Unprecedented partnership sees 9th tier club offer free season tickets to local residents

9th tier club Thornaby Football Club and the Thornaby Town Council offer free season tickets to its local residents.

Quite the initiative this, every resident in Thornaby-on-Tees have been offered a fully funded season ticket for the 2026/27 season – for both the men’s and women’s teams.

This is thanks to an unprecedented partnership with Thornaby Town Council who are funding the season tickets.

Thornaby finished the 2025/26 season sitting 14th in the Northern League Division One, with 42 points from 36 games played. A respectable position after two seasons away at this level.

Thornaby FC said in a statement:

In a ground-breaking move for local football, every resident in Thornaby-On-Tees is being offered a fully funded season ticket to watch over 40 Thornaby FC men and women’s home league games for the 2026/27 season.

Thanks to an unprecedented partnership between Thornaby FC and Thornaby Town Council, this is believed to be the first time funded football season tickets have been made available at this scale.

With over 10,000 households and approximately 24,000 people eligible, the scheme marks the largest single community initiative in the football club’s history.

Eligible residents must act quickly to secure their funded season tickets before the summer deadline of July 31st.

To qualify, you must reside in a household paying the Thornaby Town Parish Council precept and, importantly, tickets can be claimed for each individual member of that household.

For those living outside the eligible boundary, Thornaby FC will be announcing its paid season ticket and matchday admission prices tomorrow.

Residents should complete the online claim form and then bring proof of their council tax to the club upon collection.

🔗 https://forms.office.com/e/gSt6sTB6MN

Glenn Eastwick, of Thornaby Independent Association Council for Thornaby Town Council spoke more on it: “We generally just have one purpose and that’s to try and make the town better and offer facilities and make things better for the people of Thornaby.

“Well we like to think that we can listen to what the people of the town want. We are all Thornaby people. So we mix with the Thornaby residents, we live here, we know the problems, we know the challenges, we know the opportunities, we know the good things.

“So I think it’s fair to say that we know what happens in the town and we know how we need to direct any improvement or help people with things.

“Well again, when you’re going to offer people the chance to come and support the local football club, which has been here for quite a long time, could do with some more support from the people around.

“And I think if you’re going to make it more accessible and make it easier for people to get down here, that’s something we’ve got to support.

“I’m quite keen to make the game more available to the local residents, especially with the success now that football club is starting to achieve.

“Well, fairly simple, this is going to make it easier for people to come down. We know times are hard, money’s tight.

“This is a great opportunity to bring the children down, support the team. Come and visit this place, it’s great. You come down once, you’ll probably really enjoy it want to come back again.”

Here’s how social media users reacted to seeing the 9th tier club offer free season tickets to local residents…

@theleadnl: Great to see the whole community coming together to provide access to football. It will be interesting to see if all 24k turn up at Teesdale Park on opening day! They will sitting on the hills and in the trees!

@J1876x: Wow, fair fucking play. Incredible.

@Joyceygold: This is one hell of a game breaker!! Spread it round the world! Fill the non league grounds 🙌🏻🙌🏻
@TonyIncenzo

@HJT96_: Amazing initiative. Shame I’ll miss out by about 2 miles!

@james_flynn: Grassroots clubs always have a huge sense of community about them. If Thornaby Council can get more people involved in their community by encouraging them through the turnstiles of Thornaby FC, then it’s a win for everyone involved.

Eddy Walsh: Well done thornaby fc I hope I can get a spot to watch the game when 24,000 turn up 👀😂

Graham Hutchinson: Going to need a bigger ground if this works!

Ian Dixon: Brilliant idea 👏🏼👏🏼 Might have to play our home game at the riverside UTT

Craig Collantine: Great news. The Women start in the National League so great opportunity to come down and support against the likes of Leeds Utd, Bradford City, Stockport and more. Last season was fantastic with the Double.

Paul Harrison: Absolutely brilliant gesture by the club and thornaby town council.⚽

Nicola Maroney: Well done thornaby fc and thornaby town council this is fab 👏👌

Brian Foster: Well done thornaby. I hope you get 4 figure crowds next season.

Luke Smith: unreal, hope to see some bigger crowds this season! UTT

Aaron Skipsey: Shows everything where Darlington fc is going wrong….#HappyClapperbrigade

James Smith: Can think of a better way of spending my council tax thanks

Lindsey Harland: Amazing offer! Free Thornaby FC season ticket, yes please!

Stuart Tones: Outstanding stuff to be honest. Hopefully many take up the offer and go and support their local non League team 👏

Five Lamps: Thornaby residents are being offered free football tickets as part of an exciting opportunity to get involved in local sport and enjoy a great community experience ⚽🎟️ A brilliant chance to come together, support the game, and enjoy live football at no cost while celebrating community spirit and wellbeing 💙👏