I’m Leland, the media manager of Stony Stratford Town Football Club. I’ve been in this position for just over 2 months – before this I was a videographer for the club filming games, home and away. I’m writing this article to paint a picture of what step 7 football looks like in Milton Keynes and my role in it.
Squad Problems:
Stony Stratford Town are located just on the outskirts of Milton Keynes which creates many many issues for the club as they are one of the smaller teams in the area – keeping players is a big struggle. At Stony you pay to play like many clubs at this level but if you look around us – you have teams like Newport Pagnell Town, MK Irish and even further out teams like Winslow and Cranfield – we struggle with the fact that when a player has a good season or a handful of good games, the allure of being paid to play football at increasingly better facilities is too strong for Stony to fight back against.
I don’t believe I’m allowed to name certain names but in this off season alone we have lost key players to Cranfield, MK Irish and Winslow – which really speaks volumes of the struggles of a step 7 (pay to play) model.
We, like many other clubs, also have the player availability problem. In all the games I watched this season we never had a full squad – always someone unavailable – injured, working, too far to travel, running a marathon. It is an issue which plagues this level but it’s one of those “it is what it is” issues as there is nothing the club can do.
Facilities & Support :
We play at Ostler’s Lane in Stony Stratford.
This ground has stayed largely the same since it was built – with the addition of floodlights in the mid-90’s and 8 seats in the stand but other than that its been the same since it was built.
We also share this ground with many of our youth teams – but some do use the pitch in Old Stratford.
This ground is by no means the most advanced or prettiest ground but it has a certain charm to it – it is old school and simple – attracting the football purists and locals alike. In our division it is a privilege to have an actual stand with a few teams not having one – we also have floodlights which is definitely a rarity in Division Two.
We are definitely a lucky club as not only do we have floodlights we also get a strong number of supporters. Last season we averaged out at 58 which is an increase on the year prior and the year before that. Our support is mainly made up of local old boys looking for a football fix, groundhoppers, players’ relatives and youth players. It’s always good to see the numbers slowly pour in on a Saturday as the ground is quaint and the numbers look bigger. We only charge three pounds for an adult and we make under sixteens free which is almost definitely a reason why someone would pick Stony over a Newport Development game – although at the same level, it’s just more affordable.
My Role:
When I first joined up with Stony I was just a youtuber essentially, I would go to different games home and away, film the game, interview Dan (the manager), the opposition manager and get clips of warmups and team talks – I did this for the last 8 games of the season. On presentation night I was asked if I would be up for taking over the socials, this involved all things like graphics, commentary, posting and creating content as a whole – something I had experience in.
I started on the thirty first of may. I had no idea how hard it would be – I’m not a graphic designer but I tried to learn as quickly as possible so I could make some improved content on social media.
This is an example of what I have produced – by no means the greatest but it is a big improvement on not only what came before me but also my previous work.
I also started the tiktok which I had no experience in but through posting match clips and stats based content it has grown to over 500 followers – which really pushed the club forward from a social aspect.
@stonystratfordtownfcJake’s great save against Old Bradwell United (13/08/25)♬ original sound – Stony Stratford Town FC
My role is definitely a strange one as I not only work on the Stony brand but also sink a lot of time and money into my personal brand – trying to grow both is very hard but also incredibly rewarding.
When I started on Stony’s socials-
X – 695
YT – 18
TT – 0Today –
X – 871
YT – 49
TT – 400Not too bad
— Leland.W (@Leland_W_) June 29, 2025
Coming off the back of working with both MK Irish and Newport Pagnell Town FC to then joining Stony has been an eye opener and a learning curve but I couldn’t be in a better position – and I am eternally grateful to the staff at Stony who have allowed me this position.
Conclusion:
To end off – I think that Step 7 is an undervalued asset and people do need to give it more time of day. The people, the grounds and atmosphere is like nothing else you will ever experience. No matter the level, follow your local side – always and forever.
🚨PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE🚨
Our first pre-season fixture comes against Kempston Rovers Reserves at home!
Following that game we take on AFC Carpathians at home again!
Make sure you mark these in the calendar and come down to Ostlers Lane and support the boys 💙
More to follow👀 pic.twitter.com/OeLEibtyY5
— Stony Stratford Town Football Club (@Stony_Football) June 27, 2025
Thank you for reading. If you have any questions, please drop me an email at [email protected] or take a look at my socials @LelandW on twitter and youtube.
Written by Leland Ward
nonleaguefanatic