media list, hospitality, sponsorship and just general enquiries.
He said: "It's been non stop but an enjoyable non stop and if it brings in some money and -just as importantly - raises the profile of the club as a whole, then it will have been worthwhile.
"Sponsorship and hospitality packages have almost sold out now and this tie has really captured the imagination of people in the city and beyond."
Darren reckons the club will clear at least £5,000 when TV money, gate money, bar takings and prize money have been taken into account and he hopes the knock on effect of it all will be to not only promote the club but to get more people through the gate in the long term.
He said: "Lichfield has never really been known for football. In some ways it has been too easy to hop on a cross city line train and go and watch Villa or Blues or someone else but we are hopefully making a name for ourselves now.
"Promotion of the first team to the Premier division of the Midland Football League has helped and the TV coverage can only be good for us but Lichfield City is about more than that. We run 24 teams from under 7s to girls teams through to under 21, with facilities that are the envy of many teams - it has been hard work to get to this stage and any money we make will be invested in the club.
"When we agreed to take on the lease of the ground and the social club, people told us we would never get permission to put up lights for example - that the council didn't see the city as a footballing place.
"That was in 2008-09 when we were in Midland Combination Division Three and by 2017 we not only had lights but a 3G pitch which can be used seven days a week and were moving up the leagues, eventually moving up to the Midland Football League.
"This is the joint furthest we have been in the FA Cup, having only first entered in 2014 and it is one of the biggest home games in our short history - made spicier because of the fact our manager lives in Nuneaton.
Ivor Green cut his managerial teeth at Atherstone, winning  three trophies during his time at Sheepy Road, leaving them during the 2019-20 with them well placed to chase promotion.
He is on record as saying it was the team that had been assembled under former boss Jamie Hawkins, and the facilities the club had developed that attracted him to the job, when he wasn't particularly looking for one.
Darren said some of Ivor's friends from Nuneaton would be coming to the game on Saturday to shout Lichfield on and give him some stick and that it added to the occassion.
But what of the players?  Will they get camera shy?
He said: "We have a mainly young squad who are looking forward to their turn in the limelight but they are professional and will be focused when the game kicks off although there is obviously a lot of banter flying around before it.
"One of them, Kyle Patterson, has played for LA Galaxy and Hollywood United with some movie stars so he may be one who poses for the camera but seriously it is good to have a bit of experience on board.
"At the start of the season, having been fortunate to be promoted to the Premier we would have taken staying up as a success but the way we have started we are probably looking to push on to the top half and the FA Cup is just a bonus we can all look forward to."
*You can see Lichfield City on BBC Midlands Today and follow the game on the i-player or red button from 3.30pm on Saturday.
Below (Clockwise): Lichfield's famou three spiered cathedral; Lichfield City FC; Actress Helen Baxendale and Samuel Johnson-famous writer and son of Lichfield.

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Comments are closed.

    MFL

    The official news channel of the Midland Football League (founded 2014)

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed