Non-league football fans are ditching stodgy pie-based terrace snacks in favour of trendy jerk chicken and plantain, stone-baked pizza, and Vietnamese street food treats. Grassroots clubs including Tooting and Mitcham, AFC Wimbledon, and AFC Croydon Athletic are among the lower league outfits increasingly catering to more discerning “foodie” palates.
Caribbean Cuisine Takes Over
“Terrors” fans at south-London outfit Tooting and Mitcham can snap up £13 boneless jerk chicken, plantain, and rice meals from The Shak Caribbean food shop during games rather than burgers and pies. Similarly, at nearby Croydon Athletic, fans can munch on jerk chicken with waffles and coleslaw plus optional hot sauce for £10, alongside traditional offerings. At Cray Wanderers in southeast London, London’s oldest football club is dishing up jerk chicken burgers for an affordable £7.
Diverse Menu Options
Caribbean cuisine is not the only munch making inroads into non-league football. At AFC Wimbledon, fans enjoy Vietnamese street food, stone-baked pizza, and trendy skin-on fries. Dons diehard Sheryl Young, 53, said: “I love the food offering at non-league football. When I go to Tooting and Mitcham, I can tuck into jerk chicken with plantain and rice. While at Wimbledon we can choose from Vietnamese street food, stone-baked pizza, and those skin-on fries which I love. Not everyone wants a stodgy pie or burger – I certainly don’t.”
Croydon Athletic supporter George Czubak, 38, added: “To be fair the hot sauce on the jerk chicken was a bit hot for me to say the least but I muddled through. It’s lovely to try something new and a bit healthier while watching some great football at the same time.”
Traditionalists Voice Concerns
But some fear the move to exotic dishes could lead to a loss of tradition if burger and pie-based snacks end up wiped from matchday menus. One sceptical fan warned: “Goal gets scored; those chicken wings go flying.” Another said: “Christ, with the temperatures out ‘ere at the minute that’s getting cold in about two seconds.” A third pie-loving purist added: “Wtf who eats this in the stadium?”
Premier League Offerings
Non-league fans are not the only ones enjoying jerk chicken. At Crystal Palace, Eagles diehards dine at Original Tasty Jerk Ltd next to Selhurst Park, where a small jerk chicken costs £9 plus £2 for plantain and £1.50 for a dumpling. The restaurant, named one of the 30 best places to eat globally by the Observer in 2023, sends plumes of smoke across Selhurst Park on matchdays. At Arsenal, Juss Jerk serves a jerk chicken meal with rice and peas or rice and plantain from £13 yards from the Emirates.
Outside London, topflight teams are cooking up global cuisines. Everton offers a £20 salt and pepper sharing platter at their new Hill Dickinson stadium. Preston North End regulars can enjoy butter chicken tikka and rice for £6. Barnsley fans can snap up Chinese chicken skewers on flatbread for £6.95. At Forest Green Rovers, the world’s greenest football club, 100% vegan food includes Keralan cauliflower, chickpea, and onion bhaji pasties.
Posh Hospitality Packages
Moneybags Premier League sides also sell posh nosh, often as part of pricey hospitality packages. At Newcastle, Toon fans can sign up for a small plates menu followed by Middle Eastern lamb and crumble dessert as part of the £650 plus VAT Rooftops package. Aston Villa’s “Lower Grounds” venue offers street food hospitality options including chips with curry sauce and loaded nachos for £190 including match ticket. Liverpool serve Cajun chicken burgers as part of their Anfield Code £299 VIP tickets. Burnley’s Jimmy McIlroy suite offers a street food buffet with BFC chicken and fish hotdog, Belgian waffles, and half-time samosas for £120. Notts Forest fans can choose from a buffet with charcuterie, wraps, Korean chicken, cake, and pie as part of the Vault Experience priced at £175 plus VAT.
