Evo-Stik NPL goes radio ga ga!

The Evo-Stik NPL’s chairmen are set to dominate the nation's airwaves this weekend!

Evo-Stik NPL Chairman Mark Harris, Director Steve Hobson, Clitheroe chairwoman Anne Barker and Vice Chairman Keith Brown will all fly the flag for the league over the next three days on three separate BBC sports shows.

Gladiators Secretary and Evo-Stik NPL Vice Chairman Keith Brown is first up tomorrow morning [Friday] as a guest on BBC 5 Live's Breakfast Show.

5 Live presenters Phil Williams and Eleanor Oldroyd are due to quiz Brown on the Evo-Stik NPL's reaction to news that FA Cup sponsors Budweiser are pumping more cash into grassroots as part of their sponsorship deal.

Brown, an FA councillor, was involved in agreeing the boost which is aimed at Step 5-7 clubs and will see a number receive grants of up to £50,000 to give their stadiums makeovers.

The Gladiators chairman is due on at around 6.15am. He believes the extra FA Cup cash is great news for grassroots but will argue that more needs to be done for semi-pro clubs and leagues further up football's Pyramid led by the Evo-Stik NPL, Evo-Stik Southern and Ryman leagues.

Later that day Ashton United's Steve Hobson and Clitheroe's Anne Barker are heading to BBC Lancashire's studios in Blackburn as guests on the station's long running and popular Non-League Show. Between 7 and 8pm, the Evo-Stik NPL duo will be guests of presenters Gary Hickson and Ian McGarry to talk all things Non-League.

Hobson, a former player himself before becoming Rossendale United Chairman, a director at the Robins and most recently a member of the Evo-Stik NPL’s board, said: "The BBC Non-League show on Radio Lancashire is great for the game of football at our level so I’m really looking forward to going on along with Anne. The show presents lively debate for fans, players, team managers and club officials and has been a must listen for the Non-League fraternity in Lancashire and well beyond for years now."

Evo-Stik NPL Chairman Mark Harris completes the radio line-up early on Sunday morning on BBC 5 Live’s new Non-League Show.

Witton Albion’s chairman is the first league chairman in the country to be invited to the BBC’s new Media City HQ in Manchester to give his views on issues affecting the game and explain why the Evo-Stik NPL is playing a key role campaigning to change football for the better.

Presented by Caroline Barker, the show switched from Radio London this summer to the national sports and news station. Fans around the rest of the country, who previously could only listen to the old Monday night broadcast from London on the BBC’s website or via a Podcast, called for it to be aired nationally and the first show of the season went out last Sunday.

The early morning show's Podcast was among the top ten iTunes downloads that day, demonstrating to happy BBC bosses the passion and strength in numbers of Non-League loving listeners.