Hitchin Town v Hednesford Town: When a club becomes trendy

WHEN you can draw over 600 people to your home game when your club is languishing in the foothills of the league, you know you are doing something right. Hitchin Town met Hednesford Town on a cold, bright day and although the Premier League was having a winter break, which may have contributed to the impressive attendance, the growing interest in the club is starting to become very noticeable.

When I was involved with Hitchin, the demographic at Top Field was worrying. The average age of the regulars was as old, if not older, than my own age, there were few young people and the ground was damp, shabby and ill-equipped for the modern age. The clubhouse leaked, the floodlights were out-of-date and matchday catering was poor. Furthermore, Top Field was a place for ageing men, there were few women around. The club did not represent the modern, diverse audience.

However, the club has changed remarkably in the past few years and things look much healthier and more future-proofed. They seem closer to the idea of “community” than ever before, people bring dogs to the ground, for Christ’s sake. Furthermore, the club has its own dedicated chaplain and there are murals created by children depicting what looks like angel’s wings. Cynics will see it as gentrification (Hitchin has become a smashed avocado town, after all), but it is obviously enabling the club to appeal to a broader section of the public.

One long-time exiled supporter returned to Top Field for the Hednesford game and didn’t recognise the club he had followed for decades. “Have we become hip all of a sudden?,” he asked. The truth is, the perception of the club has changed for the better. 

Hitchin Town have moved on, out of necessity and also in recognition the future isn’t about crumbling terracing, dangerous corrugated metal and leaking roofs. People eulogised about Top Field and its quaint appearance, but I always felt it was just downright shabby. Today, the ground is better than it has ever been, thanks to a new sweeping bank of portable terracing, proper fencing and a coat or two of paint. 

There is a very positive movement in progress, but hopefully it will not become political or get lost in idealism, but I actually noticed the presence of a well-known local political activist sitting in the ground.

You get a sense that results don’t seem to matter too much anymore. The 2021-22 season has been poor for Hitchin, but there’s no calls for the manager to be sacked or claims the club lacks ambition, sentiments which were often the soundtrack of the past. Indeed, any criticisms are usually unwelcome, not necessarily from the club itself, but from supporters who urge people not to break the spirit of community. In many ways, that’s a very good thing, but that isn’t just what football is all about – all said and done, the game is about competition, healthy combat and rivalry. Being positive is all very well, but when you pay for your ticket, you expect a certain amount of quality for your money. If clubs want people to be true stakeholders, they have to expect criticism and comment and they have to be accountable for what they deliver to their audience. 

Hitchin lost 2-1 to Hednesford and they really didn’t deserve to be beaten. Their team is looking better than just a few months ago when relegation looked a certainty. They may still go down, but I don’t think it will affect the new-found affection people appear to have for the club. The mood has changed and Hitchin Town are creating a new model for the future, one that plays to more than a platoon of middle-aged men. Clearly, the only thing to look forward to is not the past at Top Field.