“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…
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The cultural and material history of the English football league ground 1888-2020
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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Top English Football Ground Advent Calendar 2018: 22nd December
Day 22 . Ground 3: Craven Cottage, Fulham There is a reason, it is listed. THAT stand by Archibald Leitch. Well, many more ought to be so. But this is just wonderful. The Dutch renaissance-like facade with red bricks,…
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Top English Football Ground Advent Calendar 2018: 21st December
Day 21 – Ground number 4: Fratton Park, Portsmouth As you walk down the Frogmore Road and see the mock-Tudor club office and the remains of the pre-Archibald Leitch stand, you know that you are in for something special. And,…
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Top English Football Ground Advent Calendar 2018: 20th December
Day 20 . Ground no. 5: Kenilworth Road, Luton A rarity now. Entrance to the Oak Stand through the terraced housing. The ground litterately in the backyard. The laundry hanging between the stand and the houses. The toilets are inside…
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Top English Football Ground Advent Calendar 2018: 19th December
Day 19 – Ground no. 6: Brunton Park, Carlisle United Perilously close to a river. In a residential area, close to the city centre. Brunton Park has it all. A fabulous standing terrace with an iconic triple, triangle roof. A…
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