Record Breaking Non-League Day and What it meant for Scunthorpe United

On March 22, 2025, football celebrated the annual ‘Non-League Day’ during the first international break of the year and saw record breaking attendances across England.

149,060 fans travelled to support clubs between step one and step four of English football, an 11.92% increase on the previous year.

One of the games played across that special Saturday afternoon was Scunthorpe United’s 3-1 victory over Chester FC in the Vanarama National League North, with a league record breaking 8,274 supporters in attendance at The Attis Arena.

Their highest attendance since October 2009 in a championship fixture against Newcastle United.

Scunthorpe’s ticket officer, James Moody, organised ‘Community Day’ having pitched the idea to the club’s board last season and despite the club not wanting to be playing at this level, he believes the club have left a legacy in the division.

James Moody - credit Luke Broughton

Moody said, “the stars perfectly aligned, it was first versus second and Chester are a team with a following able to fill our away end which is something we look for when picking the day to have Community Day, it just felt right that it was Non-League Day too.

“Although we never wanted to be in this league, we are realistic and we are here because we deserve to be so the plan was of course to make the best out of a bad situation and leave a legacy in this league.

“If we are to go up this year then we leave having done something that will go down in history.”

Community Day saw ticket offers for the fans with local grassroots players as mascots and flag bearers as well as guard of honours for both the home and away side providing a great spectacle when the players walked out, provided for and created by the community.

The Scunthorpe faithful had the Attis Arena bouncing, as the locals got together to support their team’s title push which Moody described as the most meaningful atmosphere in the club’s history.

The Iron's crowd in full voice - credit Luke Broughton

“The whole idea of it is to be able to get everyone involved so it’s satisfying to see the buy in from fans, who have given loads of positive feedback,” he said.

“The atmosphere was electric, it felt like the old days, back in the EFL, when it was like this every week with big teams like Newcastle United here, but this time it felt like it meant more.

“It’s one of them days when you just have to soak it all in.”

Attendance at the lower leagues does in fact mean more for the clubs, without the financial security that Premier League clubs typically have, non-league teams rely on income from a variety of sources which includes ticket sales and community involvement.

After one season in the Premier League, former non-league club Luton Town earned £60 million for being relegated in 2024.

League Two clubs average £5.4 million in revenue each year and while it is isn’t confirmed, it is estimated that National League North clubs bring in around £500,000 - £1 million (according to the Non-League Insider).

The disparity in earnings between clubs in the higher tiers, combined with Scunthorpe United’s ongoing money troubles, James Moody highlighted the importance of events like Non-League Day and Community Day for the club’s financial stability.

He said, “we don’t make enough money to break even and the owners have to pump money in to the club to keep us afloat so the extra 2,000 tickets make such a difference.

“If we could attract attendances like we did against Chester most weeks, we wouldn’t have as big of an issue with the budget, in truth once you throw in money from sponsorship and all those extras, we’d probably have a bit to spare.

“But we aren’t going to get those numbers, in the championship we didn’t get 8,000 every week even with a full away end so it just shows the home fans are more on board now.”

Will the success of Non-League Day trigger higher attendances at the Attis Arena on a more consistent basis? James Moody certainly believes so.

“We’ve got three home games left in the league, currently sitting top of the table and having just put on our best performance of the season in front of the biggest crowd so I certainly hope that 50% of those who came who don’t normally will look to return.

“Our fans have always said, when the club has asked them to fill the stadium, they do but that desire has never been represented on the pitch but against Chester it was different so hopefully they can see the strides forward the club is making and want to be a part of it” he said.

Scunthorpe’s next game is against Southport at the Attis Arena as The Irons continue their push for the league title and automatic promotion to the National League.

 James Moody and his team will be hoping for another packed stadium, electric atmosphere and of course, three more points.