Staffs County League Fans’ Guide 2020-21

Welcome to the eighth edition of the Staffs County League fans’ Guide.
While this should be accurate at the time of publication, please let me know of any errors, omissions or changes.

The Groundhog

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The Staffordshire County League sits at step seven of the non league pyramid. It is classed in the 7A category, the highest classification of step seven.

List of Clubs for the 2020-21 Season

Map of the Clubs in the Staffordshire County League Premier Division

Map of the Clubs in the Staffordshire County League Division One

Map of the Clubs in the Staffordshire County League Division Two

Summary of Divisional changes

Premier Division

No of Teams: 17 (last season 16)

Not many changes in the top flight this season. Foley Meir were hoping to be playing in the North West Counties League this year but the Covid-19 pandemic put this plan back for a year. Audley & District and Ball Haye Green move up from the first division and new club Buxton Reserves join the league, playing at Buxton’s Silverlands Ground. Stone Dominoes and Tunstall Town leave the league, having both folded last season.

Division One

No of Teams: 16 (last season 13)

Teams moving up from Division Two are Audley & District Reserves, Ball Haye Green Reserves, Cheadle Town Reserves, Eastwood Hanley Development and Madeley White Star. Wolstanton United Reserves are new.
Market Drayton Tigers leave the Staffs County and Ball Haye Green and AFC Alsager moved up to the Premier Division.

Division Two

No of Teams: 15 (last season 10)

The second division is unrecognisable this term. Only Walsall Phoenix Reserves and Wyrley Juniors remain. Hilton Harriers Reserves have moved from the Staffs County and Staffordshire Victoria have folded. Five teams moved up to the first as mentioned above. So the other 13 teams in the division are either newly formed reserve sides, newly formed sides, sides moving from Sunday Leagues or sides moving sideways from other divisions.

FC41 and Huthman are brand new teams. Cresswell Wanderers move over from a midlands division. Blurton Reds I think have moved up from a Sunday League. New reserve sides to the division are AFC Alsager, City of Stoke, Milton United, Sikh Hunters, Stapenhill Juniors, Stone Old Alleynians and Whittington. Abbey Hulton, Eastwood Hanley and Foley Meir have entered development teams.

Key Facts for 2020-21

Eastwood Hanley are now back at their old venue of Trentmill Road (well worth a visit).
FC41, founded this year, will be playing at the Northwood Stadium grass pitch, not the 3g cage. They will be the first team to do so since ACF Milton in 2011-12 and before that Fegg Hayes and Hanford.
Keele University do have a grass pitch but it may be that they use their 3G pitch for all games now. The latter does have a seated covered stand.
Ashbourne are still sharing with Rocester, while work progresses on their new Shrovetide Stadium.
Buxton have entered a Reserve side, playing at the new 3G pitch at Buxton’s Silverlands Ground.
City of Stoke will be playing at the Shamblers venue in Whisper Lane near junction 15 of the M6.
Lichfield City Casuals are playing at the 4G pitch that now graces Lichfield City’s ground.
New side Cresswell Wanderers will be playing on Rushall Olympic’s 3G pitch.

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Programmes
Teams who have stated they will be issuing programmes for next season:

Premier: Buxton Reserves*, Eastwood Hanley, Foley Meir, Wolstanton United.
First: City of Stoke, Eastwood Hanley Development*, Madeley White Star.
Second: City of Stoke Reserves*.

*regarding the reserve and development sides, it might be worth double checking with the club as maybe they left the programme tick in from their first team’s data?

Groundhopping

Premier Division

There are four reserve teams playing this season at the ground of their first team, playing at step six or above in the pyramid. These grounds have stands and lights – Abbey Hulton United, Alsager Town, Buxton and Hanley Town. Ashbourne are sharing with Midland League side Rocester.
Of the other teams Leek CSOB and Brereton Social have floodlights, and in Brereton’s case, stands too. Foley Meir have extended their stand and continue to improve their ground to NWCL standards for next season.
Eastwood Hanley are playing back at their former Trentmill Road ground for the first time since 1997. Extensive renovations have taken place in recent years and their old terrace now has a roof, there is a perimeter bar and the whole ground is now fenced off.
Audley & District has two very small stands. The rest are pretty much perimeter bar grounds.

First Division

While there are a lot more teams in the lower two divisions compared to last year, there are a lot of reserves and development teams. Of the 16 teams in the First Division eight are either reserve or development teams.
Of the others, Lichfield City Casuals are playing on the 4G pitch of Lichfield City of the Midland League. Keele University seem to play all their games on their 3G pitch now, which has a small seated stand. Milton United have ambitions to step up to NWCL and have bought floodlights but at present their venue is without lights. They do have a stand on a different pitch though. The others are fairly basic setups.

Second Division

The pick of the grounds here has to be the Northwood Stadium where FC41 will be playing. The grass pitch here is a real hen’s tooth of a venue, that hasn’t seen football in years. It has an impressive 700 seater stand.

Table of Ground and Team Features

Bold = Reserve or Development Side

Premier

First

Second

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List of clubs by division

Premier Division

AFC AlsagerFounded: 2012
Ground: Alsager Sports Hub, Dunnockfold Road, Alsager, Stoke-on-Trent, ST7 2TW

Abbey Hulton United Reserves
Founded: 1947
Ground: Birches Head Road, Abbey Hulton, ST2 8DD
Arena Stand, elevated views to one side.

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