TLFG: 25 November - 1 December 2024

Greetings and welcome to this short version of this week's TLFG.

If all goes according to plan, I'll be in Bilbao on a weekend of football watching when this gets published.

I'm actually writing this late on Friday knowing I've got to be up in a matter of hours to catch an early flight from Heathrow.

I'm actually flying with Lufthansa so will have to go via Frankfurt on the way there and Munich on the way back - stopping for about an hour in each.

Sadly the advance party, who were set to fly out today, were badly disrupted by the security incident at Gatwick Airport which began on Friday morning and only one of them (TLFG reader Liam) managed to get rebooked onto another flight whilst the other decided to drop out as the flight options were so poor.

Hopefully I'll meet Liam in Bilbao on Saturday afternoon and we'll head to the local derby between Sestao and Barakaldo in the evening.

It's a third-tier match but having read some previews, it looks like it's a really big deal.

On Sunday morning, our target is a return to Santurtzi who I watched on my last visit - I think they're in the fifth tier and they have an 1115 kick-off against Pasaia.

Last but not least, it's the big one - the Basque Derby between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad at 9pm.

I've heard a lot about these matches and the excellent atmosphere so I'm really looking forward to it - hopefully a couple more of my mates will be out by then too.

As for the blog, it's only match maps at this stage and they only go down to the tenth tier in the men's game and sixth in the women's - I hope you understand.

Have a great week and hopefully I'll be back in London on Monday.

THE WEEK AHEAD

This week's highlights include games in the Premier League, EFL, FA Cup, National League and lots of games featuring our local non-league clubs.

Topping the bill on the women's side is the big international friendly between England and the USA who are now managed by Emma Hayes.

As always, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or the venue or kick-off time has changed - this is highly possible for some of the lower non-league clubs. Also, please let me know if anything is wrong or missing.

Details on all of this week's games can be found on the following match maps. If you've never used them before, please note that when there is more than one match at a specific ground you'll only be able to see individual match pins if you zoom right in. If you don't, the pins obscure each other and you might miss them. To avoid this, you can also scroll down the list of games on the drop down menu at the top of the map page to make sure you get all the information. Games are listed from top to bottom in date order so Monday's games (yellow pin) will appear first and Sunday's (orange pin) last. Games are also ranked in terms of status so the higher the division, the higher up the list they will appear on each day.

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Also if you're unfamiliar with the English league structure I indicate the level at which an individual league sits in the national 'pyramid' with the Premier League at the top (Level 1) and various minor leagues at the bottom (Level 10). Typically a top level game will see crowds of anywhere between 20,000-60,000. These figures will gradually decline as you go down the leagues until you get to Levels 8-10 where attendances of 150 or less are most common.

It should also be noted that the top four levels are for fully professional teams. Level 5 has a mixture of professional and semi-professional teams, while Levels 6-10 will see most players paid but it will vary from no more than travel expenses at the bottom, right up to several hundred pounds a week at the top.

MIDWEEK MATCH MAP

Monday fixtures - yellow pin

Tuesday fixtures - green pin

Wednesday fixtures - turquoise pin

Thursday fixtures - purple pin

Friday fixtures - black pin

WEEKEND MATCH MAP

Saturday fixtures - blue pin

Sunday fixtures - orange pin

    

GET INVOLVED

If you're going to see a game, whether you're a local or a visitor, please let me know what you've  been up to. If you're interested in reviewing a ground in the London area for this blog then get in touch. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.

NEED HELP?

Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries. I do not charge for this advice like some other sites so don't hold back!

You can contact TLFG through the comments section below, via X/Twitter or even by good old email.

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