Do any of you collect grounds

[Scott Foley - The Jam Tart]

I use an app called Futbology to track grounds I’ve been to. I will go to Bude more times than often but I do try and get to a new ground as often as possible. 
Any other collectors amongst us and anyone willing to share their numbers. I’m currently on 135 (actually might be 138, I’ll have to check). Mostly in England but obviously a lot from Scotland and then a few from across the world. 
Does anyone have any idea how many we have in Cornwall?? I’m slowly working my way through them. 

[Alun Duckstein]

I was at the Spartans v Clyde match last Saturday that was ground 680. 

[RAPPO]

That’s a good app Jam Tart! What was Spartans like Welshboy? Ainslie Park is it? I’ve got 5 more pro grounds to do in Scotland. Spartans, Kelty, Peterhead, Elgin & Stranraer. Done quite a few Lowland and West of Scotland league grounds as well. Hoping to do the Highland league before I’m done for!? Some lovely grounds up there! Go up a couple times a year and try and do 4/5 new ones each time I go!!? I did a little chart of SWL grounds a few years back and I’d scored at every ground and in both goals!! Be a bit different now though with some new teams etc. Mrs calls me a sad football anorak whatever that means!!?? 🤓😂🤔

[Gary Hocking]

83 of the current 92. 216 in total. (Only 1 in Scotland though - Tynecastle.) 

[baldy]

214 total, 3 in Scotland, 1 each in Poland (1973), Turkey (1984) watching England plus 1 in USA (World cup 3/4 and Final 1994). Completed the 92 (as was) in 1997, started in 1961.

[Scott Foley - The Jam Tart]

3 hours ago, welshboy said:

I was at the Spartans v Clyde match last Saturday that was ground 680. 

Wow. Fantastic total 👏🏻👏🏻 I’ve been divorced before so am just steadily building my total 😉. As and when I think another divorce is on the horizon, I’ll start to collect them more rapidly. Not sure I’ll ever get to 680 though.

I was at the Spartans game last week. I always plan trips back to Edinburgh around the football. As Hearts were up in Perth I decided to meet up with my cousin who is a season ticket holder at Spartans. The ground is actually in the playing fields of my old High School, surprisingly called Ainslie Park High School. 
The work Spartans do for the local community is just fantastic. It is a pretty deprived area and therefore a lot of the kids can quite easily find themselves heading down the wrong path. I wasn’t aware of how much work they were doing but I was introduced to the chairman and lots of the volunteers. They are an absolute credit to the area. 

3 hours ago, RAPPO said:

That’s a good app Jam Tart! What was Spartans like Welshboy? Ainslie Park is it? I’ve got 5 more pro grounds to do in Scotland. Spartans, Kelty, Peterhead, Elgin & Stranraer. Done quite a few Lowland and West of Scotland league grounds as well. Hoping to do the Highland league before I’m done for!? Some lovely grounds up there! Go up a couple times a year and try and do 4/5 new ones each time I go!!? I did a little chart of SWL grounds a few years back and I’d scored at every ground and in both goals!! Be a bit different now though with some new teams etc. Mrs calls me a sad football anorak whatever that means!!?? 🤓😂🤔

Yeah a great app Rappo.
Ainslie Park is a little basic. But fine for them. Tell me if you ever plan a trip. My cousin will look after you and make sure everyone knows you’re a Cornishman up to see the Spartans. I was treated like a long lost friend by them all. I was in the hospitality suite, met the Chairman, players etc. it’s a lovely club tbh. 

24 minutes ago, GaryHocking said:

83 of the current 92. 216 in total. (Only 1 in Scotland though - Tynecastle.) 

I’d say you've completed Scotland now. You’ve seen the best, forget the rest. 

5 minutes ago, baldy said:

214 total, 2 in Scotland, 1 each in Poland (1973), Turkey (1984) watching England plus 1 in USA (World cup 3/4 and Final 1994). Completed the 92 (as was) in 1997, started in 1961.

Another good strong number. 200 is my next target 

[Scott Foley - The Jam Tart]

On the matter of collecting grounds in Scotland. I have a season ticket for Tynecastle. If anyone is ever planning a trip to Tynie, let me know and if my laddie or I (I only go once or twice a season now) are not using it, I’ll leave a ticket in the ticket office for you. Not sure I could sort a second ticket but there is definitely 1 to use. 

[JJS]

"That’s a good app Jam Tart! What was Spartans like Welshboy? Ainslie Park is it? I’ve got 5 more pro grounds to do in Scotland. Spartans, Kelty, Peterhead, Elgin & Stranraer. Done quite a few Lowland and West of Scotland league grounds as well. Hoping to do the Highland league before I’m done for!? Some lovely grounds up there! Go up a couple times a year and try and do 4/5 new ones each time I go!!? I did a little chart of SWL grounds a few years back and I’d scored at every ground and in both goals!! Be a bit different now though with some new teams etc. Mrs calls me a sad football anorak whatever that means!!?? 🤓😂🤔"

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Then you'll recognize this fine view of my son's grandfather's house spoilt by a football pitch ? 🙂

[RAPPO]

Yeah JJS, looks like East Fife to me!! Or Dumbarton if not!? 🤔 Been in there but not watched a match there. Cheers Jam Tart, usually watch Celtic, if not local Lowland team East Kilbride, if both away Albion Rovers or Partick Thistle. Edinburgh a great place though 👍⚽️

[JJS]

👏👍Going to Methil is never forgetable 🙂 

[Both Sides of the Tamar]

Not a ground hopper, but enjoy new grounds / stadiums at all levels, especially non league. I’ve been to about 80 in the EPL / EFL. Around 10 in Scotland - obviously Easter Road being the venue of choice  😉 There’s about 30 -40 more across Europe, with my favourite being the De Kuip (Feyenoord) and the Camp Nou . Giants Stadium in the US was amazing at the time. Sadly when I went to Dukla Prague no away kit for sale - oblique Half Man Half Biscuit reference there!!

At a more prosaic local  level Scott I’d recommend my Cornish favourites - the homes of Falmouth, Torpoint, Wendron and Penzance. 

In Devon - Buckland has good facilities and is a very friendly club. Nice people at Willand and a comfortable old fashioned ground. Hope to see Tavi there on Wednesday night. Bolitho Park is much improved and a game there every week this season, either Truro or P Parkway. Bideford - not that far from you,  is fantastic. Love the old school huge floodlight pylons.  Barnstaple not a bad old fashioned ground, although slightly worse for wear in parts. Exmouth nice and easy - very central, good fans, an improving ground. Mufftown Casuals maybe the nearest thing to the F-Troop in Devon. Never, ever, go to Plymouth Marjon. Bloody glad they are no longer in the SWPL. - basically a uni campus 3G cage!

In Somerset - Clevedon is very impressive. Weston Super Mare has a great bank of terracing behind the goal. Melksham a new ground that is well regarded. I like the atmosphere and good old school feel of Bridgwater.

Dorset - Wimborne an impressive new ground. Huge club house. Good programme when I went. Friendly helpful people. Absolutely everything good there! A nice town, river at the back of the covered standing, another friendly club is Bridport. Sherborne worth a visit too. Can be easily done on the train which affords a pint or two there! Very classy looking town too.

This post too big already, so I’ll leave Brizzle out of this missive. I hope this offers you a few suggestions. Catch you at a game soon. Glad you quite liked Tavi’s tidy little ground when I last saw you. 
 

 

 

 

[cornishteddyboy]

I used footballgroundmap.com

Showing I am on 89 grounds but it's way out of date. I will have to update it. 

Has grounds from all levels of football.

[G2DO]

On 12/08/2023 at 23:01, Both Sides of the Tamar said:

Sadly when I went to Dukla Prague no away kit for sale - oblique Half Man Half Biscuit reference there!!

Weirdly I have been to watch Dukla Prague as well. Slightly surreal experience. 

Surreal in that me and my mate didn't remember booking the tickets. Woke up in the morning to an email with the tickets. Got to the ground to be greeted by some Irish guys saying yey you made it 🤷‍♂️ Those damn Irish bars 🤯

Also surreal in that Dukla got a corner, the announcer shouts and starts chanting some presumably encouraging words over the PA system, they then score from the corner! 

[Both Sides of the Tamar]

On 14/08/2023 at 15:03, G2DO said:

Weirdly I have been to watch Dukla Prague as well. Slightly surreal experience. 

Surreal in that me and my mate didn't remember booking the tickets. Woke up in the morning to an email with the tickets. Got to the ground to be greeted by some Irish guys saying yey you made it 🤷‍♂️ Those damn Irish bars 🤯

Also surreal in that Dukla got a corner, the announcer shouts and starts chanting some presumably encouraging words over the PA system, they then score from the corner! 

It was the  Half Man Half Biscuit song 'All I Want for Christmas is a Dukla Prague Away Kit' that lured me to Dukla. When I went it wasn't that long after Stalinist rule had cone to an end. With Dukla Prague having been the Army team during those years they were largely hated for supporting the past regime. So, despite being successful in terms of past trophies I was rattling around in a sparsely attended stadium. iIRC it was a cup game in the 'much lamented' former Inter Toto Cup - a Euro equivalent of the Johnston's Paint Trophy!! A surreal day!

[Richard R]

Hi, I've been to 174 venues in Cornwall and over 1200 in total. Not all the 174 are still used of course, and I may count some things other people wouldn't (e.g. two pitches at St Day or at Holmans is 2 for me, others will just count the complex once)

I've been to every venue used for Saturday afternoon football in Cornwall apart from Biscovey, but I did visit them when they were based at Par Track. Their own ground is definitely on my list for this season. Unless of course there are any other new venues I don't know about.

[RAPPO]

Had a great time in the snow at Dukla a few years ago!! Did Slavia, Sparta, and Bohemians same day! Mrs was absolutely delighted 👏 😂⚽️

[Scott Foley - The Jam Tart]

On 12/08/2023 at 23:01, Both Sides of the Tamar said:

Not a ground hopper, but enjoy new grounds / stadiums at all levels, especially non league. I’ve been to about 80 in the EPL / EFL. Around 10 in Scotland - obviously Easter Road being the venue of choice  😉 There’s about 30 -40 more across Europe, with my favourite being the De Kuip (Feyenoord) and the Camp Nou . Giants Stadium in the US was amazing at the time. Sadly when I went to Dukla Prague no away kit for sale - oblique Half Man Half Biscuit reference there!!

At a more prosaic local  level Scott I’d recommend my Cornish favourites - the homes of Falmouth, Torpoint, Wendron and Penzance. 

In Devon - Buckland has good facilities and is a very friendly club. Nice people at Willand and a comfortable old fashioned ground. Hope to see Tavi there on Wednesday night. Bolitho Park is much improved and a game there every week this season, either Truro or P Parkway. Bideford - not that far from you,  is fantastic. Love the old school huge floodlight pylons.  Barnstaple not a bad old fashioned ground, although slightly worse for wear in parts. Exmouth nice and easy - very central, good fans, an improving ground. Mufftown Casuals maybe the nearest thing to the F-Troop in Devon. Never, ever, go to Plymouth Marjon. Bloody glad they are no longer in the SWPL. - basically a uni campus 3G cage!

In Somerset - Clevedon is very impressive. Weston Super Mare has a great bank of terracing behind the goal. Melksham a new ground that is well regarded. I like the atmosphere and good old school feel of Bridgwater.

Dorset - Wimborne an impressive new ground. Huge club house. Good programme when I went. Friendly helpful people. Absolutely everything good there! A nice town, river at the back of the covered standing, another friendly club is Bridport. Sherborne worth a visit too. Can be easily done on the train which affords a pint or two there! Very classy looking town too.

This post too big already, so I’ll leave Brizzle out of this missive. I hope this offers you a few suggestions. Catch you at a game soon. Glad you quite liked Tavi’s tidy little ground when I last saw you. 
 

 

 

 

Excellent post Barrie. I’ve been to a couple you mention but will keep the other recommendations for future use. As a fan of Floodlight Porn, I did particularly enjoy my trip to Bideford. I saw Truro there preseason but to be honest I have more photos of the floodlights than the game 🤣. Nice ground and there wasn’t many there but they made plenty of noise. So much so that Harrison (Cockapoo) was a little spooked. It was the first time he had experienced singing at a game (he is a novice) but he did get used to it.