AS MORE disgruntled fans across Britain raise the possibility of setting up a Phoenix club, with West Ham supporters the latest to bring this up, it occurred to me that there is an alternative.

Instead of setting up a new grassroots football club, why not support one of the thousands that already exist?

There are so many non-league teams begging for support from people fed up of the Premier League and the way it is damaging the game.

I have witnessed first hand some of the excellent work non-league clubs are doing in their local communities and it should be celebrated more.

From Clapton FC and Dulwich Hamlet to City of Liverpool and Lewes FC, these are clubs that deserve more fans and would welcome anyone looking for a top-flight alternative.

I’ve been inside the scaffold at the Old Spotted Dog to watch Clapton play and some of the supporters have made the transition from Premier League to the Essex Senior League.

Barwell, Stourbridge, Blyth Spartans, Sutton United, Lincoln United, Kidsgrove Athletic, Guernsey. There are so many non-league clubs available to fans that offer genuine change from what fills the back pages and Sky Sports news.

Supporting a non-league club isn’t just for non-league day. It’s something that goes on for nine months of year.

The distance from the London Stadium to the Old Spotted Dog is walkable and, while the Clapton Ultras are boycotting home games, more fans getting involved in the protest may eventually force the owner to change his ways or sell the club.

Non-league clubs offer affordable ticket pricing and a chance to be a part of something, to know the money you put into it isn’t going to oil tycoons or owners who couldn’t care less about the club.

Some of these clubs do tinned food drives for food banks, protest against the government and are all-in-all the centrepiece of their local communities.

They do more for those in need than Premier League clubs do. And that’s not to devalue what the bigger teams do, but there’s no denying that could do so much more.

But it’s not just Premier League clubs who have pissed off fans. Teams up and down the top four leagues in England have all alienated fans. From Charlton to Blackburn, Blackpool to Leeds.

These teams have taken advantage of millions of people and enough is enough. There is a whole host of grassroot teams calling out for more support.

And why stop there? Why not also support the women’s sides some of these clubs have?

West Ham’s women’s side don’t have much involvement with Gold and Sullivan, though that has improved over the past few years.

But there is enough of a gap there that you can support the team without it really being affiliated to the men’s side.

If anything, a vibrant and successful women’s side will only highlight Gold and Sullivan’s failings with the men’s side, something Arsenal fans point out when it comes to their women’s team.

Had the game not been postponed, I would have spent Sunday afternoon at Arsenal’s FA Cup tie against Charlton. Not only to see Riteesh Mishra but to witness the work of Joe Montemurro and what he’s doing since taking over from Pedro Martinez Losa.

Another club that people should go over and get involved with are AFC Unity, based in Sheffield.

AFC Unity are a team that may not get the results on the field, but the club is so much more than wins and losses. 

To quote the club themselves: “AFC Unity is a socially progressive, multi-award-winning indie women’s football club and social enterprise based in Sheffield, UK, providing opportunities for both beginner-level and advanced female footballers in our exciting, high-energy, positive playing style, while utilising the sport for positive social change and remaining linked to — and active in — the local community.”

If you haven’t heard of them, you are missing out. Football needs more clubs like this and the ones that do exist need more support.

If you have had enough of the club you have supported for decades, I understand the temptation to start from scratch and create new memories with a new team built in the shadow of your former one.

But that isn’t always the answer and the success of FC United of Manchester and others won’t always work.

Which brings me back to a topic I have raised before and will continue to do so until something is done.

It sickens me that Manchester City will take on Linkopings tonight in the Women’s Champions League while the red half of Manchester are yet to recreate their women’s side.

The constant calls for the Glazer family to step into the 21st century won’t go away. With every trophy Manchester City win, with every major tournament Phil Neville gets to, with every FA Cup final played in front of thousands of fans at Wembley, there will always be the elephant in the room — when will Manchester United see sense and do what is right?

If there’s one Phoenix club that should rise from the ashes, for me it has to be United.

While we do have FC United Women, another side in Manchester would do no harm.

And who knows, the team could meet in the North West Women's Regional Football League in a few years, if Manchester United are willing to start from the very bottom.