Next Saturday, 23 March is Non-League Day when non-league football takes a starring role on South Western Railway (SWR) as it promotes travel to 26 of the non-league fixtures taking place across its network.

That weekend is an ideal time for football fans to sample non-league football as Premier League and Championship teams will be on their international break

James Doe, who works for South Western Railway Guard, took his passion for non-league football to a new level in 2010 when he founded Non-League Day.

James came up with his idea whilst watching his favourite team, Queens Park Rangers, play a pre-season friendly at non-league Tavistock Town.

South Western Railway is now an official partner of Non-League Day. It helps to promote local fixtures, and for those fans travelling on its network, guides them to games.

The success of Non-League Day has spread to Europe, as last year, James was invited to be a guest of the Spanish La Liga team Atletico Bilbao when they launched a similar initiative in the Basque Country.

Station Maps

As part of this year’s Non-League Day, South Western Railway is running a marketing campaign to promote travel to non-league fixtures by train.

It is also running social media adverts and has maps at all of its 190 stations where customers can scan a QR code on a Non-League Day poster showing them the location of their nearest local fixture.

Among the attractive fixtures next Saturday are Eastleigh v Hartlepool at the Silverlake Stadium, just a short walk from Southampton Airport Parkway station and Corinthian Casuals v Badshot Lea at Tolworth.

Fans can find out which teams are playing in their area by clicking here.

This is only one of many initiatives by South Western Railway, as it also supports a charity that feeds homeless people, and has teamed up with a charity that helps to find missing people.

We’re very proud of our colleague James Doe and his achievements around Non-League Day, which is an event that fits perfectly with our commitment to support the communities we serve.

Our partnership with Non-League Day will hopefully help to continue the momentum that James and his team have built up over the last 14 years while encouraging football fans to take the train to a nearby game and support affordable, volunteer-led community football.

Peter Williams, South Western Railway’s Customer and Commercial Director

It’s really fantastic to have South Western Railway backing the campaign this year. The reach that this will have, spreading the message across the communities of the network, will be unparalleled. It’s a huge moment for the campaign.

It’s important to support local football because it s the bedrock of our national game. Volunteer-led, community football creates so many opportunities for the community, which is a big part of what South Western Railway is about.

James Doe, Non-League Day founder and South Western Railway Guard