This week saw the safe standing/rail seating movement in England and Wales take a huge step forward in Shropshire. League One side Shrewsbury Town went live with their initiative to fan-fund the first safe standing installation in the 92. Being long standing advocates of the concept we went along to the launch evening at the Montgomery Waters Meadow Stadium to find out more. During the presentations fans and media heard from the key players in the project and had opportunities to ask questions. It was refreshing to hear club CEO Brian Caldwell speak about how they had listened to the… Read more »
Sincil Bank makes a welcome return to the 92 league grounds
Sincil Bank will always hold a special place in the heart of the92.net, being the first ground we (the founders) ticked off together after the idea for the website was born. After 6 years outside the Football League Lincoln made a somewhat unexpected return taking the National League Championship crown in a memorable season which included an FA Cup quarter final appearance. We caught up with Gary from the Stacey West blog to find out what fans can expect at Sincil Bank this season and how the Imps will fair… Groundsman: Last season must have been a whirlwind of emotion,… Read more »
The Non-League Challenge at Steel Park, Corby Town
Blogger and the92.net co-founder Pete reports back on an unforgettable experience getting behinds the scenes access to the #NonLeagueChallenge at Steel Park. Usually for me pre-season is a quiet time. Balancing doing the 92/ground hopping with work/family/life in general I tend to spend the time planning, banking my football chips for when the season starts. However there was a date that kept cropping up that confronted this notion. After doing an interview with the guys from ‘Play with a Legend’ earlier in the season they mentioned an initiative they were involved in called the Non-League Challenge. In a nutshell it’s… Read more »
The Canton Derby – A Chinese Super League Story – 29th July 2017
An Asian adventure, as Michael Moss reports back from a goal fest and action packed Canton Derby, as Guangzhou Fuli host Guangzhou Evergrande from the Yuexuishan Stadium The Blueprint The Premier League is the footballing blueprint for aspiring leagues around the world. A wealth of riches from lucrative TV deals and sponsorship opportunities world wide, mean several teams have smashed their transfer records this summer. As China’s economy continues to grow at an unfathomable rate, so too has its love for football. The Chinese Super League, now in its 14th season, is finally starting to mature after years of investment…. Read more »
Blogger Josh Green reviews the New Meadow (Montgomery Waters Meadow)
With July drawing to a close, blogger Josh Green spread his wings to make the three hour journey to Shrewsbury Town for match number six of pre-season… With many teams gearing up for their respective opening day fixtures, there was a smell of optimism in the air as The Shrews looked to continue their perfect pre-season record. Match day Experience Shrewsbury Town celebrated their 10th anniversary at the New Meadow just a month or so ago, and will begin their 10th season at their ‘new’ home in just a couple of weeks. With four banked stands surrounding the pitch, it… Read more »
‘Addicked’ to groundhopping: Josh Green reviews the Lamex Stadium
Blogger Josh Green continued his footballing adventure by travelling to the home of Stevenage FC for his 5th game of a packed pre-season. The Hertfordshire side faced League One Charlton Athletic as they continued their pre-season preparations with the regular season just two weeks away. Match day Experience Stevenage were the 2015 EFL Family club of the year, and certainly live up to their accolade, with tremendous reductions in ticket prices for youngsters and family bundles. The family friendly atmosphere was reflected upon arrival, with helpful stewards directing us to the nearest offsite parking. The Lamex may just be one… Read more »
92 before 30 – Stadium MK home of MK Dons
Blogger Katie recounts a trip to Stadium MK, the home of League One side MK Dons as she continues her journey to reach the 92 club before turning 30. Ground: Stadium MK (71/92) Game: MK Dons 0-3 Sheffield United Date: 22/04/2017 Thoughts about the ground Stadium MK is about 2 miles out of Milton Keynes centre so I hopped on a bus outside the train station to navigate the roundabouts for me. Everything at the train station is brilliantly signposted and there are 3 or 4 buses which take you right past the ground so you’re never waiting too long… Read more »
Groundhopping over the boarder: two Edinburgh grounds in one day
Newcastle fan Colin Harrison takes full advantage of the pre-season friendly schedule groundhopping over the boarder to visit 2 Scottish League grounds in a day… When Newcastle United announced a pre-season friendly against Heart of Midlothian at Tynecastle, I immediately booked train tickets to ensure I ticked off another ground (even though I can’t add it to my 92). As the day of the match was a Friday we had a few hours to spare so Paul and I decided to visit Easter Road, home of Hibernian. We hoped to take a look around before heading across the city to… Read more »
Ipswich in Town at the Abax Stadium
Posh fan Josh continued his build up to the 2017/18 season at London Road as Ipswich were in Town. Fresh from a trip to the bright lights of the capital Josh shares his thoughts on the game and the ground… I made the visit to my home-town club Peterborough United as they continued their preparations for the new season. It was just my second visit to the hallow London Road turf since April, and with new additions arriving in abundance, there was plenty to be excited about. PHOTO | It's a beautiful day at the @ABAXStadium – #pufc take on… Read more »
Premier League Asia Trophy – A day with the Plastics
The loss of a bet It happens. I lost a bet. Therefore I was off for a preseason tournament, as the Premier League Asia Trophy was hosted in Hong Kong. The participating teams were West Brom, Crystal Palace, recent champions Leicester and a team, as a Manchester United fan, I hated from the centre of my heart, Liverpool. The debt to the bet was being paid in witnessing my footballing nemesis. As I walked to the stadium, the build up of Liverpool shirts pulled knots in my stomach. Gerrard. Rush. Leonardson. Torres. All moving my afternoon food in the wrong… Read more »