Blog Archives

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

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Football grounds

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: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Football grounds

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

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Football grounds

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: , , , , , , ,
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: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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: , , , , ,
Posted in Football grounds, Uncategorized

Farewell to a football ground. Bootham Crescent in York

After watching the Yorkshire derby between Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United on the Friday night, we head to York for another one derby – between York City and Guiseley in the Vanamara National League North. York City has been at

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Football grounds

The Historical Layers of Hillsborough

For a county with such proud football traditions as Yorkshire, it must be frustrating to be so poorly represented in the Premier League. A couple of seasons ago, Huddersfield Town took over from Hull as the only representative, and at

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Football grounds

Selhurst Park – searching for Crystal Palace’s memorial garden

  Selhurst Park was high on my football ground wish list this season. For three reasons. Firstly, with Palace about to get the final seal of approval of their plans for a new main stand, the days of the original

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Football grounds

“Not fit for modern-day football” – or “a magical monument for 119 years of footballing history”? – Blundell Park, Grimsby

Within the same week in September 1899, five new football grounds staged their first match. Highfield Road in Coventry, Tottenham’s White Hart Lane, Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough, Fratton Park in Portsmouth, and Grimsby Town’s Blundell Park. Having attended matches at the

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Football grounds

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 147 other subscribers
Follow Football and material culture on WordPress.com