A £7 Brent Derby: Watching Non-League Football at Silver Jubilee Park (Edgware & Kingsbury vs Wembley FC)

TL;DR: For £7 you can watch a proper London derby in the ninth tier of English football, drink a cold pint at 11am, and stand a few feet from the pitch with about thirty other fans and a dog. Here's what a matchday at Silver Jubilee Park is actually like, and how to find your own non-league fixture like this one.

There's a version of the perfect day off that doesn't involve a Premier League ticket queue, a £9 burger, or VAR. It involves a bank-holiday morning, good weather, the ninth tier of English football, and a beer at 11am. On Easter weekend I went looking for exactly that, and found it deep in the football pyramid, where the hidden gems live.

I went all the way down to Step 5 (level 9) of the English game, the Combined Counties Premier Division North, to watch Edgware & Kingsbury host Wembley FC in a Brent derby at Silver Jubilee Park, in the pleasantly suburban setting of Kingsbury, north-west London.

I found this fixture the same way any fan can: by browsing the map on Football Finder. Full disclosure, I'm the platform's COO (Assaf Hay Eden), and yes, I use it on my own days off. The whole point of the product is surfacing exactly these overlooked, low-level games that never make the fixture apps, so a free Tuesday or a bank-holiday Monday turns into a groundhopping adventure.

What is Silver Jubilee Park and who plays there?

Silver Jubilee Park sits on Townsend Lane (NW9 7NE) in Kingsbury, in the London Borough of Brent. It's a humble, characterful non-league ground with a capacity of 1,990, of which only 298 are seats (180 in the main stand, 118 behind the goal), the rest being three covered standing areas. The ground is shared by several clubs, most notably Edgware & Kingsbury FC and the better-known Hendon FC.

The setting is the kind of thing you only get this far down the pyramid: 298 seats, the arch of Wembley Stadium peeking over the rooftops, a sausage cooking somewhere, perfect weather, and entry for £7. Give me two.

How to get to Silver Jubilee Park

The nearest Underground stop is Kingsbury (Jubilee line), roughly a 15 to 20 minute walk away; Colindale (Northern line) is a similar distance and a decent alternative. Be warned: it's tucked at the bottom corner of a park, down a slip road through a black gate, so the last few hundred metres aren't obvious. Two navigation errors and a bit of mud on the shoes later, we made it. Thirty fans and a dog welcomed us in.

If you'd rather not guess, pull the ground up on the Silver Jubilee Park stadium page for directions and the map.

What's it like watching non-league football in London?

On paper the two teams weren't setting the league alight: 15th and 16th of 20, sitting 8 and 11 points above the drop. But both clubs are old (founded in the 1930s and 40s) and have never climbed above this level, and that's exactly the charm. This is football stripped back to grass, mud, a dog in the stand and four goals.

The clubhouse bar wasn't remotely fazed to see us and was pouring cold lager from ten in the morning. An older woman in a Wembley scarf kept time with her walking stick, the referee warmed up, and someone shouted "Come on lads!" England at its best.

The standard was higher than I expected and my mate Tal, who's seen plenty of low-level football, agreed. There was football played on the floor, a lot of physicality, and even more shouting at the referee.

How the Brent derby unfolded

It finished 4-0 to Edgware & Kingsbury, and it wasn't flattering:

• 21': a gorgeous strike from the home No. 10 into the top corner. 1-0. A slick team move with a one-two down the left ended with the captain finishing.

• Right before half-time, a penalty after a shove from the visiting defence; the No. 9 stepped up. 2-0 at the break, with the away side complaining all the way to the tunnel.

• 55': the Wembley captain picked up a second yellow for a foul in midfield and walked. Down to ten.

• Within three minutes, an unfortunate own goal off a home break. 3-0.

• Late on, the home No. 8 curled one into the corner for 4-0 and the party started.

At half-time we grabbed another pint and tried the local sausage. Premier League quality, if not European.

What do you actually get for £7?

This day answered a question you didn't know to ask: what do you get for £7? The answer: Admission to the heart of English football. No VAR, no padded seats, no Christmas-length queue for a burger. Just grass, mud, a dog, and four goals.

Plan your own non-league day out

The best part of groundhopping in London is how many of these games are happening every weekend, completely under the radar. A few ways to find your own:

• Browse live football matches in London to see what's on near you, top tier to non-league.

• Filter for football in London this weekend if you've got a free Saturday.

• Heading to the actual arch instead? Compare options on the Wembley Stadium guide ; the famous one is a 15-minute drive from its ninth-tier neighbour.

Non-league games like this one are usually pay-on-the-gate in cash, with no online ticket needed, which is part of the appeal. For ticketed clubs, Football Finder links you straight to availability.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to watch non-league football at Silver Jubilee Park?

Entry to Edgware & Kingsbury fixtures at Silver Jubilee Park is around £7, paid in cash on the gate. There's no online ticket needed for these ninth-tier games.

How do you get to Silver Jubilee Park?

Silver Jubilee Park is on Townsend Lane, Kingsbury, London NW9 7NE. The nearest Underground stations are Kingsbury (Jubilee line) and Colindale (Northern line), each about a 15 to 20 minute walk. The ground sits at the bottom corner of the park, down a slip road through a black gate.

What is the capacity of Silver Jubilee Park?

Silver Jubilee Park holds 1,990, of which 298 are seats (180 in the main stand and 118 behind the goal), with three covered standing areas making up the rest.

Which teams play at Silver Jubilee Park?

The ground is shared by several clubs, most notably Edgware & Kingsbury FC and Hendon FC. Edgware & Kingsbury play in the Combined Counties Premier Division North, at Step 5 (level 9) of the English football pyramid.

What is it like watching non-league football in London?

Expect a relaxed, intimate matchday: a clubhouse bar pouring early, standing a few feet from the pitch, a crowd of a few dozen, and football that's more physical and higher-quality than you'd expect. No VAR, no padded seats, just grass, mud and goals.

Found a hidden gem of your own? That's the whole idea. Open the map on Football Finder, find a match to watch near you, and go.