Football is the beautiful game and the biggest sport in the world. Many will be fans of the Madrids, Uniteds, Liverpools of the world and even here in Teesside with Middlesbrough but the world of non-league football is a whole different experience.
Non-league football has been on the rise in the last couple of years now with more media presence and better social media coverage. If there was ever a time to find a local non-league team to go and support and join a community now is that time.
We’ve decided to give a small guide to some of the local non-league teams within Teesside to give you a chance to potentially find your new team or at least open your eyes to the world of non-league.
For this guide, we’ve decided to go for very local examples with a range of different divisions included.
Stockton Town:
The team was initially founded in 1979 as Hartburn Juniors but changed their name to Stockton Town in 2003. They were runners-up in the FA Vase trophy in the 2017/18 and last season they were promoted by winning the play-offs in Northern Premier League East Division.
Stockton Town currently play their football in the Northern Premier League Premier Division which is one division lower than the National League North. They find themselves 5th in the league this season which is inside the playoff spots.
Stockton’s team consist of numerous well known non-league stars such as Michael Sweet and Stephen Thompson who previously played for Darlington. They also have former Scotland youth international Owen Gallacher who has previously played for Grimsby Town and Crawley Town in League Two and even has played games in League One with Burton Albion.
Now would be a great time to watch them, as they are having a great season in a new division.
They play their football at Stockton Sixth Form on Bishopton Road West, TS19 0QD.
Redcar Athletic:
The club were originally founded in 1993 but it wasn’t until 2010 that the name Redcar Athletic came about.
They play their football in the Northern League Division One, where they are top of the League.
The club is active in their community and try to contribute to making Redcar a better place to live, work and play.
Redcar’s squad has a few players with football league experience with former Middlesbrough youth player Kevin Burgess who made his League Two debut with Darlington in 2007 and Bradley Fewster who also started as a Boro youngster but had numerous loan spells in League Two with York City and Hartlepool United respectively.
Now is a great time to go watch The Steelmen as they are looking to win the league this Year.
You can catch a game at Green Lane in Redcar, TS10 3RW.
Guisborough Town FC:
The club were founded in 1973 and would join the Middlesbrough & District League.
The Priorymen play their football in the Northern League Division One and currently sit 10th in the league.
The squad has a few names who have been around non-league such as Adam Wheatley who has played for both Marske United and Redcar Athletic.
Guisborough play their football at The King George V Stadium, TS14 6LF
Marske United:
Marske United were originally founded in 1956 and have been a well-established non-league team for a while.
In the 2021/22 season the club won promotion to the Premier Division for the first time in their history but due to difficulties with financials the club had to resign from the Northern Premier League in January 2024 and dropped two divisions to the Northern League Division One for the 2024/25 season.
They find themselves 14th in the league and if you like the story of a team fighting their way back then Marske United is a great example of that.
As Marske recently suffered financial issues their team isn’t as well-equipped as other teams in the league but they do have an ex Boro youth player in Luke Drummond.
Marske currently play their football at Mount Pleasant Ave in Marske-by-the-Sea in Redcar, TS11 7BW.
Thornaby FC:
Initially established in 1980, the team adopted the name Thornaby in 2000.
They play their football in the Northern League Division Two, which is two divisions off the National League North and one division off where Stockton Town play.
They are 7th in the league only three points off the playoffs which now will be a great time to support the team as they look to get play-off football this season.
Thornaby’s squad do have a few players with an interesting background such as Luca Nelson who started at Doncaster Rovers but played college football in America before returning to England to join Thornaby and their current captain Charlie Hindson has previously played in the National League North with Spennymoor Town.
You can catch a home game of theirs at Teesdale Park, TS17 7JU.
There are numerous other local clubs who play in similar divisions such as:
Boro Rangers in Northern League Division One who play at Phoenix Park, TS4 3JW.
Grangetown Boys Club FC in Northern League Division Two who play at Grange Farm Road, TS6 7HP.
Billingham Town in Northern League Division Two who play at Bedford Terrace,TS23 4AE.
Yarm & Eaglescliffe in Northern League Division Two who share Bedford Terrace with Billingham Town.
Redcar Town FC in Northern League Division Two who play at Mo Mowlam Memorial Park, TS10 5BW
