House Historian Ground Hopping in the UK
X, formerly known as Twitter, is a complex social media site, especially given the most un-Chicago House AC mission statement-like attitudes of X’s current owner. Despite that individual’s horribly intolerant beliefs, the fact is, X is a global phenomenon, and thus allows soccer historians to connect with other historically minded soccer fans around the world. It has also allowed me to learn about how fans of the global game express their support, and thus, inspired by #Groundhoppers (and having a brother with a convenient apartment in London where I could stay for free!), I embarked on a 10 day “Ground Hopping” journey in the UK.
If you search Ground Hopping on google/instagram/etc., you will see that there are thousands (and most likely millions) of soccer fans around the world who Ground Hop. Ground Hopping is essentially getting to as many soccer grounds (from 21st century mega stadiums to soccer fields literally cut out of cow pastures) as possible to see live matches. Personally, I use the app Futbology to find out about and document matches I’ve seen (surprisingly, on Futbology, I am listed as Chicago House’s #1 fan!), though this was my first trip abroad in which I intentionally set out to experience unique grounds without primarily seeing teams I support. Here are some of my impressions:
Most scenic grounds for watching match
28 January 2024: The Dripping Pan-Lewes FC Women 2 v Reading FC Women 2 in Women’s Championship game
The town of Lewes is about 90 minutes by train from Central London and is an historic city for a number of reasons, including the fact that US revolutionary Thomas Paine called it home for a time in 18th century. While I did not know this connection to the US Revolution before a quick post-match walking tour, it was hard to miss the 15th century Priory ruins just outside the grounds. In addition to the convenience of walking from the Lewes train station to the Dripping Pan, behind the home end goal, there is a large hill in which fans could watch the match outside the stadium, a la Wrigley Field in Chicago. The ground also had the best match style vegetarian food I had at a game: a veggie sausage roll!
2 February 2024: Kenilworth Road-Luton Town U21 Men 0 v Colchester United U21 Men 2 in Premier League Cup game
Luton Town FC has had an incredibly unstable journey with their men’s team, from 5th division to Premier League in the last decade alone, but one constant has been their home ground of Kenilworth Road. While it is about a 30-minute walk from Luton’s main train station to the ground, it is a walk well worth taking. There are huge varieties of food available (I went for a Sri Lankan dosa, which I was able to bring into the ground!) and one walks through truly diverse neighborhoods. The stadium, which hosts the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal men this year, is seamlessly incorporated into the neighborhood and the stands begin less than 2 yards from the touchlines, creating an exceptional viewing experience for any fan. This was a great lesson in seeking out less popular games at popular grounds, as the match I saw, a U-21 Premier League Cup match was an opportunity to see burgeoning talent (#11 from Colchester, Hakeem Sandah, is a player to watch!), but also interact closely with people from the soccer community. We struck up a lively conversation with parents of one player, and a couple of injured U-21 Luton players offered to take my picture, leading to me explaining how lower division soccer in the US is developing (and a chance to talk about Chicago House and how we are doing work on and off the field to build community in US). Unfortunately, Kenilworth Road probably does not have much time left, as Luton are looking to build a new ground closer to the city center.
Best Soccer Matches
4 February 2024 : Victoria Road (Dagenham) West Ham United 2 Arsenal 1 in Women’s Super League game
4 February 2024: Emirates Stadium Arsenal Men 3 Liverpool Men 1 in Premier League game
On February 4, thanks to the exceptionally efficient public transport system in London, I was able to go from Clerkenwell area, where I was staying, across London to Dagenham for a Women’s 1st division game, then back to North London to see 1st division Arsenal men at Emirates stadium in the same afternoon. Both games turned out to be fantastic sporting events. The Arsenal men, much to the delight of 60,000+ fans, dismantled Liverpool and had the stadium literally shaking with each goal. The women were stunned by a West Ham United team that proved you don’t have to control a game to win a game in soccer. Arsenal (or, THE Arsenal, as I was corrected on pronunciation by a “fan” the day before) were by far the better, more cohesive side, and, with the majority of the crowd wearing Red and White, it felt like a home match, but the Irons loud minority of supporters helped West Ham to victory with a couple 2nd half goals.
Most refreshing/heartening experiences
28 January 2024 at the Dripping Pan and 4 February 2024 at Victoria Road: Women players taking the knee
4 February 2024 at Victoria Road: Getting tickets for sold out West Ham-Arsenal match
30 January 2024: Park View Road Welling United Men 2 Hampton and Richmond Borough 1 in National League South (6th division) game
I had already seen a few men’s games before heading to Lewes for a Women’s Championship match, and it was notable that all players and officials in that Championship game took a knee before kickoff, in recognition of the need for change in racist systems. Again, at the Women’s Super League match I saw, both teams took a knee. In addition to the commitment these women have to sport and highlighting issues in need of societal change, the popularity of the women’s game in England is clearly on the rise. I arrived at Victoria Road for the Arsenal v West Ham match expecting to be able to purchase a ticket at the ground. Happily, from an equity perspective, the match was sold out. Fortunately for me, a helpful customer service agent pointed out a family who had a couple extra tickets, which they tried to give to me for free. Ultimately, I was very fortunate to get into this match. While the 1st division matches I saw did not allow for this, in lower division games at less crowded grounds, fans have the opportunity to “switch sides” at halftime, just like the teams do. At Welling United’s Park View Road, on a comfortable Tuesday evening, both sets of supporters stood behind their keeper throughout the game.
Least refreshing/most disheartening experiences/impressions
1) The high cost of Premier League team games
2) The amount of NFL gear in and around London grounds
3) Seeing how community institutions (soccer teams) are being turned into franchises which can easily be commodified
The list price of a men’s Premier League ticket in the supporter end is not absurd. Unfortunately, like the sticker price on a car, the price of the ticket and the actual price that one can pay are not based in reality. For example, the ticket I had for Arsenal v Liverpool at the Emirates was 50£ (not cheap by any means, but comparable to what one might spend at a restaurant with a reasonable glass of wine). On the secondary market, that same 50£ ticket was listed at over 400£, and the cheapest seats in the stadium were over 300£. That is not an expenditure the average fan can incur. Since 2003, I have been traveling to the UK about once a year for games. In the previous 20 years, I could count fans wearing NFL gear on a single hand (if not a single finger!). This time, however, outside of Saturday afternoons, when fans from across London are kitted out in scarves and soccer team jerseys, by far the most common sports apparel I saw was NFL. At the game in Lewes, I gave my extra ticket to a guy dressed in a San Francisco 49ers hat and jacket, with his partner wearing a Green Bay Packers hat, then saw a Chicago Bears hat in the crowd as well as additional Packer gear. While I certainly did not see anyone playing American football, the display of NFL gear on non-Americans was noticeable. Lastly, and most disheartening, is the efforts that owners (often from USA or other “capitalism at all costs” countries) are making to cash in on the communities that exist around soccer. In the US, we are conditioned to believe that sports teams are not really woven into the fabric of community, and teams like Green Bay Packers, which many, many USA sports fans love for their small-city commitment to sport, are an aberration and teams like Chicago/St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals, which move based on highest bidders, are the norm. So far, soccer communities have held firm, but those that see only an untapped market for profit never rest.
Best “Off the Field” Experiences
3 February 2024: Old Spotted Dog Ground Clapton CFC 1 Hutton FC 1 in Eastern Counties League First Division South (10th Division) game
4 February 2024 at Victoria Road: Meeting Norwegian journalist on train to game
Without a doubt, the joy of indulging in soccer experiences with like-minded sports fanatics was a highlight, and the London area has so many teams and opportunities that one is spoiled for choice. On a rainy Saturday afternoon, thanks to an introduction from New York Cosmos Club Historian, David Kilpatrick, I met with Bernard Vere, a soccer administrator for Clapton Community FC. While 10th division soccer teams don’t normally draw more than a few friends and family members, Clapton has been building a community on a ground that has hosted soccer since 1888. “The Tons” wear their politics on their sleeves, and the ground is full of intentional political graffiti and stickers. While the current Palestine-Israel conflict is an issue much too complex for me to address in a ground hopping essay, the fans at Old Spotted Dog Ground have made it clear that solidarity with Palestinians is paramount for the club’s fanbase. In addition to international solidarity efforts, prices for tickets are “pay as you can,” there are local food trucks around the ground, and after the match, players interact directly with fans both on the field and in the team clubhouse. Additionally, Clapton is currently 100% fan owned, so decisions related to the club’s future are not with one individual and a small group of advisors, but decisions are made with as broad of a group of interested parties as possible. As I mentioned earlier, on gameday afternoons, one can spot fans of most English clubs taking public transport around the city. As I was heading to Victoria Road to see Arsenal and West Ham, I struck up a conversation with a passenger wearing an Arsenal scarf. I then spent the next 4 hours with Roy from Norway talking soccer, the importance and growth of women’s soccer, union politics and international relations, journalism in the 21st century and 100 other topics. You really never know who you will meet when traveling to games in the UK!
Conclusion
The state of soccer in UK is incredibly vibrant, but there is no doubt that the American attitude of team ownership toward sport, is increasingly a threat to community values and opportunity. Fortunately, soccer is so enmeshed in the community, that, while teams like Chelsea, Man City (and other Super League aspirants), will continually look for more ways to capitalize on their, well, capital, the fan in the UK is increasingly committed to their local side and ensuring the diversification and long-term health of the sport as a whole. In particular, going to Women’s matches, where players make the overtly political statement of taking a knee, and fans continually celebrate the accepting nature of their communities, means that the headlines and the giant “clubs” will continue to suck up resources, but there is such passion and care in local communities, that if one looks beyond the headlines and franchise organizations, one will find an exceptionally educated and enjoyable community with which to engage.
Games I saw between January 26, 2024 (when I arrived at 6 AM in London from Chicago) to February 5, 2023 (when I departed London):
Friday, January 26
Tottenham Hotspur men 0 v Manchester City men 1 at Tottenham Stadium in FA Cup
Saturday, January 27
Reading FC men 1 v Leyton Orient men 1 at Reading stadium in League One
Sunday, January 28
Lewes FC Women 2 v Reading FC Women 2 at The Dripping Pan in WFL Championship
Tuesday, January 30
Welling United Men 2 v Hampton and Richmond Borough Men 1 at Park Road in National League South (6th division)
Wednesday, January 31
West Ham U-21 men 3 v Dinamo Zagreb U-21 men 0 at Victoria Road (Dagenham) in International Premier League
Thursday, February 1
West Ham United Men 1 v Bournemouth Men 1 at Olympic Stadium in Premier League
Friday, February 2
Luton Town FC U-21 Men 0 v Colchester United U-21 Men 2 at Kenilworth Road in Premier League Cup match