I have written a few times about the frequency with which non-League football clubs are folding; I asked whether the National Leagues System was A Pyramid Built on Quicksand as early as February 2024. The club closest to my heart, Ashford Town (Middlesex) would probably have gone under had they not secured a total redevelopment of their home ground which was finally completed in the Spring of 2025. As the 2025-26 season looms, ground problems have seen Widnes FC fold their First Team and Farsley Celtic decide to ‘sit out’ the campaign. The Widnes story is even more striking because the club were Champions of the Northern Premier League West Division last season.
The Whites’ title success caught me by surprise and not just because the nature of my departure from Prescot Cables meant that I wasn’t following results closely. There was nothing in Widnes’s previous performance that suggested they were going to challenge for promotion, never mind win their division. Widnes had finished ninth in the 2023-24 season, which was the highest League position in their short history, the club having only been formed in 2013. Nor could Widnes be called a ‘big’ club in terms of support; their average attendance last season was 294, a number distorted by the club’s biggest ever gate of 882 for the final match of the season on 26 April – a 1-0 win over Trafford which secured the Championship. There were 16 clubs in the division whose average crowds were higher than those of Widnes, including runners-up Hednesford Town. Their average of 1,460 was almost five times that of Widnes.
But what looked like a heartwarming underdog story began to unravel within weeks. Widnes FC has always been based at the Halton Stadium, which is an all-seater, multi-use venue with an artificial pitch and a capacity of 13,350. It’s a fine ground, but completely unsuitable for the level of football Widnes were at and for their level of support. A couple of hundred supporters rattling around the South Stand (which holds 3,400 on its own) while the other three stands remain closed can’t generate the kind of raucous atmosphere clubs like Prescot Cables can at more traditional venues with smaller capacities. Seeking to develop a ground better suited to their needs, Widnes had spent six years and around £40,000 attempting to redevelop a site known locally as the Corpy Club but on 14 May announced they had withdrawn a planning application relating to the project. Citing the offer of a short lease and an apparent requirement to mirror the car parking provision at Halton Stadium as major issues, the club said that continuing work on the project was “madness”.
Two days later, the Manager who led Widnes to promotion resigned, after the club was unable to offer a budget for player wages for the coming season.
The club had been set up as a single Men’s team but had grown to include a large number of children’s teams. However, the adult and youth sections were not split into separate legal entities with their own affiliations to the County FA, as happens at most clubs. When the Directors of the main club attempted to change this – as much to protect the Junior Teams from any problems at the ‘parent’ body as anything else – it triggered the formation of ‘AFC Widnes’ and mudslinging from all directions. In a long, emotional and subsequently deleted post on the club website published on 18 June, Widnes FC Chairman Ian Ross alleged that money which should have been paid to Widnes FC Ltd had been diverted into bank accounts connected to volunteers within the Junior section, apparently in response to suggestions that money which should have been ringfenced for children’s teams had been spent on the Men’s First Team, an accusation vehemently denied by Mr Ross. Within a couple of days, sums of money were transferred to the parent club and on 25 June Widnes FC and AFC Widnes issued a joint statement, which began:
“Widnes FC and AFC Widnes are pleased to announce that following constructive discussions and collaboration with the Liverpool County FA, we have reached an amicable solution that both parties are agreed brings a full and final end to any recent dubiety and ensures that all players can continue their football journey.”
Sadly, that alone wasn’t enough to turn around what was an increasingly bleak situation and by Sunday 29 June the situation had become terminal, at least as far as the Men’s team was concerned. In a statement on the club website, Widnes implied that shareholders had grown tired of funding the club given a perceived lack of support from the Council and the local MP:
“It’s not lost us on that the new Runcorn MP visited her local club calling it ‘a jewel in the crown’ of their community while we couldn’t even get an email reply or a simple congratulations as Northern Premier League West Champions from anyone at HBC or our local MP.
“We just don’t matter enough.”
It must have been galling for those putting the money in at Widnes that their Championship-winning side was pulling in an average crowd just over half that of neighbours Runcorn Linnets, who were in mid-table, although it is true that Linnets are the successor club to Runcorn FC, who were once Champions of what is now called the National League. Maybe they thought success on the pitch would help their cause off it? On 1 July, Halton Borough Council told the Liverpool Echo:
“Widnes FC met with senior Council officers on 30th May, and the club requested that the Council considered several proposals relating to the future viability of the club.
“Since then, Council officers have been in regular dialogue with representatives from the club to explore options, as well as better understand the proposals presented.
“It is, therefore, disappointing that given the relatively short time since the meeting, Widnes FC has taken the decision to withdraw its Men’s first team.
“The Council will feedback to the club on the proposals put forward but will be guided by the club as to whether they wish to continue these discussions.”
A day after Widnes issued their statement, Farsley Celtic announced that they were withdrawing their Men’s First Team from the Northern Counties East League, into which they had been placed after being relegated from National League North on the pitch and refused a licence to play in the Northern Premier League. Celtic are themselves a ‘phoenix club’ having reformed in 2010 following insolvency but had risen through the divisions. Unfortunately, a botched 3G pitch project left the club without a ground to play on and rising debts. However, unlike Widnes, Farsley see their resignation from the League as a means of getting their club back on an even keel. Former Premier League goalkeeper David Stockdale, who became Celtic manager in February, is buying the club in conjunction with his family. The club’s statement was remarkably bullish about the situation:
“We would like to make it clear that this decision does not affect our Women’s, Deaf, or Development teams – all of which will continue to operate as planned during the 2025/26 season.
“We remain fully committed to investing further time and resources into the continued growth and support of these important sections of the club.
“Despite these changes, the mood around the club is a positive one. We are working hard behind the scenes to ensure a smooth transition to the new ownership, and we are excited about the ambitious plans already being developed with them.
“These plans include significant improvements to facilities and a renewed focus on player development, community engagement, and the long-term sustainability of the Club.”
Although the situations at Widnes and Farsley Celtic are very different, they share a major similarity; the need to develop a home ground which can meet both The FA’s requirements and generate non-matchday income so that the club can become self-sustaining. That is why Ashford Town (Middlesex) needed their 3G pitch, why Farsley were trying to install one and why Widnes saw no future for themselves at the Halton Stadium.
Seven clubs failed to complete the 2023-24 season, Clapton FC slipped quietly away after it ended. In addition to Widnes and Farsley, Montpellier Villa and Hinckley Leicester Road have all withdrawn from the National Leagues System in recent months. Does that suggest a deeper malaise? The number of clubs either shutting up shop or going into hibernation suggests that there is a problem; whether The FA or anyone else can tackle it remains to be seen.