Saturday was a special moment for everyone involved at Emley - for the players, staff, volunteers, and every one of you who has backed us home and away.

This has been another season of real, tangible progress for Emley AFC - on and off the field. We’ve competed at the top end again and secured promotion via the playoffs - in the most dramatic way possible backed by an incredible crowd.

We’ve strengthened our identity and continued building a club that our people are proud to be part of and one that others increasingly look at with admiration or envy. The standards across the football side, the matchday experience, and the way we operate off the pitch have all moved forward once more.

That doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of hard work, belief, and a group of people who care deeply about where this club is going.

Promotion to Step 3 was part of our current five-year plan - but we’ve delivered it ahead of schedule, in just two.

The cliché “stepping up a level brings new challenges” is a huge understatement. With clubs like FC United and Bury among the teams we will face next season, little old Emley - a village of around 1,400 people - will be competing with some of the biggest names at this level. It will be David v Goliath more often than not.

We want to compete but we also need to continue building in the right way so we now need more people alongside us (view club board).

If you’re a business, now is the perfect time to get behind us. Promotion brings bigger opportunities - for the club and for our partners. We’re offering increased visibility, strong matchday audiences, growing engagement across our media channels, and the chance to be part of a club with real momentum.

Whether you’re looking to raise your profile locally, entertain clients through matchday hospitality, or align your brand with a growing, community-driven club, we can create a partnership that works for you. Just as importantly, your support directly helps us compete at the level we’ve just earned - on and off the pitch.

Current key opportunities include:

Sponsorship of our away shirt (with a new design and exciting new kit partner to be unveiled ahead of next season)
Prime advertising above a section of the Richard Hirst Stand for just £1,500
Social media and video sponsor, priced at £2,000 (incredible value for over 3.5 million views a year)
Purchase a Season Ticket for 2026/27 if you haven't already

Our growing President’s Club, delivering over £3,000 of value for £1,903 and putting you in the room with some of our region’s leading business figures
For sponsorship, contact commercial@emleyafc.co.uk or download our sponsorship brochure at sponsor.emleyafc.co.uk

If you’ve got skills or time, come and be part of it as a volunteer. It’s richly rewarding. Our biggest opportunities to make an immediate impact are within our commercial team and our media and marketing functions. We’re also looking out for someone with experience in finding and applying for grants - but we welcome support across all off-the-field areas.

If we are going to compete at the level above, we will only do it together.

To find out more about getting involved, contact office@emleyafc.co.uk

This summer, we are looking to move forward with two key improvements to enhance everyone’s matchday experience. Feedback from our recent supporters survey has reinforced what was already clear to us and forms part of our plans. Our long-term ambition to improve and create a larger bar is at the heart of that and is steadily moving closer to fruition.

In the short term, we want to move ahead with an upgrade to the PA system - one of the most consistent pieces of feedback we’ve received. To help fund this, we are relaunching our Sponsor a Seat scheme. For £50, supporters can have their name displayed on a recognition board in the stand, with funds going directly towards new speakers, improved coverage around the ground, and upgraded infrastructure.

Sponsor a seat through our club shop

This club has always been built on people stepping forward. Thank you for everything you’ve given us this season - now let’s get to work on what comes next.

Marcus Pound
Chairman, Emley AFC