TLFG: 13-19 July 2026

Greetings everyone and welcome to TLFG's guide to the third week of pre-season.

I worked all weekend, hence the late publication of this piece. Sadly it's also short of previews as I've simply run out of time - the headline games are in 'The Week Ahead' section below.

Aside from that, I announced to the date (27 March) for this season's Non-League Day last week. 

However, given its the Easter weekend, we're going to spread the event over four days.

It will be a huge undertaking but one which could be massive with most teams able to host a home game over the weekend - there'll probably be nearly 1,000 across the country!!! That's a TLFG exclusive as I haven't publicly announced that anywhere else yet.

Sutton United host AFC Wimbledon on Saturday

It was great to see England progress in the World Cup on Saturday but as a result there are now no matches in London on Wednesday with all sides understandably preferring to watch the semi-final rather than play.

On Thursday I'm heading to Brentford's GTech Stadium for the Middlesex FA awards night.

I'm lucky enough to have been shortlisted for 'New Volunteer of the Year' for my work with Actonians.

Although I've no idea who I'm up against, the other people are likely to be excellent so making the figurative podium is an achievement in itself. I'll let you know how I get on.

Anyway, I think that's it from me - have a great week.

THE WEEK AHEAD

League Two side Barnet have a couple of decent friendlies at The Hive this week, with Championship club Watford and League One outfit Luton Town both paying a visit.

In south London, there's an eye-catching derby between Sutton United and AFC Wimbledon on Saturday.

Below that, a number of top U21 sides are heading to non-league clubs with Arsenal, Millwall and QPR among those in action.

In the women's game, there are some decent friendlies featuring teams in the third and fourth tiers - personally I'm aiming to be at Bedfont Sports' ground near Heathrow for a first glimpse of Actonians' new look side against what I'm expecting to be a strong Fulham team who won the division last year.

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.

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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

Wednesday fixtures - turquoise pin

Thursday fixtures - purple pin

Friday fixtures - black pin

WEEKEND MATCH MAP

Saturday fixtures - blue pin

Sunday fixtures - orange pin

    

GET INVOLVED

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.

NEED HELP?

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!

You can contact TLFG through the comments section below, via X/Twitter, Instagram or even by good old email.

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