Altrincham FC for All

Altrincham FC’s 2025 Non-League Day fixture is a tantalising meeting with first-placed Barnet FC (17:30 GMT).

‘The Robins’ compete in the National League, English football’s fifth tier and the top non-professional division.

Their home at Moss Lane is the J. Davidson Stadium, which has a capacity of 5,500, including 1,300 seated spaces. ‘Alty’ have played there since 1910.

The Greater Manchester-based outfit finished fourth last season, falling to former Athletic opponents Bromley FC in the play-off semi-finals, and are once again gunning for a first ever promotion to the professional leagues.

At the time of publishing this article, Alty are eighth in the standings, just outside the play-off positions, with 55 points after 36 matches.

Alty are managed by Phil Parkinson, who's been in charge since 2017 and has two promotions under his belt. Their current top scorer is centre-forward Regan Linney, who has 19 goals in 33 appearances so far this season.

There's also a connection between Altrincham and another of our red-and-white teams, Witton Albion, with Alty youngsters Louie Fallon and Joel Bailey both on loan at Witton.

 

Non-League Day match information

Alty will host Greater London outfit Barnet FC for their Non-League Day clash on Saturday March 22 (kick-off at 17:30 GMT).

If anyone in the Basque Country is interested in watching the match on TV, it will be broadcast globally with live coverage on DAZN.

An adult ticket for the clash at the J. Davidson Stadium costs £20 and can be purchased online via their official website. (Altrincham v Barnet Vanarama National League – Altrincham FC).

The Robins also have a series of Non-League Day ticket offers. For example: kids can go free with an accompanying paying adult; Blue Light Card holders, students and over-65s get a 25% discount; Premier League and EFL season-tickets holders get 25% off; every adult who buys an NLD ticket can get 50% Alty’s following home match against Solihull Moors on Tuesday March 25; and finally, early NLD arrivals can get a free drink upon entering the ground.

Check out their website for more details about these offers.

Altrincham is about 35 minutes away from Manchester city centre, with regular trams heading that way from Manchester Piccadilly station.

Any Athleticzales wishing to attend the match fans are invited to wear their Zurigorri jerseys to the stadium as both clubs look to celebrate our colours together.

Alty will be donating all the proceeds from the Athletic Club shirt raffles to Prostate UK, while Altrincham resident and Mr Pentland Club member Damian Dommett along with his Bilbaina wife, Ainhoa Gomez, have been invited to present the jerseys to the raffle winners at half-time.

Damian recently did an interview for 'Alty TV' where he spoke about his connection to both football clubs and his pride in this initiative.

NLD is always a big occasion in Altrincham, with the Robins often organising creative campaigns to boost interest and attendance. 

In past years, Alty have used the day as an opportunity to celebrate the town and its club, asking residents to ‘paint the town red’. They’ve prepared window dressing competitions in which the best ‘red and white’ shop windows gets a prize, there have been town-wide treasure hunts, along with free decorations and tickets given to local businesses looking to participate in the event.

 

A community club

A club after our own heart, Altrincham FC are fully committed to playing a positive role in their local community.

Summed up in the slogan ‘Alty for All’, the Robins run a series of campaigns, projects and initiatives designed to connect the club and town. 

In 2015, the Robins, via their charitable foundation, Altrincham FC Community Sports, opened a purpose-built sports hall at the J.Davidson Stadium.

The space is used for a variety of activities and classes such as walking football, disability football, senior exercise, yoga and meditation sessions, affordable gym classes, and much more.

Added to all this, the club has a superb outreach programme which includes, but is not limited to, an annual Christmas lunch for pensioners, football coaching sessions at primary schools in Altrincham, free match tickets distributed throughout primary schools in the town, and a development centre where teenage girls can practice football in a safe environment.

What’s more, Alty have a detailed Diversity and Inclusion Policy. At least one home fixture a season is dedicated to Football vs Homophobia and another to Football vs Racism, matchday stewards are trained to identify and deal with homophobic and racist behaviour at the ground, they have a disabled supporters’ association, a prayer room at the stadium, and a commitment to creating meaningful and inclusive relationships with Altrincham’s ethnic minority communities.

In January 2019, the Robins made football history when they became the first team in the world to wear a special edition rainbow-coloured jersey for a competitive fixture.

All the tops were auctioned off after the match with the proceeds being donated to the Pride Trust.

As the mission statement on Altrincham’s website says: “To truly develop as a club, you need more than just on-field success. You need a commitment to the fans, young and old. Everyone Matters. Our Door is Always Open. Alty For All.”

 

Altrincham FC history

Founded in 1891, Altrincham FC are one of the most recognisable names in English non-league football.

The club was initially formed as Rigby Memorial Club in 1891 and soon after became Broadheath FC after merging with Grapplers, another local side. In 1903, Broadheath FC moved to Altrincham and adopted their current name.

Alty have won the National League twice, in 1979/80 and 1980/81. However, they’ve never played in the fully professional leagues, as automatic promotion didn’t exist at that time and clubs were instead voted into the fourth tier.

The Robins are the most successful non-league outfit in FA Cup history, with no other non-professional side having knocked more Football League clubs out of the competition.

Since 1921/22, Altrincham have recorded 17 FA Cup wins over professional teams. The most famous win was a 1-2 victory over Birmingham City, then in the top-flight, in the 1985/86 FA Cup third round. It was only the second time a non-league club had beat a first division side in the FA Cup, and a feat which was not seen again until Luton defeated Norwich in 2013.

Alty’s most recent ‘giant-killing’ performance came in 2015/16 when they eliminated League One side Barnsley FC with a 1-0 win in the first round.

Alty started off playing in a red and black kit. In 1905, they changed a red top and blue shorts before adopting their red and white stripes. After World War II, they used red and white quarters, and in the 60s they wore an all-white top. However, not long after that they reverted to their favoured red and white vertical stripes.

 

A celebration of our colours

In the week leading up to Non-League Day 2025, Athletic Club will publish a series of articles about each of the clubs involved in this initiative with information about their respective histories, their kits and further details about their NLD matches.

Monday March 17 - Altrincham FC
Tuesday March 18 - Bromsgrove Sporting
Wednesday March 19 - Evesham United
Thursday March 20 - Sheppey United
Friday March 21 (morning) - Steyning Town
Friday March 21 (afternoon) - Witton Albion

Below are the details of their Non-League Day fixtures. If you’re an Athleticzale in England that weekend, we encourage you to attend one of these matches.

Altrincham FC vs Barnet FC. March 22, 17:30 GMT. J Davidson Stadium.
Bromsgrove Sporting vs Banbury United. March 22, 15:00 GMT. The Victoria Ground.
Evesham United vs Cribbs. March 22, 15:00 GMT. The Spiers & Hartwell Stadium.
Sheppey United vs Deal Town. March 22, 15:00 GMT. Holm Park.
Steyning Town vs Margate. March 22, 15:00 GMT. The Shooting Field.
Witton Albion vs Avro. March 22, 15:00 GMT. Wincham Park.

 

About Euskal Non-League Day

Inspired by the British movement, started by James Doe in 2010, Athletic Club Foundation is preparing a third edition of Euskal Non-League Day for the weekend of March 22-23.

Non-League Day is an initiative that connects directly with Athletic Club’s identity. Besides playing a crucial role in local communities, grassroots football is a fundamental part of the club’s youth development strategy and Athletic has affiliate agreements with close to 170 clubs across the Basque Country.

Athletic Club is the only side in LaLiga that organises such an event with the purpose of celebrating non-professional football and encouraging attendance at local grounds during the March international break.

Check out the Athletic Club Foundation’s website for more information about Euskal Non-League Day and all their other projects across the Basque Country

*Cover photo by Altrincham FC photographer Jonathan Moore.