VERY little is guaranteed in sport, least of all the unpredictable world of football.

Sometimes mesmerising. Sometimes monotonous.

Alluring and engaging one day, unsavoury and unappealing the next.

However, this weekend is for celebrating the beautiful game at grassroots level and I can promise one thing if you take in a game on national Non-League Day.

That’s 22 blokes giving their absolute all, putting bodies on the line and deeply bonded by their unswerving team spirit and will to win.

It’s raw, passionate and uncompromising – football stripped back to basics, without the frills and razzmatazz of the professional game – and while the skill levels and quality won’t be on a par with what you see on telly, the effort and determination certainly will be.

That can make for captivating drama – football you can’t take your eyes off.

Some of the best matches I’ve seen have been at non-league level but grassroots football – its charm and warmth – is about so much more than the 90 minutes.

There’s a sense of belonging and sociability.

It’s football in your community, on your doorstep, and from the minute you pay a realistic, affordable admission price at the turnstile, you’re guaranteed a warm welcome by people who run their clubs for a love of the game.

You can stand anywhere, hear the management, players and officials communicating (always entertaining) and chat with them in the bar afterwards.

You won’t be stung by eye-watering, extortionate food and drink prices and you’ll meet the characters, club legends and stalwarts who are there week in, week out, working tirelessly behind the scenes.

You’ll feel a sense of belonging that I doubt you’ll experience within the upper echelons of the game.

Non-league football was once likened to me as a religion. You either believe in it or you don’t.

You may look down your nose and scoff at the quality, preferring the sugar-coated world of Sky TV, the Premier League, Guardiola and Old Trafford.

Or you’ll be touched by something that reminds you why you fell in love with football in the first place – a nod to the game’s traditional values.

Either way, it’s worth finding out and that’s why Non-League Day, launched in 2010, represents a perfect opportunity.

Always scheduled to coincide with an international break, it gives fans of Premier League and Championship sides the chance to experience football at a level they may be otherwise unfamiliar.

So if you’re a regular at the Emirates, Stamford Bridge, the London Stadium or Portman Road, why not head somewhere different this weekend?

Stanway Rovers, Wivenhoe Town, Heybridge Swifts, Little Oakley (the club’s biggest-ever game, in the FA Vase) and Harwich and Parkeston are among those all playing at home, all kicking-off at 3pm.

Non-league is absorbing and stimulating but it would be inaccurate and unbalanced to present it in a saccharine, rose-tinted way.

You won’t have to dig too deep at any club to find a frustration with the lack of support, sponsorship and so on.

From a spectators’ point of view, the language can be boisterous and colourful, to say the least, and that’s not ideal when taking children along.

Even from my point of view as a reporter, there have been times when I’ve been tearing my hair out.

Having an irate chairman hammer on the roof of my car, swearing and bemoaning the lack of coverage in the build-up to a big cup match was a particular low. Especially when it transpired he hadn’t seen the paper all week and therefore missed my preview pieces on the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

However, putting those quirks and drawbacks to one side, it’s a fun and rewarding afternoon out.

You’ll be given a warm welcome, your support will be hugely appreciated (especially by the players) and from the minute that first whistle blows, you’ll be involved and submerged in something special.