It is about time I get to see a match at Notts County. They are the oldest league club – from 1862. They were the first league club to become a limited company in 1890 (Small Heath, now Birmingham City,…
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Always check the evidence – Welford Road rugby ground, Leicester
I was quite excited going to Leicester Tigers’ ground Welford Road for the Tigers’ match against Gloucester. Not just at the prospect of going to my first ever rugby match, but also at the chance to watch it from an…
Tagged with: Archibald Leitch, football, Leicester Tigers, rugby, Rugby union, sport, Standing terrace, Welford Road
Posted in Football grounds
Posted in Football grounds
Edgeley Park, Stockport
Among his “50 delights of modern football”, Daniel Gray describes “seeing a ground from the train” as the first one. He describes what people do on a train “some jab at their laptop keyboard or a tablet screen. But not…
Thirty-three football grounds in seven days – Day 3, 10th September 2022: Yorkshire
7. The Shay, Halifax 8. Oakwell, Barnsley 9. New York Stadium, Rotherham 10. Millmoor, Rotherham 11. Keepmoat, Doncaster The main event of my tour should have been Barnsley FC against Portsmouth at Oakwell – with three tickets already bought for…
Thirty-three football grounds in seven days – Day 2, 9th September 2022: Liverpool
The evening’s match at Prenton Park between Tranmere Rovers and Stockport County was already called off last night; and soon all the league matches for the weekend, including the match at Barnsley for which we had tickets, are called off…
Tagged with: Anfield Road, Archibald Leitch, Bramley-Moore Dock, Dave Roberts, Everton F.C., Goodison Park, Liverpool F.C., Prenton Park, Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Posted in Football grounds
Posted in Football grounds
Thirty-three football grounds in seven days: Day 1, 8th September 2022: Manchester
It has been three years since my last football trip. So much has happened since then. Brexit, Covid, war in Europe. On top of that, my osteoarthritis now makes it hard for me to get around. So, I am a…
Posted in Uncategorized
The cultural and material history of the English football league ground 1888-2020
“The cultural and material history of the English football league ground 1888-2020”. That is the working title of my new project. As you may know from my blogposts, I am fascinated by the way football grounds encapsulate the history of…
Posted in Uncategorized
The 2019 Race for the Football League – Tradition vs. Entrepreneurship
The race for winning promotion to the Football League is entering its final stage, and my son Thomas and I have the perfect opportunity to compare two of the leading contenders – Leyton Orient and Salford City – as they…
Pittodrie – from gallow hill and dung yard to cemetery and football ground
It is almost surreal. It is February, the sun is beaming down, it is hot – and I am sweating on my way up the sloping Park Road in Aberdeen. A green bus stop marks the summit. Standing out against…
Tagged with: Aberdeen, Archibald Leitch, cemetery, dunghill, football ground, Hamilton Academicals, Pittodrie, rifle range
Posted in Football grounds
Posted in Football grounds
Tannadice – what gives a football ground character?
When I made my list of the top 24 English football grounds back in December, I was asked about the criteria. Well, they are not clear-cut. If I should nail it down to just one word, I would say “character”,…
Tagged with: allotments, Dens Park, Dundee F.C., Dundee Hibernian, Dundee United, Dundee Wanderers, floodlights, Ralph Milne, Sandeman Road, Simon Inglis, Tangerine, Tannadice
Posted in Football grounds
Posted in Football grounds
 | Zara on Loftus Road, London |
 | Lawrence on Fratton Park – an iconic… |
 | Dale Hong on The Arsenal Museum |
 | Roy Andrews on Looking for Archie part 3… |
 | David Hutton on Tannadice – what gives a… |
Football and material culture 