Groundhopper Soccer Guides publishes The Groundhopper Guide to Soccer in England and also offers trip planning help, ticket and hospitality sales, public group tours and private guiding services.
Founder and book author Paul Gerald of Portland, Oregon, has seen more than 150 games at 80+ grounds all over the UK and Europe since 2014. His goal is to be the first American to “do the 92,” which is attending a game at all 92 grounds in the English Premier League and the English Football League.
Our RU-vid channel features behind-the-scenes stadium tours, pregame atmosphere, singing supporters, celebrations, trivia, and much more.
Chesterfield are traditionally a long decades club in the 4rd and fourth level/divisions ( now League Two and League Three). Only been out the Pro Football League in recent seasons. Ticket touts ( as you say scalpers )where the norm up in the top flight until last 15 years or so. Touts do exist as you go lower down the league but it has been almost eradicated but up until the 1990s it was the norm. Leeds played in half empty stadiums in League One. They don't always have a sellout. Norwich get a 98% capacity for every game ( Norwich is north of London, well, north north east ). Impossible to keep up with ALL in all that travel and clubs and games !
So glad you were able to go to Tranmere v Chichester in the FA Cup, it was quite a story for the amateur side at my club Tranmere. Because another team had been expelled from the Football League for financial irregularities (they went bust) and therefore didn't take part in the FA Cup, there was an uneven number of Clubs in the 1st Round Proper draw. After 39 ties had been drawn out of the bag, there was one team left who went directly into the 2nd Round without playing. This was Chichester. I couldn't attend the match itself as, believe it or not, I was refereeing an American Football match that same day, somewhere in NW England. As the Cup tie was televised live, I could record it, however, and watch it when I got home.
The yanks would just sing, take me out to the ball game, take me out with the crowd.. Or sing USA, USA, USA.. There very sad at massive venues. Get in the HOLE, God there embarrassing
tbf that`s a weak boing boing, I`ve been to albion away games where all you could here around the stadium was boing boing after the baggies supporters got let into the ground & also `shit ground no fans` ... even at Old Trafford it was laughingly sung out of irony
And the best part about it is that there are still leagues below the 11th tier, going down to the 20th tier in certain parts of the country, where technically if they keep getting promoted each year for 21 seasons, they can get to the premier league…
This is great. I’m Australian and love watching the Championship (supporting Watford), League One and League Two. Love the pyramid system and the Cups where teams from lower tiers can potentially play premier league teams. The fact that fourth tier teams have magnificent stadiums with capacities of 15,000 plus is awesome. Keep up the great work.
Nothing wrong with what you said and no doubt a visitor from USA,who would use Manchester as a base, would follow that path but it's not a major city reference point for Bradford (which is a large city in its own right) whereas Leeds is
Stockport is a town in greater Manchester, more a satellite town that’s over time linked within the Manchester conurbation, rather than built as suburb.
Awesome video. I’ve only been to 2 stadiums in England. One of them dosen’t exists anymore. That is White Hart Lane. I’ve also been to Selhurst Park. I’m a Manchester United supporter though. But I’ve never seen them live. I would of course love to go to Old Trafford sometime. But I would also like to go to Cherry Red Records Stadium to watch AFC Wimbledon play. I love their story
Omg how many things is the "expert" going to forget - being kind, the word dilettante comes to mind but more precisely so does arrogant, ignorant, know nothing buffoon !
When the highlight of the game is the fans faking a goal celebration and the players are not even slightly involved it does speak to how boring the sport is and how cheap the beer is.
It's just a funny moment, you sad, sad man. It'd be the highlight of most American sports game if you could manage anything more than shouting "DEFENSE"
