Tag Archives: groundhop

Another Dawn

19 Tuesday Nov 2024

Posted by in C

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday 6th October 2024 ko 11:00

Southern Counties East League Premier Division

CORINTHIAN 2 (Arnold 10 Fitzgerald 13)

ERITH & BELVEDERE 1 (Melconian 80)

Att 247

Entry £9

Programme £2

I’d long since changed my way of thinking once it became clear that in my terms the SCEFL Hop was going to be, in my terms, six revisits. Other than a social event, there was the idea of how 200 or so hoppers might react to each of the host clubs. However I knew everyone would love Corinthian…

Continue reading →

Perception

10 Sunday Nov 2024

Posted by in M

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Saturday 5th October 2024 ko 11:00

Southern Counties East League Division One

MERIDIAN V.P. 1 (Sowah 26)

TOOTING BEC 2 (James 10 Robinson 90+4)

Att 160 (Club Record)

Entry £8

Programme £2.50

Perception in all things is everything. When you organise events at Steps 5 & 6, and let’s face it GroundhopUk has plenty of experience at this level, you do expect a certain level of uniformity, mainly due to FA ground gradings. What that doesn’t mean is the clubs, or their aspirations will be similar.

Continue reading →

The Ships

06 Wednesday Nov 2024

Posted by in G

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday 22nd September 2024 ko 14:15

West Wales Premier League

GIANTS GRAVE 4 (Wayman 39 D Williams 75 Sofiu 78 Palla 81)

CWM WANDERERS 1 (Shaw 49)

Att 204

Entry & Programme £5

The final stop of this year’s West Wales Hop saw our first visit of the weekend to a former Neath League side. Giants Grave is in the environs of Briton Ferry and the unusual name is usually seen as referencing the TW Ward’s Shipbreaking Yard, but the inconvenient truth is the name pre-dates shipbreaking or even heavy industry. I suspect the derivation probably comes from folk tales with the exact stories lost in the mists of time, and perhaps the mystery adds to the legend?

Continue reading →

The Former

31 Thursday Oct 2024

Posted by in G

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday 22nd September 2024 ko 11:00

West Wales Premier League

AFC GLAIS 1 (Lewis Pritchard 55)

PONTARDDULAIS TOWN 3 (Jones 39secs 2 Williams 90+4)

Att 191

Entry & Programme £5

The final day of the West Wales Hop saw us move slowly towards its terminus at Cardiff station. We left Carmarthen and headed for Pontardawe, and once again a Cymric portmanteau – this time of Bridge on the River Tawe. Other than the production of tin plate the town as being the birthplace of singer Mary Hopkin and former Pop Idol starlet Rosie Ribbons. You’ve not heard of Rosie Ribbons? Well try asking my wife Robyn; her former workmates back in Bristol still nickname her “Ribbons!” I don’t see the resemblance myself!

Continue reading →

The Estate

24 Thursday Oct 2024

Posted by in P

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday 21st September 2024 ko 14:00

West Wales Premier League

PENLAN AFC 0

L Edwards sent off 86 (serious foul play)

T Waters sent off 88 (2nd booking)

Hudson sent off 90+3 (2nd booking)

ROCKSPUR 1 (M. Davies 40)

Jones sent off 22 (serious foul play)

Davies sent off 86 (2nd booking)

Att 332

Entry £3

Programme £2 (!)

The final two games of our Saturday in the West Wales Premier League saw us in Swansea and its environs. The first was a trip to Penlan, by reputation the roughest estate in the area. You may find this surprising but I was far less concerned than one or two others.

Continue reading →

The River Island

21 Monday Oct 2024

Posted by in Y

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday 21st September 2024 ko 11:00

West Wales Premier League

YNYSTAWE ATHLETIC 2 (Brooks 34p Green 57)

DAFEN WELFARE 2 (Jones 16 54)

Att 194

Entry & Programme £5

Between the ill-fated Carmarthenshire Hop and this West Wales Premier League Hop we do seem to be seeing a lot of Pont Abraham. Most will know the place as being the western end of the M4 but if you’ve done enough of these events you’ll see it as being the gateway to places like Llandeilo , Pontarddulais and now Ynystawe.

Continue reading →

The Gap

02 Wednesday Oct 2024

Posted by in G

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday 26th August 2024 ko 14:30

Cymru North

GUILSFIELD UNITED 3 (Haycock 17 59 Matthews 69)

RUTHIN TOWN 1 (Owen 69p)

Att 160

Entry £7

Programme £1

Back in the days when the Welsh Hop visited the Mid-Wales League we visited this part of the world a lot. The unscientific way of explaining the geography is to say flop over the border at Welshpool, then head towards the mountains. Over three years we visited a series of quite wonderful grounds, but why did Guilsfield somehow evade us?

Continue reading →

The Late Late Breakfast Bap

15 Sunday Sep 2024

Posted by in R

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday 28th July 2024 ko 15:30

United Counties League-Premier Division South

RUGBY BOROUGH 5 (McGahey 20 54 Sawyer 24 67 Wilson 58)

LEICESTER NIRVANA 1 (Brown 34)

Att 401

Entry £7

Programme £2

If the point of groundhopping is to visit as many football grounds as possible, then if you’re going to revisit anywhere then let it be somewhere that has changed beyond recognition. While my first visit to Kilsby Lane was back in 2011 when Rugby Borough were Rugby Town Juniors. As an aside it was also the second article I wrote for this site. How times change.. the pitch was grass back then!

Continue reading →

Otherworld

28 Wednesday Aug 2024

Posted by in S

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday 27th July 2024 ko 11:00

United Counties League- Premier North

SHIREBROOK TOWN 1 (Costa 62)

NEWARK & SHERWOOD UNITED 1 (Monteiro 50og)

L White penalty saved 69

Att 448

Entry £5

Programme £1

I must say I enjoyed my close season far more than I expected, the chance to recharge my groundhopping batteries was appreciated, even the pre-season friendlies were often an exercise in enjoying a day out, rather than with any kind of aim. Robyn and I were ready to return to GroundhopUK duty for the UCL Hop but then we hit a snag….

Continue reading →

The Third

01 Thursday Aug 2024

Posted by in S

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday 16th June 2024 ko 10:30

Stockholm P2008- 1A

VASALUND IF III 1 (Almqvist 71)

AIK SOLNA FK I 7 (Hammarin 21 76 Lööw 30 40 50 Henareh 42 84)

Att 29 at Skytteholms IP Plan B

Free Entry

The Swedish Hop’s cost of £320 included bed and breakfast for two nights, all transport in Sweden, together with entry fees for all games, and a goodie bag!

If one football ground could encompass what the Swedish Hop is all about you could say it’s Skytteholms. It’s in Solna close to where organiser Kim Hedwall lives in Stockholm’s northern suburbs. We visited the main pitch on the very first hop in 2007, then again in 2013, and on both occasions the facility was overshadowed by the Råsunda Stadium, where non-Brazilian fans first glimpsed Pele in the 1958 World Cup and AIK played their home games.

Continue reading →