The following article appeared in the programme for Racing Club Warwick v Boldmere St Michaels on 1st April 2006.
Saturday April 1st. April Fools Day. Today I am forsaking my place at Racing Club’s home fixture against Boldmere St Michaels for a trip to another football match and the chance to see one of my other favourite teams, York City, in their quest for a Conference Play-Off place at the Pirelli Stadium. Where’s that you ask? Well the answer gives another clue as to why I’m not able to see Warwick today – the Pirelli Stadium is the new home of Burton Albion and the chance to visit new ground number 340 is one that this particular ground-hopper cannot resist. Ground-hopper? That’s the term given to those of us who travel up and down the country “collecting” the home games of clubs large and small. Those of you who followed Racing Club to Ashville earlier this season in the FA Vase may have noticed a large number of travelling ground-hoppers ticking off another ground on their lists. I’ve been a member of that holy grail for ground-hoppers, the Ninety-Two Club, since November 1986 when I visited Somerton Park, the home at the time of Newport County, and thereby completed the full set by having seen a home game at each club in the top four divisions of the Football League (things were simpler then pre-Premiership).
Over the years, and particularly since the Hillsborough disaster, football clubs have quite rightly placed much greater emphasis on spectator facilities. This has led to a large number of clubs making the decision to up sticks and move home. For ground hoppers this presents an annual challenge especially for those of us who want to keep their 92 Club qualification up-to-date. This season for example I have had to visit the new homes of both Coventry City and Swansea City. But do you know how many of the current 92 clubs have relocated in the last 20 years? Surprisingly the answer is 26 or just over a quarter. Some have even relocated twice! Take a look at the list of clubs that have had the removal men in and see how many of these old names you remember - you may even have visited a few of them yourself:
Bolton Wanderers Burnden Park to the Reebok
Stadium
Brighton & Hove Albion Goldstone Ground to Priestfield
Stadium to Withdean Stadium
Bristol Rovers Eastville to Twerton
Park to the Memorial Ground
Charlton Athletic The Valley to Selhurst
Park and back again
Chester City Sealand Road to
Deva Stadium
Coventry City Highfield Road to the
Ricoh Arena
Darlington Feethams to the
Reynolds Arena
Derby County The Baseball Ground to
Pride Park
Fulham Craven Cottage
to Loftus Road and back again
Huddersfield Town Leeds Road to the McAlpine
Stadium
Hull City Boothferry
Park to KC Stadium
Leicester City Filbert Street to the
Walkers Stadium
Manchester City Maine Road to the City of
Manchester Stadium
Middlesbrough Ayresome Park to the
Riverside Stadium
Millwall The Den to
the New Den
MK Dons Plough Lane to
Selhurst Park to the National Hockey Stadium
Northampton Town County Ground to Sixfields
Stadium
Oxford United Manor Ground to the
Kassam Stadium
Reading Elm Park to
the Madejski Stadium
Scunthorpe United The Old Showground to
Glanford Park
Southampton The Dell to St
Mary’s Stadium
Stoke City Victoria Ground
to Britannia Stadium
Sunderland Roker Park to the
Stadium of Light
Swansea City Vetch Field to
Liberty Stadium
Walsall Fellows
Park to Bescot Stadium
Wigan Athletic Springfield Park to the
JJB Stadium
Not content with the current 92 clubs, April 1st will see me achieve a trip to all current Conference grounds for the first time in years. Interestingly, of the 22 Conference clubs only Burton Albion have felt the need to relocate although Forest Green will move in the summer and Scarborough, Tamworth and York City have seriously discussed the possibility of moving recently. So where next for this particular ground-hopper? Well Germany in the summer will provide four new venues and next season I’ll need to visit Arsenal and Doncaster Rovers plus Forest Green and Weymouth. I guess after that I’ll have to make the occasional jaunt into Conference North or South. Ah well, keeps me off the streets I guess! Who mentioned April Fools?
Keep the faith!
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