A lot of people have an opinion on groundhopping, but in theory, most football fans actually do it or hope to do it. A lot of us will know at least one person who is attempting or has attempted the “92 club” challenge. A lot of groundhoppers however, go out of their own way to visit grounds they never usually would. Many of you will have visited Championship, League One & Two grounds, but how many of you would go out of your way to attempt completion of the Evo-Stik or Calor Gas league structure?
I can’t speak for everyone if I were to try and explain why people groundhop and I’d be a fool to try and speak for everyone, but from my own perspective, it’s a way out from the tribalistic side of the game. You’re going to enjoy a new ground, new surroundings, new teams you may not usually watch. It’s actually a good little day out for a few mates too. There is the danger, of course, that going to neutral games regularly can draw your attention away from the club you typically follow. I find that when you visit new grounds, you tend to form an opinion of clubs based on how your experience was on the day. Buxton are a fine example of that for me. I’d never follow them or become a fan, but you start to realise not every single club you come across is the enemy. There’s a lot to like in the football world, people just need to open their eyes and find it all!
Groundhopping has been a hobby on a broader scale since the 70’s but the number of people doing it “properly” these days seems to have shot up. Not everyone has the desire to take a Saturday out from their usual Saturday afternoon, following “their” side, but I’ve begun to enjoy it. In fact, since beginning my venture into scouting it’s been something that’s appealed to me more and more. Not least because part of scouting involves precisely what we’re talking about. My problem – if you wish to call it that – is that I have a lot of teams I have a respect for and a lot of teams I spontaneously dislike. Half the teams I say I dislike, I won’t have a genuine reason for, it’s just one of those things. However, that bias I have towards and against certain teams puts me at an immediate disadvantage when it comes to traditional groundhopping, because I quite simply won’t watch certain teams. For example, I’d quite happily go along and watch Burscough, but if you think I’d even consider splashing out on a trip to Kendal, you can think again.
Bearing in mind my position on who I would and wouldn’t watch, can I call myself a groundhopper? Well, first of all, I don’t think I really see it as a status thing; it’s more of an interest. Visiting certain grounds intrigues me, and that’s why and how I do it. I visit the clubs that interest me. For instance, my second dummy scout report I ever compiled was on the aforementioned Buxton. It was bitterly cold, not a pleasant day, but the club and ground interested me for one reason or another. They’re one of those cases I can’t really explain, but if I’m honest I’m glad I went. The people at the club were also fantastic.
The truth is, a lot of these grounds won’t be around for much longer so you may as well take them in and have your own memories from them while you can. Working for Carlton Town was born from my curiosity of what their ground was like, I didn’t go there originally with the intention of getting the chief scouting position, I went to create a report on them and help myself build a portfolio – essentially groundhopping with a purpose.
Already Visited
So far, my fledgling groundhopping venture has taken me to the following (for a match) in no particular order:
City Ground – Nottingham Forest (obviously), York Street – Boston United, St. James’ Park – Brackley Town, Marston Road – Stafford Rangers, The Oval Ground – Bedworth United, Bill Stokeld Stadium – Carlton Town, The Silverlands – Buxton, Haig Avenue – Southport, Greenfields Sports Ground – Market Drayton Town, The Lamb Ground – Tamworth, Butlin Road – Rugby Town, Carrington Sports Ground – FC Cavaliers, and Coles Lane – Sutton Coldfield Town.
What Next?
Nene Park – The now vacant former home of Rushden & Diamonds
Well, from a scouting perspective it’s best not to say where I’m heading next, but by choice AFC Rushden & Diamonds are right at the top on my list of priorities. The phoenix of a club I only really began to appreciate fully when they were gone (the same case with Irthlingborough Diamonds – one of two clubs involved in the conception of R&D). The mother has a picture somewhere, of me looking suitably cretinous outside their former home Nene Park but I’ve yet to ask for it, so for now you can make do with the beautiful one above. Nene Park is probably my favourite ground that I’ve visited, yet not actually been inside of. It’s almost certainly the main one I wish I could visit too. Whilst a highly redeveloped build when Diamonds moved in, it still held the character of a proper football stadium. It’d be nice if one day AFC R&D could move back in. I don’t know how likely that is though, even if they were to return to the Conference at the very least, but one can still hope…
The Dog & Duck does bring its own qualities and attractions though. Like R&D fans ever needed it (bearing in mind the lowly reputation of the two clubs who formed Rushden & Diamonds), but it’s a bit of a reality check I suppose. Nene Park was a Championship standard stadium, a lot of young fans who once followed the original club would’ve only been used to that. Now they get to see a club bounce back fro the depths and fight to earn everything they get. I like grounds like the Dog & Duck, they bring you back down to earth and to the essence of what football should be about. It’s the foundations for a hopefully bright future for the club and no matter where time leads AFC Rushden & Diamonds, that little ground out the back of the pub on London Road will remain a fixture in those fans’ minds. It’s a piece of history already, and I want a piece of it. You could say that since their expulsion, I’ve gained a soft spot for them and for the phoenix club, so naturally they become an attractive proposition as far as groundhopping goes. Just one of those things, I suppose.
Thanks for reading.
Any suggestions for grounds to visit are welcome in the comments box below.
Under The Floodlights 