Groundhopping the Globe!

Ground Address? York Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 1SF

Capacity? 3000 (250 Seats)

Game Attended? Yes, Maidenhead 1-1 Aldershot 12/11/11 FAC1

Attendance? 2283 with 800 Shots

Club shop? yes

Programme? Yes

Floodlights? Yes

Clubhouse? Yes

What I bought? Bacon Bap £2.50

Ease of getting there and overall experience?

We left Optimistic t that we would be watching a comfortable Aldershot win and a second round place secured. Getting there was relatively easy with trains direct from Reading. Upon leaving the station we were granted with a welcome from two horses, a riot van and 7/8 policeman. We crossed the road and could see the turnstiles down Bell Street but chose the comfort of the Bell inn. At around 2:30 we decided to make the two minute walk to the away end to join the fellow Aldershot contingent. For this match the crowd was segregated due to, we presume, the likelihood of the fans from down the A33 in the shrine to plastic turning up (it would also explain the police presence!). Aldershot had been given the largest terrace, split in two down the middle, and two separate roofs. This was about 10 steps high and seemed rather crowded with 800 on it. In one corner was a snack bar. To our left was a terrace with about 10 steps that ran half the length of the pitch. It was split by the “tunnel” leading from the clubhouse; the other side was, what appeared to be, a path. This was backed by the other set of turnstiles and a large structure used as covered parking. Behind the other goal was a terrace that looked around 5 steps and looks like it had a roof recently attached. The final side had around 6 steps and in the middle was the main stand which went a third of the pitch. This appeared to be seats bolted on the terrace with a roof with lots of pillars on.

STAT ATTACK! Did you know York road is the oldest continually used ground?

Ratings:

Ease of getting there: 10

Friendliness: 5

Programme: 5

Food and drink: 6

Match entertainment: 2 (it was dull!)

Ground quality: 7

Uniqueness: 7

Stewards: 10

Atmosphere: 7

Ease of getting out: 7

Out of 100: 66

Daniel's Stat Count!
Ground count: 269
2011/12 Ground count: 30
2011/12 New Grounds: 21
92 Complete: 57

Belgium Division One - The official PDM Ground rankings 10/30/2011

In January 1993 I spent a weekend in the picturesque city of Brugge and went to my first Belgian League match; Club Brugge v Sporting Charleroi. Some 18 years later on 26 October 2011, I attended the cup match between KV Kortrijk and STVV meaning I have now visited all 16 Jupiler League grounds.

Given this, I thought I would produce the definitive PDM ranking of the grounds (I have one stadium left to visit in each of the Dutch 1st and 2nd divisions and the Belgian 2nd, so I will do the same for those leagues too). Obviously, given the elapse time, some of the grounds have changed significantly since I went but I will base the ‘table’ on the stadium when I visited and will update for new visits.

This is meant as bit of fun, so please don’t get too upset if your team is ranked lower that you think they should.

So, in reverse order…….

16    Gent                      Two temp stands and simply isn’t very good. New stadium soon so expect a move up the league.

15    Westerlo               Modern, functional but unspectacular.

14    Beerschot            Three very dull stands, main stand prevents it from being lower.

13    Lokeren                3 sided grounds in the top league won’t get you many points

12    Zulte Waregem   Two sided will get you less! Gets the nod over Lokeren due to the wooden terrace, even if it is covered up!

11    Anderlecht            One of the famous names of European football should have much better

10    Leuven                  Visit pre two new stands….apparently it’s not improved it. Nice terrace along one side.

9      Cercle                    My views on the JBS can be found here. Was a better stadium when I made that first visit.

8      Club Brugge         How can you rank them higher than Cercle? Simple, they can fill it.

7      Genk                      Big new and shiny. If that’s how you like your grounds then you’ll like it

6      Mons                      I have a feeling that if they continue the redevelopment this will fall down the table. Terrace makes it

5      Mechelen              Old school, colourful and noisy

4      Kortrijk                   Why not? Large bars and decent terrace, what’s not to like?

3      STVV                      Gather the terrace has gone. Shame. Good feel to it and just what I imagined Belgian grounds to be like.

2      Standard               My visit was before the rebuild. Roaming reporter says it’s got even better. Maybe a future number one?

1      Lierse                    The stand along the side wins this for the team from Lier. Some things are meant never to be replaced.

Windsor Football club 10/25/2011

Ground Address?

Capacity? 4,500 with 450 seats
Game Attended? Yes, Windsor 2-0 Camberley 24/10/11

Attendance? 328

Club shop? yes

Programme? Yes

Floodlights? Yes

Clubhouse? Yes

What I bought? Large Bovril for £1, Steak & onion pie £2.50, Badge £3, Programme £2

Ease of getting there and overall experience?

We left at 6:45 and were in the ground by 7:15. Easy enough. You enter behind one goal. Tonight was free as the original game was abandoned due to floodlight failure. To the right is Scotty's which is the snack hut with a wide variety on offer. To the left is a terrace with 3 steps. You continue round the side and you get to a terrace with a low roof. This has about 3 steps. If you continue round the ground you get to behind the other goal. This is again an uncovered terrace that has 3/4 steps. This also has one long crush barrier painted in red in front of it. The main side is the most interesting. In the middle, running a fifth of the pitch, is the main stand holding 450. This is obviously quite old and has red seats. Either side is 5/6 steps of terracing, again uncovered. Behind these are the Clubhouse and Shop.

Overall I really enjoyed the ground, It was a nice mix and the main stand completed it well, not to mention it had 8 floodlights! Another positive was that I thought I had missed my last chance to come here when the original Windsor and Eton team folded but I was lucky enough to get there anyway. One that I wouldn't mind going back too.

Ratings:

Ease of getting there: 9

Friendliness: 9

Programme: 8

Food and drink: 8

Match entertainment: 8

Ground quality: 10

Uniqueness: 6

Stewards: 10

Atmosphere: 5

Ease of getting out: 9

Out of 100: 82

Daniel's Stat Count!
Ground count: 269
2011/12 Ground count: 28
2011/12 New Grounds: 21
92 Complete: 57

Pictures

Another new feature 10/16/2011

It's been a month since the last post in this section. There is a reason. I am rubbish at writing blogs, so in a last ditch attempt at seeing if I can become an average blogger I am going to do an in depth review of each ground I visit (Daniel). This will still accompany a page on the main site. So first under my watchful eye is Binfield Football Club.........

Ground Address? Hill Farm Ln, Binfield, Bracknell, Berkshire RG42 5NR

Capacity? I’d say 2000

Game Attended? Yes, Binfield 2-0 Witney town, Stubbs lane, 10/10/11

Attendance? Daniel and the roaming reporter with around 30 other ground hoppers in a crowd of 127

Club shop? Not aware of one

Programme? Yes, but I didn’t get one

Floodlights? Yes

Clubhouse? Yes

What I bought? Large Bovril for £1

Ease of getting there and overall experience?

This was one of the closest grounds to PDM British headquarters so it was very easy. You enter the ground through the car park at the clubhouse end. You are greeted by a happy chap manning the turnstile; he comes to your car and exchanges the entrance fee. You then turn to the left to which you are greeted by two or three stewards. They guide you around the car park for about 35 cars, which is one way, and into your parking space. You then get out of your car and walk either along to the side of the pitch or to the clubhouse. The clubhouse is, as at all small grounds, the centre of attention. It houses a single refreshment bar on the outside. This gets quite busy at half time and somewhat blocks the entrance into the main part of the clubhouse. This part is roofed and people can sit watching the game with a roof above them. This was mainly used by the people that decided to bring their pets with them. If you enter the clubhouse you go into a conservatory type thing. On the wall, opposite the entrance to the clubhouse, is a flat screen TV that on this occasion was Oldham vs. MK Dons. The wall facing the pitch gives the best view in the whole ground. This is a good idea on those cold January days. In the main part of the clubhouse are the standard features you would expect, a bar, changing rooms and toilets. The clubhouse is a small cosy feature. As you continue round the ground you have to STEP! Over the tunnel, a path leading down the hill from the clubhouse to the pitch. You turn the corner and you get to the main side. This houses the dugouts and main stand. The stand is about six rows high and is common to many you see in the lower regions of the pyramid, made of metal and cheap, this goes about a third of the pitch. Interestingly it is split in half by the floodlights which appear to be more recent that the stand itself! Either side of the stand are the dugouts which are made of bricks and have wooden benches. As you continue round the ground you get to the far end. This is, as with the rest of the ground, hard standing. It has a net in front of it, not the goal, to stop stray balls flying into the fields behind. The final side is again hard standing. The whole ground has railing.

Ratings:

Ease of getting there: 10

Friendliness: 7

Programme: N/A

Food and drink: 7

Match entertainment: 6

Ground quality: 10

Uniqueness: 3

Stewards: 10

Atmosphere: 2

Ease of getting out: 9

Out of 100: 64

Daniel's Stat Count!
Ground count: 268
2011/12 Ground count: 27
2011/12 New Grounds: 20
92 Complete: 57

Main page and Pictures

Floodlights. An obsession 09/15/2011

They are wonderful and come in all shapes and sizes. They guide you to the grounds. They provide visibility in those night games, even when you wish not to see. They could even be said to be dying in this country? Of course I am on about one of the things that help grounds seem so unique and memorable. The floodlight.

As the loyal viewer to our small cosy site would know, or those that have had the displeasure of watching a game with me will know, one of the first things that will go into my lens is the guiding light that is above. There is something special about them and to keep in theme of top things I am going to write a list of the Top floodlights I have gazed up at.

The first in the list is my ultimate ground. Yup that Kentucky fried chicken ground. KFC Uerdingen (of Krefeld). They are red slanting beasts that stare down at you. I don’t know what it is but I love floodlights that are like this. They add so much to the, already fascinating, place. They really aren’t like anything I have witnessed before. They are the kind of things that if I were to somehow become one of the heads of football decide to make compulsory to all new ground and must be as retro as these.

Up the road from Krefeld, Oberhausen has a rivalling set of monsters. Once again high up dominating the surroundings, yet they just didn’t seem quite as impressive. This doesn’t take anything away from them, However, as they are still an Impressive site to behold.

I want to make a mention to a country that I haven’t visited before but PDM have (it makes sense). The tiny country or not depending if a few of our readers are from Liechtenstein! Denmark is a country with a whole host of new grounds that have made interesting floodlights (what is it with that part of the world?). From the Hockey Stick style Floodlights of Horsens (I’ve made it clear this is one to go to) to the slight curve of Herning the floodlights never fail to disappoint.

Now over to you, the reader, why don’t you notify us of your favourite floodlights and why. Follow us on Twitter @PDM_Daniel or simply give us some tips and Ideas.

Daniel.

Your ground's too big for you! 08/30/2011

The monster's of Europe.

This chant is sung up and down the country from Liskeard to Montrose and back down to Margate. Many have heard it in fact most of you have sung it. I have. It’s a tad silly this song, after all when Aldershot sing it to teams I all ways think yes, but they still have bigger crowds than us! This month, however, has given me a whole new outlook to this chant, and I thought I would share with you some of the absolute monsters that we have had the delight of visiting.

First off see’s us visiting the Small Belgian town of geel, or was it Meerhout? No Antwerp? Wait, it was the town of Geel in the province of Antwerp whose team merged with Meerhout to form Geel-Meerhout. Their Ground is the Leunen Stadion, with A Capacity of 10,524, the 22nd biggest in Belgium. Bigger than 5 Jupiler Pro league grounds and 15 Exqi League grounds .Now I know what you’re all saying. That isn’t very big is it? No is the answer if you go by English Grounds, Yes by Belgian standards. This merger team has never progressed beyond the heights of the Belgian 3rd Division, an honour that will see you play the likes of Tornai and Tourhout. This really is a mystery as to how a team like this has got a ground that most league two teams would like. I would have it purely for the two tiered terrace and to social clubs.

Geel-Merhout. Double tiered Terrace Tick.

Our next stop is one that we understand how they got the ground (now), they were in the cup winner’s cup semi-final in 1986, but we just don’t get how things like this happen in Germany. The ground has a capacity of 34,500 It has hosted some of the mighty in Europe. Barcelona in 1986, Athletico Madrid in 1985. I know what you’re all thinking who is it? Well it is KFC Uerdingen of Krefeld, previously known as Bayer 05 Uerdingen. If you had heard of them before now please leave a comment we would love to know how! This team has completely slipped under the radar and it’s a wonder why no one else recommends a visit it really is a spectacular ground, Even if you visit for a game against Rot-Weiss Ahlen in front of 2,500! No disrespect but this is compared to Barcelona! It is simply remarkable how you can get teams like this in leagues as low as the sixth Division last year! But the answer is more obvious than it seems. The team were in money troubles and as such were relegated three leagues but were promoted at the end of last season. There again It’s not like this league doesn’t have any over monsters Westfalia Herne from Last season holds 25,000 who are in the same division and get lower crowds!

Huge Stand for Away fans. Tick

The final Stop see's us at Calais. An example of how you shouldn't let the local council decide how far you are going to progress. The ground cost 22 million euro's to build with 12 million being spent on the concrete shell. This team is in the fourth tier of French football for crying out loud! they get about 500 at home when teams such as Boulogne play on temporary running tracks similar to the Withdean in the higher leagues of French football. Some things just don't make sense.

Sloping Floodlights. Tick.

There are some right Monster's out there which we are yet to visit but should be coming soon, examples of such are Union St Gillouise, Racing Mechelen, Racing club brussels (seeing a couple of trends) and then further afield there are no doubt grounds further away that are Huge and wonderful at the same time, Germany appears to have a lot of team that were obviously bigger at n point. Then you've got Non-league in England, not on the same scale, but have 6/7 thousand capacity Stadiums and this is before getting into the Belgian grounds above left to visit. These are just 3 countries but I am sure there will be more that present us with the opportunity to sing, Your ground's too big for you

(Written by Daniel)

Flags. 08/22/2011

Recently I have been thinking about a new blog to write as I have been lacking. I read many football blogs in search for ideas or something that I have my own opinion on, yet I’ve really been struggling. Recently I have been getting more and more fascinated about the support at games and fans on the continent. A few places I look at have threads on Ultras and Supporters groups. They show pictures and great displays. They have been in front of my eyes the whole time, the things I am going to write about that is, in great displays. Adding to the colour f the crowd and show passion. Flags.

A lot of teams do them but I’m talking about the big flags used in the display. The other day I was reading in four-four-two about a team named Club Atlético Peñaro and this thing is a monster, just take a look at the thing below:

I just love the big displays and wish for more. In Germany the other week I saw two or three I would love to be replicated in England but my favourite has to be this one displayed at Dresden.

I guess the real point of this blog post was to show these two videos but to cover myself I shall leave some more pictures and videos below!

New Grounds: My take. 07/24/2011

On a forum we read there has recently been a discussion of people slating new grounds. The way I see it is there are two groups. One is all for it. They like the idea of the game being a friendly sport. They see football as family day out in comfortable surroundings, nice facilities, somewhere to eat and a game of football. Then there are the people that dislike new stadia. They long for character and noise. They wish for a return to the days of being surrounded by their peers on a busy terrace. The people’s game where you could shout and swear all you want.

In the 90’s there was an influx of grounds being built in the country. New regulations put in post-Hillsborough. There was a mass influx of all-seater stadia. The first to move were Walsall in 1990. The moved to the Bescot stadium, then with a capacity of 9,400 but with standing at both ends. The ground cost the club £4.5 million pounds. The same year saw 2 other clubs move from their homes. Wycombe Wanderers to the then 6,000 capacity Adams Park. Yeovil Town also move to their 9,665 capacity Huish Park. Since 1990 a total of 31 new grounds have been built. This number includes the New Wembley.

Many of these grounds follow one basic line which causes so many to dislike them. They all look the same. If you look higher up the leagues you will see the stadia that follow the design of a bowl. A single tier of seating, in some cases a double tier on the main stand, with the corners filled in. Then the smaller teams (yes you Wigan) have four separate stands that all look remarkably alike. Now don’t get me wrong this can be a fantastic move for a club. Look no further than the likes of Swansea and Wigan to see the wonders that a new stand can bring. For the new age of fan they are growing up with these luxury surroundings, Pleasant Family atmosphere and this is the way it should be. I am one of these new generation fans and if I wasn’t an Aldershot supporter, or hadn’t of been to old grounds such as Shrewsbury’s Gay Meadow, Chesterfields Saltergate or Cardiff’s Ninia Park. I’m sure I wouldn’t understand why the older generation bemoan new grounds so much.

However, recent years have seen clubs try to listen to the fans when building a new ground or tried to add a new feature. Chesterfields new B2Net Stadium was made different with its two curving roofs along the two sides. Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium has a European Presence about it. Some more examples include Morecambe’s Globe Arena with its mishmash of stands and of course Brighton’s fabulous new looking ground at Falmer.

It seems that one of the biggest moans that comes up is that the new stadiums that are being built are miles out of town with little surrounding them and take forever to get to when relying on public transport then even worse when trying to park. But should the clubs really be blamed when the grounds almost always are bringing in that extra bit of money that is so important to lower league clubs?

The new grounds that in my opinion are simply stunning and football grounds built in the right way. This honour goes to Germany. Monchengladbach, yes a bowl, has a different feel. It was built in 2004 yet feels like it has been there for a while. Duisburg re-developed their ground completely yet it contains that something special that is missing in this country. These grounds are also miles out of the town but British and fans from all over the world praise them for building them in the right way. Yes they may not have the history of grounds such as Anfield and Old Trafford, Yet they already feel like they have a history.

The reason behind this, in my opinion, is down to the attitude of the clubs and the fans alike. Instead of moaning and griping and ignoring each other they have a get-on-with-it attitude. The clubs or cities provide transport between the towns and stadia. Public networks such as trams have been extended to provide the link of the town and the club. Something that I feel is missing in this country. People have spotted opportunities outside the grounds and things such as cafes and pubs appear more often than not.

This is an example I feel we have to follow in this country. Re-connect the pride of the town that was so often the local football team. Fans, instead of moaning welcome the grounds with open arms and make it your own. See it as a fresh slate. The character will come over time. So many of the grounds missed were built over time and as the famous saying goes “Rome wasn’t built in a day” so get the right attitude and make do.

Written by Daniel………Want to add your point of view please comment below

Built how it should be?, Monchengladbach

The Beauty of Football 07/21/2011

Old and rickety is the way of Albion Rovers.

Many people I know will question my sanity when they find out how much I watch football. I don't blame them. But people collect rocks, others stamps, others play sport (well so do I) but I think there is nothing better than turning up at Beer Albion of the Exeter and Devon League Division 1 for their 0-0 draw in a grudge match against the mighty Alphington Town. Many would back me in this but many would disagree. To me there is no better feeling than knowing you are helping out a team and being one of the few that will venture there in a season. But because they aren't famous every passes them of as rubbish and not worth a visit as they play in a field. In fact if you mentioned some of these places you'd be lucky to find anyone that's heard of them, however there are some real gems up and down the country waiting to be discovered.

An example is Fort William of the Highland Premier league. Tucked away at the foot of the Grampian Mountains few would have been, yet many would proclaim it is not worth the visit due to the fact they don't play in a world famous league. To me this is simply a stunning place to visit. The ground id situated at the thought of the mountain range and if I may say so myself is 10x better than many grounds I have visited.

So I shall leave you with some pictures below of just a few lower league grounds. Please help out your local lower league teams. If you are bored why not pop down for a visit? .The good, the bad and the ugly. They are all worth a visit, in my opinion, but you can decide for yourself.

Please feel free to comment below. Written by Daniel

It's a long way up at fort william.

Stuck in the mud at Falmouth, Cornwall

One man and his dog. Sandhurst, Berkshire

The times are changing at Fleetwood, Lancarshire

Programme,chips and a game for £11. Dorchester, Dorset