Welcome back to Through the Turnstile, the series that shines the light on some of non-leagues leading stars. This time we are looking to the Kent coast as we dive into Ramsgate FC, so as always, lets get stuck in!
A brief history of the Club
Established in 1886, Ramsgate FC dissolved in 1924, leading to Ramsgate Glenville taking over Southwood Stadium. Post-World War II, Glenville vanished, making room for Ramsgate Athletic, holding onto the name until 1972. Their peak came in the original Kent League until its 1959 collapse, prompting a move to the Southern League, later returning to the re-formed Kent League in 1976.
From 2004, manager Jim Ward propelled the club to dual championships, reaching the Isthmian League Premier Division. The 2007–08 season marked a pinnacle, securing 5th place, reaching play-offs, and winning the Isthmian League Cup. However, relegation followed the next season.
This season has seen the historic and unprecedented feat, with the team reaching the FA Cup second round. They triumphed over National League’s Woking but faced a 5–0 defeat against League Two’s AFC Wimbledon in a memorable chapter for the club. This remarkable journey showcased the ups and downs in Ramsgate’s storied history.
Battling in the league for promotion the team look set to take it to the wire with themselves and Cray Valley PM battling away for the top spot and only automatic promotion place in the league.
(Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsgate_F.C.)
Club legends (as told by Fan Darius Sarrafan)
Jim Ward – took Ramsgate to their highest ever league finish as well as a league cup win and the first round of the FA Cup
Warren Schultz – record appearances for the club (458) and was an integral part of Jim Ward’s history making side
Kit
2023/2024 Ramsgate FC Home Kit
£37.50 Replica Kit – Available online only, no club shop!
www.macronlondonsoutheast.com/ramsgate-replica-home-shirt-66334-p.asp
Stadium info
WW Martin Community Stadium, CT11 0AN
Capacity – 2500 (500 💺)
Number of stands – 3
3G Pitch
Ramsgate FC game days are well worth attending, I have been attending for 57 years! I even volunteer my time as the clubs kit man now, giving back to the club that has done so much for me
Phil Butler – Ramsgate Fan and Club Volunteer.
Entry price
Matchday Tickets
£10 Adults
£5 Concessions (over 60 years old)
Under 18’s free.
Season tickets
Adult Season ticket – £95
Concessions Season ticket – £60 (over 60 years old)
Matchday Programme
FREE
The club produce a matchday programme which is smaller than a regular programme, it is a paper programme which is printed in-house. They are free for all who attend the game, which I personally feel is a quick and easy way of boosting fan engagement. Who doesnt like something for nothing!
The club did however produce a lovely keepsake as part of their FA cup run – this was a fully printed special programme as shown below which was £5. A special day for all Ramsgate fans.
Stadium Shop
Located online only – the Ramsgate fans have an online shop which they can buy their kit from: www.macronlondonsoutheast.com/ramsgate-fc-467-c.asp , the online shop is in association with Macron where you can find kits, training items, and accessories.
I am afraid – that there are no official pin badges on sale! You can pick up some older badges on Ebay but I am afraid to report no new ones are for sale and there are no immediate plans for this to change. Unless you are willing to fork out £25+ for one of the clubs vintage pin badges which can be found scattered over ebay…
If someone does have a spare and is willing to donate it to the Through the turnstile collection, I would be eternally grateful!
Drinks
The Corner Flag Bar
The main drink area in the stadium is the aptly named the corner flag bar, which you guessed it is located by the corner flag… curve ball there!
The bar boasts a really awesome view of the pitch and is quite a unique offering for a football stadium. There are plenty of seats on offer, but with Ramsgate’s recent success they may need to get hold of a few more tables and chairs soon…
In addition to the corner flag bar the ground also has an outside bar which fans can buy drinks from, so there really should be no excuse for an empty cup inside the stadium!
Food
Now as we now know, food is very much a part of the matchday experience for a lot of fans and anyone visiting a Ramsgate match need not worry about going hungry! There are multiple locations for you to choose from: You have the Main clubhouse bar which is located outside the ground with a seating lounge and tvs.
Inside the ground you have a food outlet next to clubhouse bar and you also have the Clubhouse bar itself with seating and tvs. Great food and great availability – win win!
The Fab 4 – League Tables
Now lets take a look at where Ramsgate FC sit on our Fab 4 league tables!
^ Pint of Madri & Pint of Cold Water Cider (due to Moretti and Strongbow not being available)
* Price of Carling (Birra Moretti not available)
” Price of Orchard View (Strongbow not available)
+ Price of Aspalls instea
Burger and chips for £5 is an absolute steal of a deal, also a cup of tea for just £1.50 also presents great value for money and comes close to stealing the crown from Chatham Town on that one! Overall you have no reason to go hungry or thirsty should you decide to visit the Southwood Stadium this season!
Top players
Lee Martin, TJ Jadama & Joe Taylor
The success of a team is never down to just one or two players, however in these three players Ramsgate FC can certainly depend upon. That reliability in a promotion chasing season and keeping the team pushing forward is key to being scuessful:
Lee Martin – his experience is key. Clever player that wears his heart on his sleeve. He wants to win, and drives the team on.
TJ Jadama – a local hero, the Kids absolute adore him. He’s dynamic, gets us up the pitch and scores goals. The best in the league in his position.
Joe Taylor – 35 goals already this season. Joe’s finishing is something else. He scores all types of goals and is so composed. He’s now scored over 100 goals for Ramsgate and is only the 2nd player to do that. I’m sure there’s plenty more to come.
(Credit to Ramsgate FC fan – Robert Hughes for the insight)
Views from the Staff
Q) How difficult is it for non-league clubs?
It’s a difficult market but Inthink the key is turning the club into a community hub. If you make it a place people can meet in an affordable and enjoyable way then the crowds come. Balancing incomes with expenditure is also key we would never spend more than we have chasing a dream which I guess a lot of teams in non league have done in the past and have fallen foul of.
Q) What are the clubs main aims for both this season and next?
Aim this season is definitely promotion. We are top halfway through the season and although Cray Valley are putting up a hell of a challenge our aim has to be promotion. Next season hopefully in the league above it will be to be competitive on the pitch and keep progressing off the pitch witg increased attendances, commercial activity and community events.
Q) What would you say to someone considering a visit to watch Ramsgate?
You will be welcomed into a family friendly atmosphere for a fair price and you will get to see some entertaining and hopefully winning football.
Q) How has the club got to where it is today?
The installation of the 3G pitch was key and this enabled the club to have the 70 strong youth teams it has. This in turn gave us an onsite supporter base which then allowed us to improve the quality of the players on the pitch.
Q) What is the proudest moment since you have been with the club?
Reaching the FA Cup 2nd round away to AFC Wimbledon and seeing 1500 Rams fans enjoy the day.
Q) What is unique about a Ramsgate matchday?
Family friendly atmosphere and the amount of whole families who watch the games together.
Q) Describe Ramsgate FC in 3 words?
Community, ambition, identity
Q) What is the motto at the club?
In this together
Q) What is it like to work at Ramsgate?
I am a volunteer coach first and foremost but as a video producer I like to be able to shine a light on my local club and I love what I do so makes total sense that I took on the mantle of media manager. To be able to mix my passion for football with what I do as a day job is a dream really.
Q) Favourite thing about a matchday?
I have been here since it was 100 blokes turning up because it was something to do on a Saturday to over 1000 people full of families and smiling kids idolising the players. So for me it’s the look on peoples faces as the teams come out. A mixture of pride, belonging and being a part of something that means something to everyone else in the stadium.
Q) Why should someone come and watch Ramsgate play?
As I say it’s gone from just a football match to something that means so much more to so many more people. We are living in a world that encourages division and hatred for clicks and votes. Being part of a community football club is something that transcends all that rubbish and focuses on values that we should never lose, that of community, friendship, health and happiness. We play some decent stuff as well 😉
View from the fans
Q) What is a match day like at Ramsgate?
There is a real buzz around Southwood on match days. The attendances have increased and we are now regularly having gates one excess of 1000. The atmosphere is fantastic. It’s brilliant to see how engaged the local community is. Kids and adults alike are singing their hearts out.
Q) Greatest success you’ve had as a fan?
This season’s FA Cup run was special. The Joe Taylor winner away at AFC Totton was a special moment. To go on to beat Woking in the 1st Round at Southwood in front of 3000 people was something that will live long in the memory. After that we had a lot of media attention and it highlighted the great work the club does in the local community. We went out in the 2nd round to AFC Wimbledon live on ITV. 1500 of us travelled that night and sang our hearts out, proud of a team that had given us so many amazing moments that will be cherished forever.
Q) Why do you keep coming back?
Going to the games gives me an opportunity to spend time with friends and family. With the local community being so invested you get to see and chat to so many people that you know.
The football is brilliant, and it’s great that we are all there together cheering on the Rams.
Q) Why should people come to watch your club?
Ben Smith has got the team playing a superb brand of football. We score a lot of goals, it’s entertaining and real value for money. It really is a brilliant, family friendly day out. It’s affordable, and all u18s go free. Getting children to go and watch live sport is really important and the clubs philosophy supports that. You now see kids all over Thanet wearing Ramsgate shirts, tracksuits, hats and scarves.
Q) Favourite player to date?
TJ Jadama
Q) Favourite chant?
‘Just sold my car to TJ Jadama!’
Q) Best away day food?
Slim pickings in this league, ours is decent. Mainly all generic.
Q) Value for money on a matchday?
YES! Under 18s get in for free, adult tickets are only £10 and season tickets under £100!
Q) Why should people come to watch your club?
A warm, community driven, family friendly environment that is the essence of what football should be about.
Future plans (with James Lawson – Owner)
Q) What does this seasons success so far mean to you?
The main goal is to achieve promotion and that can obviously only be answered at the end of the season. But the season has already delivered big crowds, big games and big moments and it fantastic to deliver that for the area.
Q) Multiple games have seen over 1000 fans at home games, how special is that to see?
Its incredible to see so many people want to support the club. The level of interaction on socials is very high now and that shows that people are not only attending but are invested in the teams progress and genuinely supporting the club.
Q) Where do you see Ramsgate in 5 years time?
On the field thats very hard to answer because football is so unpredictable. But, we will continue to work hard to put infrastructure in place that lay the foundation’s for sustained investment in the playing staff.
Q) What would you say to a football fan who is thinking of giving non-league football a go?
Give it a try ! The players are approachable. The standard of football is very high and it’s much more of a family day out than premier league football. Not to mention the cost and travel time savings.
Q) What are the future plans for:
Stadium – We would love to build a new stand to upgrade our current facilities and put long term income centres in place for the club.
Academy and recruitment – These go hand in hand. A major goal is to get more local youngsters in the first team and we are investing heavily to give them the best chance of a achieving this
Ramsgate certainly face a fight to the finish line, with Cray Valley PM fighting them tooth and nail for that sole automatic promotion place to the Isthian Premier League this season. But whether they are successful this season or not, they clearly have something quite special building here. The club is most definitely on the up and the community are very much on the ride along with them, should they achieve promotion this year then next season will be a huge one for the club. A special time to be a Rams fan and if you are not currently, then it is as good a time as any to become one!
Until next time…!
Through The Turnstile of Non-League Football 
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