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…
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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
Top English Football Ground Advent Calendar 2018: 24th December
Day 24 – Ground no. 1: Goodison Park, Everton. It is almost like an open-air museum. The Archibald Leitch stands at Bullen’s Road and Gwlady’s Street are top-drawer. The stairs, the concourse in the lower section, the wooden floor and…
Tagged with: Bullen's Road, Everton F.C., Goodison Park, Gwladys Street, Memorial garden, St. Luke's church
Posted in Football grounds, Uncategorized
Posted in Football grounds, Uncategorized
Top English Football Ground Advent Calendar 2018: 23th December
Day 23 – Ground no. 2: Hillsborough, Sheffield Wednesday So much football ground history packed into this. The impressive Kop Stand, one of the very few stands that have kept the original embankment underneath. The first full-pitch-length cantilever stand looking very 1960’ish. The…
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Football and material culture 