Greetings and welcome to TLFG's guide to the opening week of pre-season 2026/27 - it's great to have you here.
After a month off, we're back and I have to admit to being very keen to get going despite my warnings of bringing things to an end last season.
If I can keep going until October, this blog will reach its 15th birthday which I think is worth doing.
So how has your off-season been? Enjoying the World Cup? Have you crossed the Atlantic for a game or are you all set to go?
The main news affecting my football life, which broke since my last piece, was the significant investment into Actonians by the American McCaffrey Investment Group.
I had speculated among friends that this could well be happening when several Leyton Orient players (who they then also owned but have since divested from - it's complicated) dual registered for the A's out of the blue in March.
As one of the highest ranked independent women's clubs in the country and being London based, they were in my opinion an attractive opportunity and the McCaffrey's took the chance.
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| Arguably the game of the week takes place at Princes Park |
Although Actonians had one of their most successful seasons last year, their amateur structure in a division becoming increasingly dominated by sides owned and financed by Premier League and EFL clubs was causing worry, with several players starting to be tempted away.
This investment means players will be paid for the first time and with former Hashtag United boss Jason Stephens, who won the Tier 4 title, now in charge - things are looking very different.
With several of those Hashtag/Leyton Orient players expected to sign, your traditionally plucky Actonians side could now be among the frontrunners and promotion to Tier 3 is the aim within three years.
One of the signings could conceivably be face of the family Steph McCaffrey.
Although it's her parents, particularly her mother, who are putting most of the money in, Steph has done most of the media over the last couple of years.
The former NWSL player and USA international even played for the O's last season, scoring 20 goals in 18 appearances as the east London club won the GLWFL title with ease.
Pre-season is set to see Actonians take on a very strong selection of opponents with four sides from Tier 3 and another from Tier 5.
To be honest, it's a bit bewildering and it's going to be fascinating to see how it pans out and what role, if any, I get to play in the new structure of the club after producing the programme and podcast in recent times - Steph has asked to come on so watch this space.
Anyway, enough about my interests - it's the first week of pre-season and there are already EFL clubs entering the fray.
As always, check all the details before you travel as clubs sometimes pull out or venues change at short notice.
Some clubs have already cancelled or moved games on Wednesday night because they clash with England's next game although it starts at 5pm - bit of a strange one.
Have a great week!
THE WEEK AHEAD
Despite 11-a-side games being banned in June, several clubs have arranged fixtures on Tuesday and must have got special permission from the FA to do so.
Charlton Athletic and Bromley are the highest-ranked clubs to putting teams out (how strong they are remains to be seen) and Barnet are supposed to be playing non-league Southall but the details are a bit sketchy at the moment with the 'All yet to reply to my message trying to confirm the venue and other important facts.
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
Tuesday fixtures - green pin
Wednesday fixtures - turquoise pin
Thursday fixtures - purple pin
Friday fixtures - black pin
WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Saturday fixtures - blue pin
Sunday fixtures - orange 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.
Tuesday 30 June
Friendlies
Ashford Town (Middlesex) v Staines & Lammas @745pm - the action gets underway on Tuesday with several games taking place. The highest ranked team in action are CCL Premier North champions Ashford who are now back in the eighth tier Isthmian League South Central following their promotion. Local rivals S&L play two divisions below and will do well to hold their own
Barking v Wormley Rovers @730pm - the pick of the games, for me, is this all ninth-tier clash at Mayesbrook Park. The Blues made the play-offs in the Essex Senior League last season whilst Wormley finished in midtable in the SSML Premier
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Wednesday 1 July
Friendlies
Broadfields United v Shepherds Bush @745pm - the hosts, who groundshare with Rayners Lane, had a fine season in the CCL Premier North last time out. Their fourth-placed finish took them into the play-offs but they didn't make it through. Shepherds Bush were a famous club until they disbanded in 1915 but in 2021 they reformed and this summer have taken over RB Kensington and slotted into their place in the 10th tier CCL Division 1. As someone who comes from W12, this should have been an exciting development but sadly they're going to be groundsharing with Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire, well away from their geographic home
Sutton Common Rovers v Folkestone Invicta @745pm - ninth tier SCR have pulled off a bit of a coup in bringing National League South new boys Folkestone to the War Memorial Sports Ground. The Kent club won the Isthmian League last season and should provide a very stern test
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Thursday 2 July
Friendly
Bedfont Sports v Knaphill @745pm - there's only one game to choose from on Thursday and it's down near Heathrow Airport. Bedfont finished an uninspiring 15th in the Isthmian South Central last time out and should want to improve on that showing. Knaphill suffered a three-point deduction for a player registration error in December. It proved to be incredibly costly as they missed a play-off place by three points and they had a better goal difference than the team they were chasing
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Friday 3 July
Friendly
Dartford v Charlton Athletic @745pm - almost certainly the game of the week takes place on Friday when the Championship Addicks make the short journey east to take on the Darts at their fine Princes Park stadium. To their credit, Charlton make a habit of playing local non-league sides in pre-season, generating a fair bit of income for the smaller clubs. Dartford play in the seventh tier Isthmian Premier and lost 3-2 in last summer's game - hopefully we'll have a similarly entertaining evening here.
Tickets
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Saturday 4 July
Friendlies
Carshalton Athletic v Bromley @3pm - there's a decent selection of games on Saturday, with matches spread all around the capital. About to begin their first ever season in League One, Bromley take a squad to the seventh-tier Robins in a match which tops the bill for me.
Tickets Cray Wanderers v AFC Whyteleafe @3pm - with three promotions from their last four seasons, the Leafe begin this season in the Isthmian Premier. Sadly, they've taken the decision to leave Church Road and begin a groundshare at Flamingo Park - the home of Cray. This match will be a kind of housewarming for the new tenants
Hanworth Villa v Hampton & Richmond Borough @3pm - after four consecutive top-seven finishes, the Villa finally won the play-offs to get up to the seventh tier Southern League Premier South. They begin their preparations by entertaining local National League South opposition
Ashford Town (Middlesex) v Farnham Town @3pm - after playing 10th tier Staines & Lammas on Tuesday, the Tangerines will have to massively up their game here as they welcome big spending National League South club Farnham. The Surrey side won the Southern League Premier South play-offs last season as their swift ascent through the divisions continued
Cobham v Farnborough @3pm - the Hammers are another Surrey club to keep an eye on. After romping to the CCL Premier South title, they're into the Isthmian League for the first time in their history. As a sign of their ambition, they've decided to take on National League South opposition from Hampshire in their opening friendly
Haringey Borough v Enfield Town @3pm - it's derby day in north London where sides who experienced very different fortunes last season meet at Coles Park. After two consecutive relegations, Haringey bounced back by winning the SSML title to return to the eighth tier. The Towners, however, battled hard but ultimately lost their place in the National League South to slip back into the Isthmian Premier
Broadfields United v Colney Heath @1130am - the Fighting Cocks make a habit of scheduling early kick-offs during pre-season, primarily because they groundshare. This is very handy for groundhoppers as it allows you to see at least two games in a day. On this occasion, you can either hang around and watch Rayners Lane v Hayes & Yeading United at the same venue at 3pm (you'll almost certainly have to pay twice) or you could head to another local game - Edgware & Kingsbury, Uxbridge and Wembley are all within reach, especially if you drive
Everett Rovers v Northwood @3pm - another side to be aware of are Everett Rovers. They stepped up to senior football from county level at the start of last season and promptly won the SSML Division 1 title with a whopping 95 points, scoring 136 goals in the process. Now in the ninth tier, they welcome a Northwood side who are now down to this level for the first time in over 30 years following their relegation from the Southern League
Fisher v Faversham Town @3pm - the Fish have come unstuck in the SCEFL Premier play-offs for the last two seasons so will be desperate to try and go up this year. Here they face a side who won the SCEFL title in 2024/25 and managed a decent seventh-place finish on their return to the Isthmian League last year
Edgware & Kingsbury v Hendon @2pm - these two groundshare and it has become an annual custom to open pre-season against each with other by contesting the Jeffrey Over Memorial Trophy. It's pay what you want and there's an eye-catching raffle with some decent prizes! For reference, E&K are in the 10th tier and the Greens the eighth
Lymore Gardens v Buckhurst Hill @3pm - my final recommendation on Saturday sees a first game for LG at their new home in Aveley. After spending their debut season in the 10th tier at Redbridge's ground, this year they're calling Parkside home. They made the ECL Division 1 South play-offs at the first attempt which was very good going. Here they play a side who won the Essex Senior League play-offs to climb up to the Isthmian League for the first time in their history. Also, if you've got time on your hands, Harold Hill take on AFC Greenwich Borough at the same ground at 1pm
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Sunday 5 July
Women's Friendly
Aveley v Grays Athletic @2pm - the only game I'm aware of on Sunday is this women's match between two local rivals in Essex. The Millers have just launched this team whilst Grays finished fourth in their eighth-tier division last season
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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.
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