15 Saturday Oct 2016
Posted in M
Sunday 25th September 2016 ko 14.00
FA Women’s Superleague 2
MILLWALL LIONESSES 2 (Gaylor 22 Giddings 28)
WATFORD LADIES 1 (Mason 47)
Att c200 at The Den
Entry £5
Programme £2
On the face of it a women’s game played at the parent club’s ground wouldn’t enter the consciousness to any great degree, save for being a good excuse for my girlfriend Robyn to tick off the ground when in the area. However, there were better reasons to pay to place another visit. Continue reading
01 Monday Aug 2016
Posted in M
Wednesday 27th July 2016 ko 19.30
Pre-season Friendly
MUNDFORD 0
DEREHAM TOWN 6 (Tuttle 23 Cook 45 Logan 65 Frary 60 73 Bussens 87)
Att 121
Entry- by donation
No Programme
It’s still the biggest regret of my groundhop organising career that we failed to get an Anglian Combination hop up and running. But whilst I’ll never say never to it happening at the moment the idea looks dead in the water. So until the groundhopping tides change I’ll carry on picking off the league’s little gems as I am able. Continue reading
28 Thursday Jul 2016
Tags
Alfred Davis Memorial Ground, Ascot United, bisham abbey, Football, Friendly, groundhopping, hellenic league, Marlow, Southern League
Saturday 23rd July 2016 ko 15.30
Pre-season Friendly
MARLOW FC 0
ASCOT UNITED 0
Att 23 at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre
Entry FREE
No Programme
When you look at it Bisham Abbey isn’t an obvious place to stage football. It was built in 1260 for two Knights Templar, before becoming a priory. It was used to imprison Robert the Bruce’s wife Queen Elizabeth of the Scots before being given to Anne of Cleves by Henry VIII as part of his divorce settlement in 1540. Continue reading
18 Monday Apr 2016
Posted in M
Tags
Bristol Premier Combination, Broad Plain House, Creswicke Road, Filwood Sports Association, Highridge United, Knowle, Mendip Broadwalk
Tuesday 12th April 2016 ko 18.15
Bristol Premier Combination Premier Division
MENDIP BROADWALK 2 (Hickery 23 Talbot 43)
HIGHRIDGE UNITED 1 (Hocking 51)
Att c150
Entry FREE
No Programme
Its fair to say that the Knowle district, in southern Bristol is reassuringly working class. I say reassuringly working-class, as despite the Premier League trying (and largely successfully) to price the game out of the reach of normal people, if you look to the working-class areas odds on you’ll find grass-roots football thriving. Continue reading
22 Tuesday Mar 2016
Posted in M
Tags
Commonwealth Games, Etihad Stadium, Manchester City, Manchester Diamonds, Manchester Regional Arena, North West Counties League, Northwich Manchester Villa, Northwich Villa
Saturday 19th March 2016 ko 15.00
North West Counties League Division One
NORTHWICH MANCHESTER VILLA 1 (Martins 67) Norris sent off 90 (violent conduct)
HOLKER OLD BOYS 2 (Stanway 13 52)
Att 25 at Manchester Regional Arena
Entry £5
Programme £2
For the hopper there’s three stadiums to complete at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium. Other than the newly enlarged main stadium, there’s the Academy Stadium, and on the other side of Alan Turing Way there’s the Manchester Regional Arena. Originally built in 2002 as a warm-up track for the City of Manchester Stadium (now the Etihad) for the Commonwealth Games, it’s had a history as chequered as the football club that currently calls it home. Continue reading
09 Monday Nov 2015
Posted in M
Tags
Benson Lions, Headington Quarry, John Fathers, Margaret Road, Masons Arms, North Berkshire League, Oxford, Oxford City League
Saturday 7th November 2015 ko 13.30
Oxfordshire FA “John Fathers” Junior Shield 2nd Round
MASONS ARMS 1 (Long 22)
BENSON LIONS 2 (Swales 14 Willis 55)
Att 16 at Margaret Road Recreation Ground, Headington Quarry, Oxford
Entry FREE
No Programme
In so many ways if any game had my name on it, it was this one. I’m from this part of Oxford, my local is the Masons Arms, and I serve on the committee of the North Berkshire League, the league where Benson Lions ply their trade. But that’s only a superficial look at why this game was a must see for me. Continue reading
26 Monday Oct 2015
Posted in M
Sunday 18th October 2015 KO 14.30
Western League Premier Division
MELKSHAM TOWN 2 (Higdon 15 82)
GILLINGHAM TOWN 1 (Smith 88)
Att 357
Entry £5
Programme £1
So all too soon it was over, our 7 game Western League jaunt that months earlier Chris Berezai and I wouldn’t have thought possible, and certainly not taking in the Melksham’s iconic Conigre Ground, staging football for a final unexpected year, due to would you believe a colony of newts. While Chris and I knew that the hoppers would love the ground, we were far less certain about how the club would enjoy their day. Continue reading
07 Monday Sep 2015
Tags
Cae Pel Droed, Chris Berezai, GroundhopUK, Meliden, Mynydd Llandegai, Wales, Welsh Alliance, Welsh Groundhop
Sunday 30th August 2015 ko 18.00
Welsh Alliance Division 2
MYNYDD LLANDEGAI 3 (M Smith 6 M Hughes 70p Whitmore 74)
MELIDEN 2 (Buckley 15 Szabo 78)
Att 305
Entry £3
Programme £1
Badge £3
We left Llanrug and climbed into the mountains of Snowdonia and then we climbed some more. The roads narrowed, the heather turned purple almost it seemed through oxygen deprivation, and eventually we reached the tiny village of Mynydd (Mountain) Llandegai. Continue reading
01 Tuesday Sep 2015
Posted in M
Tags
Chris Berezai, GroundhopUK, Mochdre, Prestatyn Sports, Sports Association, Wales, Welsh Groundhop
Friday 28th August 2015 ko 18.30
Welsh Alliance Division Two
MOCHDRE SPORTS 1 (Owen 67)
PRESTATYN SPORTS 0
Att 313
Entry £3
Programme £1
Badge £3
GroundhopUK’s roots lie with the Welsh hop, back 13 years ago when Chris Berezai put together a one-day event for the Welsh League. My, how the baby has grown as we distributed 130-or-so programme packs and room keys at Chester University and waited for our two coaches to take us to the first game of a 4 day, 11 game extravaganza in the Welsh Alliance. Continue reading
18 Tuesday Aug 2015
Posted in M
Wednesday 5th August 2015 ko 18.30
West Dean Charity League, Intermediate Group 3
MILKWALL 1 (40)
YORKLEY 10 (2 21 26 37 54 57 68 75 76 79)
Att 21
Entry FREE
No Programme
Sometimes I think that in the long term I’ll become something of a research groundhopper, and therefore this blog will end up being to publicise those little footballing gems that so far have evaded attention. And dear reader if that means I get to visit, photograph and write about places like Milkwall’s Edenwall Road, then that’s fine by me! Continue reading
Football: Wherever it may be 