Happiness is Hanwell-Shaped

Upon entering The Powerday stadium for my first matchday experience upon starting my work placement at Hanwell, I was immediately impressed with the facilities that the club possessed, especially for a non-league team. I had never visited the ground before, so I had been looking forward to seeing what it was like for the first time. Both the changing rooms and the playing surface were in great condition, with flat screen TV’s installed in the changing rooms, as well as an irrigation system on the pitch which seemed to be up to Premier League standards. Having been to a few non-league grounds in the past, Hanwell’s certainly seemed a cut above and in fantastic condition, better than many stadiums in leagues above.

I also noticed that the spirit and general raillery of the team was high, taking notice of the ‘fine sheet’ they had up in the changing room, including costs for wearing dirty boots, leaving the club house before 6:00pm on matchdays and other amusing forfeits players agree to stand by each week. It’s clear the morale within the team is strong and the players thoroughly enjoy playing here.

What makes Hanwell Town special is that the fact that the whole club are immensely close-knit. After now attending several matchdays, it’s clear to see the club have a core, passionate set of supporters who will turn out to see their side play no matter what. I quickly understood this as the first match I got to watch was the same day as local derby, Brentford vs QPR, which kicked off only a couple hours before. Despite the slight time clash, many local fans still turned out to see their non-league side play, and beat Marlow in a thrilling match. This attitude is to a large extent down to the players they’ve paid to watch. The majority of them work another job and seem to genuinely be playing for the love of the game. In all, it breeds a far more healthy and relatable relationship with the fans knowing they are watching a group of players who actually care for the club.

Also, from all the matches I have covered so far, they’ve been very entertaining, full of an assortment of great goals and high scoring matches that I thoroughly enjoy writing and tweeting about. So much so that the recent seven goal thriller against Westfield FC got me so engrossed I forgot West Ham, the team I’ve supported all my life, were even playing. On top of this, there are many talented players playing for the club, which shouldn’t be ignored. Each game, from a midweek cup game to weekend league matches, I’ve seen fluid football being played as well as some great goals being scored, but for some reason the reputation of non-league is constant long balls from overweight players. The recent exploits of the players who have worked their way from the lower leagues to the Premier League over the past few seasons should have put this misconception to bed.

In terms of actually working for the club on matchdays so far, it’s been a really great experience, helped by the fact that the whole Hanwell family have involved me and given me the true experience of what a non-league matchday is like. Once my time at Hanwell Town has finished, I will definitely be keeping up with their results, supporting them on their way as they push for promotion.

Frank is a Sports Journalism student in his third year at Liverpool John Moores University. Thanks to Elsa Jones for sending him in our direction!

Are you a Sports Journalism student, or an aspiring one? If you follow one of our clubs, or watch our games as a neutral, and would like to write about the experience, then please get in touch. We’ve no money but we’re happy to help you by publishing your work and expanding your portfolio. Email Ian Townsend.