Greetings everyone and welcome to the latest TLFG.
Things are really winding down now and we're reliant on youth football for quite a bit of the action this week.
It's the EFL play-offs this weekend and, at the time of writing, a legal dispute over spying by Southampton means their match against Hull City at Wembley is in doubt and may well get postponed.
A few midweek Premier League games mean I'm going to hold off on previewing the final matches on Sunday.
As I mentioned last week, I was all set to go to the Actonians end-of-season awards do on Saturday.
I duly did and ended up presenting the Supporters' Player of the Year award to midfielder Kayra Karakus and I also got named 'Club Hero' for my various activities around the club - a first award in women's football.
I was not expecting this so had to ad lib an acceptance speech which went down well.
Earlier in the week, I found out I'd also been shortlisted for a volunteering award by the Middlesex FA too - thanks to another nomination from Actonians. The final will be at Brentford's GTech in July.
Talking of the GTech, it will play host to the women's World Sevens at the end of next week. There are six 30-minute matches a day and an adult ticket is only £20.
The full line-up has now been revealed - Aston Villa, Chelsea, Everton, Leicester City, London City Lionesses, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.
I'm going on day one with a few folks and it should be a lot of fun - a great way to while away a day or two of half term if you haven't yet planned anything with the kids.
Also worth noting, the London Football Book Market makes its return on 30 May in Brixton.
Organised by Stanchion Books who are big friends of the blog, it's free to get in and you'll be able to meet a mix of publishers, authors, illustrators and other football brands.
There's also a quiz night the day before at The Volley in Old Street so there's loads going on.
Right, I think that's it from me, have a great week!
THE WEEK AHEAD
This week is dominated by the final round of games in the Premier League and the EFL play-offs, although whether the Championship one happens is yet to be decided.
It's going to be a busy weekend at Wembley as the national stadium also hosts Non-League Finals Day on Sunday.
In the women's game, we have the first ever play-off in the WSL to see if one stays up or one goes up.
As always, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or the venue or kick-off time has changed - this is highly possible for some of the lower non-league clubs and development matches. Also, please let me know if anything is wrong or missing.
Details on all of this week's games can be found on the following match maps. If you've never used them before, please note that when there is more than one match at a specific ground you'll only be able to see individual match pins if you zoom right in. If you don't, the pins obscure each other and you might miss them. To avoid this, you can also scroll down the list of games on the drop down menu at the top of the map page to make sure you get all the information. Games are listed from top to bottom in date order so Monday's games (yellow pin) will appear first and Sunday's (orange pin) last. Games are also ranked in terms of status so the higher the division, the higher up the list they will appear on each day.
Also if you're unfamiliar with the English league structure I indicate the level at which an individual league sits in the national 'pyramid' with the Premier League at the top (Level 1) and various minor leagues at the bottom (Level 10). Typically a top level game will see crowds of anywhere between 20,000-60,000. These figures will gradually decline as you go down the leagues until you get to Levels 8-10 where attendances of 150 or less are most common.
It should also be noted that the top four levels are for fully professional teams. Level 5 has a mixture of professional and semi-professional teams, while Levels 6-10 will see most players paid but it will vary from no more than travel expenses at the bottom, right up to several hundred pounds a week at the top.
MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Monday fixtures - yellow pin
Tuesday fixtures - green pin
Friday fixtures - black pin
WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Saturday fixtures - blue pin
Sunday fixtures - orange pin
Monday fixtures - yellow pin
TLFG DAILY DIGEST
In the following section, I list what are in my opinion the most notable games of the week and give some brief reasons for my choice. I no longer write previews for sold out matches or ones where membership is a minimum requirement for tickets so Premier League matches will rarely appear here - they will still be on the match maps though.
Monday 18 May
Premier League
Arsenal v Burnley @8pm - if the Gunners win this game and Manchester City fail to beat Bournemouth on Tuesday, then the north London club will be crowned champions. In any other scenario, the title race will go to the final day on Sunday. With Burnley already relegated, you'd think they'll be reasonably easy to beat but with absolutely no pressure on them, who knows? Tickets are only available to members but
hospitality is available from £695
The Robert Rowan Invitational
Brentford v Paris Saint-Germain @7pm - each year, the Bees put on an U21 game to raise funds for The Heart of West London cardiac charity in memory of their former technical director Robert Rowan who died at the age of 28 in 2018. The game is being played at the GTech and
tickets are only £5 for adults
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Tuesday 19 May
Premier League
Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur @815pm - following their loss in the FA Cup Final on Saturday, the Blues' season is now effectively over. Currently 10th, they really have very little to play for. This match is, however, massive for Spurs. With relegation rivals West Ham losing at Newcastle on Sunday, a win here will confirm their place in the top flight for another year. A draw will probably be good enough too as their goal difference is way better than the Hammers'. Tickets have sold out but
hospitality is available from £345
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Friday 22 May
U18 Premier League Final
Chelsea v Manchester City @7pm - Wednesday and Thursday are looking quiet and Friday would do too if it wasn't for this youth match at Stamford Bridge. The Blues finished top of Group South of this competition whilst City topped Group North so we should get to see the cream of country's youth talent here.
Tickets are only £4
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Previews for 23-25 May to follow
If you're going to see a game, whether you're a local or a visitor, please let me know what you've been up to. If you're interested in reviewing a ground in the London area for this blog then get in touch. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.
Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries. I do not charge for this advice like some other sites so don't hold back!
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