March Town United 0-2 Haverhill Borough
GER Sports Ground
14/12/13
Att: About 35
On Friday morning I’d received some ridicule from fellow classmates when I confided to them that I’d be spending my Saturday afternoon some three hours away from home watching football in the sixth level of the non-league pyramid. Unbeknownst to them, English football is going to shortly lose another little gem. A gem that I was unwilling to pass by, even skipping a game of my beloved Aldershot to go and visit. In truth I’d care little about what would happen on the pitch, a rather useful mindset today as the visitors, only formed in 2011, took 3 points in a rather squalid affair, in my eyes at least. Rather I was going more with my interests for Architecture and History to the forefront.
As reported in Groundtastic issue number 75 (I can’t recommend purchasing this issue enough), East Anglia is about to lose one of its two historic artifacts. While the grandstand at Great Yarmouth is Grade II listed, the main stand at the GER sports ground, March isn’t so fortunate. The club have recently confirmed plans to remove this 1925 masterpiece in order to facilitate a new club house. It will be a sad moment in the potted history of this wonderful venue for Supporters, groundhoppers and those with a general historical interest.
The history of the ground can be dated back to 1921, with Great Eastern Railway (GER) acquiring a plot of land on the current site. The ground was initially home to their works team, March GE United. In 1925 the aforementioned wooden grandstand was added, with 5,000 present for its opening. A grand sight this must’ve been. With a capacity of 800, all on wooden benches, the grand total for the build came in at £1,500. This has remained largely unchanged to the present day, save for ten of the eleven arches being covered up as you look at the stand face forward, the distance from the pitch and the old turnstiles being the grounds only toilets!
In 1960 a decision was made to facilitate Greyhound racing, with the ground being altered for the track. The Greyhound racing would only last until 1980, but it’d impact the ground ever more. The result of this is that the stand, as mentioned, is around 10 meters+ from the touchline, and off center. The same is true for the small, two stepped, terrace on the opposite side of the pitch. Beside the grandstand is also an elevated brick building, one tim marking the finishing line, now a hospitality area. Either end are little more than paths. The ground is completed by 8 floodlight pylons between the touchline and viewing areas, reminiscent of those that you find at railway yards.
When the main stand goes, this ground will never be the same, rather it’ll be similar to the majority of Non-League grounds you’ll visit. I completely understand the reasoning, it's just such a shame. Particularly for someone my age who missed the wonderful homes of the likes of Enfield and Tooting & Mitcham. I can only heartily recommend you visit before it holds eager fans within it’s carcass for the final time. If that’s not enough you’ll also be greeted by the stereotypical friendly fan, the turnstile operator even kind enough to wander over while I was taking photo’s to double check my age, as he’d feared he’d overcharged me!
As reported in Groundtastic issue number 75 (I can’t recommend purchasing this issue enough), East Anglia is about to lose one of its two historic artifacts. While the grandstand at Great Yarmouth is Grade II listed, the main stand at the GER sports ground, March isn’t so fortunate. The club have recently confirmed plans to remove this 1925 masterpiece in order to facilitate a new club house. It will be a sad moment in the potted history of this wonderful venue for Supporters, groundhoppers and those with a general historical interest.
The history of the ground can be dated back to 1921, with Great Eastern Railway (GER) acquiring a plot of land on the current site. The ground was initially home to their works team, March GE United. In 1925 the aforementioned wooden grandstand was added, with 5,000 present for its opening. A grand sight this must’ve been. With a capacity of 800, all on wooden benches, the grand total for the build came in at £1,500. This has remained largely unchanged to the present day, save for ten of the eleven arches being covered up as you look at the stand face forward, the distance from the pitch and the old turnstiles being the grounds only toilets!
In 1960 a decision was made to facilitate Greyhound racing, with the ground being altered for the track. The Greyhound racing would only last until 1980, but it’d impact the ground ever more. The result of this is that the stand, as mentioned, is around 10 meters+ from the touchline, and off center. The same is true for the small, two stepped, terrace on the opposite side of the pitch. Beside the grandstand is also an elevated brick building, one tim marking the finishing line, now a hospitality area. Either end are little more than paths. The ground is completed by 8 floodlight pylons between the touchline and viewing areas, reminiscent of those that you find at railway yards.
When the main stand goes, this ground will never be the same, rather it’ll be similar to the majority of Non-League grounds you’ll visit. I completely understand the reasoning, it's just such a shame. Particularly for someone my age who missed the wonderful homes of the likes of Enfield and Tooting & Mitcham. I can only heartily recommend you visit before it holds eager fans within it’s carcass for the final time. If that’s not enough you’ll also be greeted by the stereotypical friendly fan, the turnstile operator even kind enough to wander over while I was taking photo’s to double check my age, as he’d feared he’d overcharged me!