Monthly Archives: September 2008

Step one, flatten land, Step two unpack IKEA stadium, step three think up silly name

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It amazes me that given a blank canvas people paint the same picture.  Imitation is supposedly the best form of flattery but in the case of football stadiums it is simply dull and unimaginative.  Look at all of the new stadiums built in the lower leagues in the past fifteen years and you would be hard pushed to tell them apart if you were colourblind and could not see the seat colours.  There have been a couple of exceptions such as the magnificent McAlpine / Galpharm in Huddersfield but these are really few and far between.  These new stadiums come in two varieties.

1. The “wrap around” stadium where all of the stands join together.  Examples of these include the Ricoh Arena, the Madejski Stadium, the Liberty Stadium, the Keepmoat Stadium and of course my personal favourite the Balfour Webnet Arena.

2. The “separates” where all four stands are identical and the concept of filling in the corners is forgotten.  Examples of this are the Deva Stadium, The Fitness First Stadium, Adams Park, Sixfields and of course the imaginatively named New Stadium.

As you can see from the above the identity of the club is completely lost, primarily due to cash.  Naming rights did not exist 20 years ago.  The first club to “sell its soul” was Middlesbrough who sold the rights to their new stadium in 1995 to BT Cellnet.  Since then we have had a procession of stupid names being attached to grounds to provide some short term cash.  With new stadiums due in the next few years at Cardiff City, Liverpool and Everton it will be with interest we see what companies decide to throw ridiculous sums of money to have their name in lights.

So, what relevance is all of this?  Well as part of my quest to tick off all new stadiums this season I was due to pay a visit to Cuckoo Farm, the brand new home of Colchester United.  Or not as the case may be.  Because the cheque book had already been taken out and the cash from Weston Homes had already been banked and their name adorned the stadium on the edge of the A12 in Essex. Their choice of stadium was the second variety.  Four almost identical stands, with windy gaps in each corner and the soul less sterile feel of football in the 21st century.

The club had been relegated at the end of last season from the Championship, punching above their weight for most of this two season spell and cheered on by crowds of less than 5,000 in their tiny Layer Road ground.  So this new stadium was seen as a new dawn for the club.  Unfortunately, nobody told the team.  and two points from their first three games at the stadium was hardly inspirational stuff.  The last thing you really need in such a situation is a visit from one of the pre-season favourites, who could go top if they won, Leicester City.

Colchester United 0 Leicester City 1 – Tuesday 30th September 2008

The Weston Homes Community Stadium

The Weston Homes Community Stadium

Despite only being located in Essex, Colchester is in the far corner, and so it is actually 70 miles from home.  That is the bad news, but the good news was that from the end of the road it was 65 miles of dual carriageway and motorway, meaning that I passed the floodlights of the stadium in just over an hour from home.  I expected to see signs on the A12 showing drivers where to get off, but these were completely lacking, so I had to use my initiative and followed directions for the town centre.  I had some luck in seeing a car with a Leicester City flag in, so I followed them, down a residential road, through two miles of business parks until I saw the first sign post for the stadium – some 2 miles from the main road.  Hardly inspiring or welcoming visitors.  I had booked a parking space, and although it wasn’t quite the same closeness as at Crawley on Saturday, it was less than 30 seconds away from the turnstiles.  With Autumn arriving with vengence I stayed in the car until 10 minutes before kick off, hardly worrying about a last minute rush.

The stadium was a basic and sterile inside as it was from the outside.  All four stands sat on their own, with the corners being left empty.  Three stands were almost uniform in design, with the main stand having a row of executive boxes at the top.  The crowd was very poor.  Leicester City had been given the whole of the South Stand, which they filled 3/4.  The “hardcore” Colchester fans were located in the side (West) stand although they barely raised a shout all evening.

I had a ticket in the corner of the North stand, and took my seat along with a dozen or so other fans.  There was more stewards in the stand than fans at kick off time, and there job was to stop fans migrating from this end block into the middle, which was also just as empty as these tickets actually cost £2 more.  However, most fans realised that if you went down to the concourse area, walked along and came out of a different entrance, they didn’t notice!  Utter pointless!!!

This was another first half to forget.  Leicester’s squad is so far ahead of everyone else’s in this division that it is hard to see who would’nt back them for promotion.  In goal they had David Martin, son of Alvin and currently on loan from Liverpool.  Chris Powell, the veteran fullback, was their first choice left hand side defender, and up front was Steve Howard, the man who powered Derby to the Premier League.  Other players in the squad included Paul Dickov, that Bulgarian who played for Charlton Athletic and Barry Hayles.  They played the ball around well but without any cutting edge, and most fans seemed to be more interested in listening on their radios to the action from the Emirates in the Champions League.

At half time I went down to the breezeblock concourse and bought a chicken burger for £3.50 which had obviously been cooked when the club played at Layer Road, and left in an oven when they relocated.  It was almost inedible, as hard and tasteless as a rock.  It set me up with enthusiasm for the second half, but not before I had ventured back to see the Colchester dancing girls.  It took me back to the golden period of West Ham entertainment with the Hammarettes.  Inappropriately dressed, false sexual writhing and out of time dancing – oh hang on – they WERE the Hammarettes – obviously transfered by our current board (or perhaps owned by a third party and thus subject to an independent review).

The second half started much better, although it was Leicester who took the game by the scruff of the neck, realising that they could win this without really breaking into a sweat.  The only goal came on the 50th minute when Lloyd Dyer cut in from the left hand side and hammered the ball home.

Both teams then tried to work an opening but with little joy.  With five minutes to go I had seen enough and headed back to the car.  Some 4.5 miles later I was passing the ground on the main A12, and saw that a number of fans had the right idea, parking in a lay by and then simply climbing up the embankment to get to the stadium and save themselves £10 parking fee and a 9 mile round trip.

The crowd was announced as 5,109 which is probably as good as it is going to get there this year.  It is certainly unclear as to how the club can attract more fans, or even if they want more fans.  More effort could have been made in terms of public transport, and certainly some basic signage.  I would also say that £20 for the cheapest ticket was again 25% too expensive, but then again what do I know about running a football club.  Perhaps they could get a refund on the stadium and buy something a bit smaller and more central.  I hear there is still some land vacant to the south of the town in Layer Road.

About the Weston Homes Community Stadium – Capacity: 10,000 All Seater
Colchester United moved out of their one hundred year old Layer Road ground in July 2008 for the soleless monstrosity on the northern edge of the town centre on land ajacent to the A12.  The 10,000 box style stadium has the capacity to be developed by 8,000 by building an additional tier on the West Stand.  However, based on the fact that the club failed to fill the old Layer Road which only had a capacity of 6,000 when the club had two seasons in the Championship I doubt there will come a day when this is required.  The stadium was largely paid for by Colchester Borough Council and a number of grants.  The club also sold the naming rights to the ground for £2m (for a ten year deal) to Weston Homes.

The stadium’s first game was versus Althetic Bilbao in August 2008 which they lost 2-1.

How to get to the Weston Homes Community Stadium
Despite sitting next to the A12 there are no directions from this main arterial route to the stadium.  Car drivers are not encouraged to use cars although the stadium has 600 spaces that can be pre-booked at a cost of £10 per game.  There are a number of units on the surrounding Business Park that also allowing parking from anything from £2 to £5 although these are at least 1/2 mile away.

As part of your ticket you get free transport to and from the stadium on buses which run from the main station, and wait outside the ground on the final whistle.

How to get a ticket for the Weston Homes Community Stadium
With a capacity of 10,000 and an average attendance of less than 4,500 buying tickets in advance is not necessary.  Away fans are allocated the whole of the south stand.  Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.cu-fc.premiumtv.co.uk or by calling the club on 0845 437 9089.  Ticket prices range from £20 in the outer blocks of each stand, to £24 in the centres of the stands.  My tip is to buy the former and then move to the latter when you are inside!

A busy month ahead

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baf-logo2October is going to be a busy month, with football left, right and centre. So coming up this month we will have brand new venues in Minsk as England travel to Belarus for the World Cup Qualifier, Sofia as I travel out to see the CSKA versus Levski derby on the 18th (plus hopefully another game), a visit to the imaginatively named New Stadium in Shrewsbury plus of course some mini reports from other games in the UK including England versus Kazakhstan from Wembley. Of course work permitting I may also be able to squeeze a couple of matches in around Copenhagen or Malmo.

We are also very pleased to have agreed to become an agent for Main Event one of the longest and most established La Liga ticket agencies.  As well as offering some very well priced ticket only deals to Barcelona, Real Madrid and other top teams in Spain, they can also arrange once in a life time trips such as a VIP pass for a game at the Camp Nou.  Visit their site by clicking on the link above.

The Game of the Day

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With Fulham deciding to charge us poor (well we will be once we have paid £30m or so to Sheffield United, and God knows how much to those distressed Blades fans who are now suing us!) West Ham fans £48 for a seat in the temporary stand at Craven Cottage, and the Little Fullers off for a day of parties, I scanned the fixtures for a suitable game.  The usual criteria applied:-

1. A ground that I had not been to for more than 5 years;

2. Less than an hour’s drive away

3. Ticket price less than £20

So that immediately ruled out every league club in London and the South East of England.  The one possible exception was QPR who were at home to Derby County, but the only available tickets were a whopping £40 so that was knocked on the head.  So I cast the net a bit wider and went into the Blue Square Premier League and game across a little gem that hit all 3 criteria – Crawley Town versus Kettering Town.

As luck would have it this was also the biggest game of the season so far in the Blue Square, as it was first versus second.  Crawley Town had had a nightmare last few seasons, going into Administration on two separate occasions plus being fined and had points docked at the start of last season due to bringing the game into disrepute.

With a lack of players available for the start of last season the future looked very bleak for the club.  However, they managed to survive the season, finishing in 15th place.  This season a huge breath of fresh air has blown through the club and they had started in fantastic fashion.  Seven wins out of their first eleven games, and top scorers too boot saw a huge reversal of fortune for the club and they came into the game in top spot.

The visitors Kettering Town had also had a turbulent recent past, including a stint in charge by Paul Gascoigne.  Last season they were promoted from the Blue Square Northern division.  But five wins and five draws from their first eleven games saw them come into the game on a real high.

Crawley’s problems in the late 1990′s can be seen to stem back to the move to the new stadium, Broadfield, located on the edge of the town and close to the M23.  It is a typical new build stadium with a capacity of around 4,000.  It was certainly easy to find, just a mile from junction 11 of the motorway and only just over 30 minutes from home.

Crawley Town 1 Kettering Town 0 – Saturday 27th September 2008

 

Another attack of imagination

Another attack of imagination

The Broadfield Stadium could hardly be described as having much character.  In fact Crawley could hardly be called a town with any character, although it appears to be very neat and tidy, which quite nicely sums up the stadium too.  For £2 I got a parking space just outside the south stand, although you have to drive through the beer “garden” of the club bar much to the disgust of the drinkers – “Oi mate, your Zafira spilt my pint!”.  The Crawley chairman had urged fans to get to the stadium early to avoid congestion, and pulling up at an empty car park at 2.45pm I thought it may have been a little bit of a hollow statement.

At least the admission price was sensible.  £13 for a terrace place was good value, and despite being just one level below the Football League they had not tried to price the fans out, as some nameless teams had (Ok, Aldershot Town).  The stadium is 4/5ths terracing which one large covered stand that runs from penalty box to penalty box.  Behind each goal the terracing is covered, allowing both sets of fans to create a noise.  Along the other side of the pitch is a 3 step open terrace, which if required can be made bigger and roofed should league football come at the end of the season without much fuss or disruption.

One thing I did love was the sign for “Home Cooked Food”.  I queued up and for £6.50 got a Bacon Cheeseburger, chips and a cup of tea.  All cooked in front of my eyes.  So unless the two ladies actually lived in this small kitchen I would seriously doubt that this statement was actually true!

The form of the two teams coming into the game was certainly impressive.  Kettering’s only defeat had come 6 days earlier away at Nigel Clough’s Burton Albion, and Crawley were on the back of a 8 game unbeaten run.  You would have expected the Blue Square Conference to be dominated, even at an early stage by the relegated teams, who this year were Mansfield Town and Wrexham but it never works like this.  It is actually rare for a relegated team to bounce straight back up into the leagues.  Hereford United, now in League One had taken over eight seasons to make the journey back, and last season both Aldershot Town and Exeter City returned to the league after big gaps away.  This season, apart from the two teams on show here, the top of the table included other unfashionable names such as Histon and Salisbury City proving the competitiveness of this league and further strengthening calls to actually make it part of the Football League structure.

I had high expectations of the game, and the crowd.  However, I was disappointed on both counts.  Looking at the programme for previous attendances I was very surprised to see their five games so far produce a total of just over 6,500 at an average of 1,300.  I am sure that league football would bring the locals out in force but clubs like Crawley need the support on a weekly basis now.  It was also interesting to see on such a sunny day the huge variety in replica shirts on display.  I counted 8 different Premier League ones, a couple of Championship ones, one from Division One (Leeds United) as well as five or six international ones.  Plus one from Glentoran in Northern Ireland!  Many of the locals were sporting Crawley ones though so at least there was some passion there.

The game itself was poor.  I was expecting so much more and I left very disappointed.  The ball spent so much time in the air which explained why the pitch was in such condition.  I appreciate it was a warm afternoon but even so with so little skill on display by both teams it makes you wonder how they would survive at a higher level.  The only goal of the game came on the 11th minute mark when Crawley’s centre forward Jon-Paul Pittman finished well from close range after a free kick had not been cleared.  Kettering’s main weapon was the huge throw-ins from their centre back with a fantastic name, Exodus Geohaghan.  Towards the end of the first half one of the rockets actually ended up with the ball, goalkeeper and defender in the net but unsurprisingly the referee called the friendly shoulder charge illegal.

Exodus’s last contribution in the game was a second clumsy challenge on the Crawley forward in the 60th minute and he made like his name seeing a red card.  These combined incidents, coupled with a penalty not being awarded incensed the away fans, and two of them decided to invade the pitch to try and get to the referee.  Unfortunately they made such a hash of negotiating firstly a crush barrier (trying to climb it instead of going under it) and then the advertising hoardings (requiring a “hand” from another support to get his leg over) that the officials had time to call the police, drive to the stadium, park, enter the ground and casually walk over to the stand to intercept them before they got onto the pitch.

So with two minutes to go I made my retreat, walking a total of 17 steps from terrace to car door.  Now who said that this was Mickey Mouse football!

About the Broadfield Stadium – Capacity: 4,996
The Broadfield is typical of a number of new stadiums built at a non-league level.  It is functional, neat and not really ambitious but does allow the club to expand as the team progresses through the leagues.  It opened on a new greenfield site to the south of the town centre in 1997.  It has one large single tier covered stand that has seating for around 1,000 fans that unusually runs from penalty box to penalty box.  Supporters enter either side of the main stand for all parts.  Opposite this stand is a shallow 3 step uncovered terrace, which could be made bigger (and roofed) if the club gain promotion to the Football League structure, although based on the current facilities the stadium would meet the entry criteria.  Behind each goal (and around the corners to meet the Main Stand) are covered terraces with 6 steps.  The home fans congregate behind the south goal.

The stadium has a large bar, called Reds, which is part of the south stand and allows fans the opportunity to meet and have a beer before and after the game.

How To Get To The Broadfield Stadium
If you are driving to the stadium then it is one of the easiest to find in English football.  Exit the M23 at junction eleven and take the exit on the roundabout signposted Crawley A23.  The stadium is a mile down this road on your left.  You can either park on the grass verge as you approach the stadium, or in the leisure centre car park on the opposite carriageway.  Alternatively for £2 you can have one of the 600 spaces at the ground, although it may take a time to leave at the final whistle.  If you are coming by train, get off at Gatwick and follow signs for local buses where you can get a Fastway 10 or 20 bus direct to the stadium for £1.50.  The former also calls at Crawley station (journey time 5 minutes) whilst the latter calls at Three Bridges station (journey time 10 minutes).

How To Get A Ticket For The Broadfield Stadium
Unless the club draw a big team in the FA Cup you will always be able to pay on the turnstiles to get it.  A terrace place costs £13 for Adults and £4 for Children, and a place in the Main Stand is £16 and £6.  You can also pay £30 for a seat in the Executive area which includes a hot meal beforehand and all the trappings of non-league luxury.  You can book tickets for this area by calling the club on 01293 410000.

A one horse town in Sweden

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I cannot think of one town or city in Europe that does not have a railway station. I remember a few years ago when Mansfield became the last town that also had a football team to get a station, and that wild night of celebration is still talked about today. Sure, there are some islands around Europe that still haven’t moved into the 19th century and got a railway line, but most places that people want to visit for more than sitting on a beach have got one. That was until I started planning a final trip to Sweden for the season to watch a game. I have now been to all grounds in the top flight on the west coast of Sweden, but in the south west corner of the country lies the port town of Trelleborgs. The small team there, who average less than 3,500 for their top flight matches had been defiantly holding onto their top level status against the odds for many a season.

The town is no more than 20 miles from Malmo, and thus defacto less than 30 from Copenhagen, meaning a post work visit for a midweek game was easily do able. So when I found a suitable date when they were playing Sundsvall I started planning the logistics. The bible for anyone who needs to use trains in Europe is Bahn.de, a site that I have yet to fool into thinking the remote destination I am entering is actually ficticious. Throw a backwater unmanned halt into its system such as Stone Crossing and it will find it and show you routes that you never knew existed. Wanted to know that there was a train every day, albeit at 5.34am from Gatwick Airport to Devizes then this site will find it for you in seconds.

So I couldn’t understand what the issue was when I entered into the destination of Trelleborgs from Copenhagen. Stupid me, the spelling must be different in Germany (just in case you hadn’t realised, Bahn is owned and developed by the Germans) so I entered variations such as Trellesborg, Trellesburg and Trellebog. Alas nothing came back. A glance on the normally impressive Google Maps showed me a railway line, but any attempt to zoom in was met with a blank page. I eventually found a town website and sure enough under transport links it clearly says the town has no railway station. Bugger! What makes this fact even more remarkable is that:-

The city is the biggest in South West Sweden
The city is the second biggest port in Sweden thus meaning lots of cargo is loaded and unloaded through its docks
The city is one of the major ferry ports in Sweden, and the main line to German cities such as Rostock and Lubeck
The city is well known for its heavy industry including the manufacture of components for…..railways and rolling stock around the world!
The city is a mecca for people to come and see the nude women statue that overlooks the harbour. The model for this statue was none other than Nena vn Schlebrugge, Grandmother to Uma Thurman! (I am not sure if people really do flock here to see it but the fact it was Uma’s Grandmother is true!)

All was not lost though as there was a regular bus service from Malmo station, taking 50 minutes to complete the 20 kilometres. So I headed over the bridge after work and found the stop and took my seat on the bus full of joy and boheme, of people returning from civilisation in Denmark. The journey took me through some of the most uninspiring countryside in Europe and gives a very false impression of rural Sweden.

The bus deposited me in the centre of Trelleborg, a collection of nondescript buildings with a church in the middle (you can see I am a fan already) and I walked the fifteen minutes or so up to the ground, known as the Vangavallen, which is set in some nice parkland to the north of the centre. The rain had set in by the time I reached the stadium, creating a dull picture for me to view proceedings from the press area at the top of the tall main stand. The rest of the stadium is a mish-mash of styles. One open terrace area where the hardore fans would normally gather, but with the rain falling heavily most had opted to either stay at home or move to the main stand, which sat 6 foot above the pitch, meaning even the 1st row offered a good view. Opposite the main stand was a smaller single tier covered stand with eight rows of seats and proudly flying the flags of all the sponsors (and there are a lot – no such thing as real estate here on the kit!). The final stand is a temporary terrace that was closed off and only apparently used for the big games versus Malmo and Helsingborgs.

I was met with a cheery welcome and a handshake from a steward at the gate who said they had been awaiting my arrival with interest. I can only assume that they had Google’d me and thought I was the same Stuart Fuller who is now one of the US’s most prominent pornographic film directors.

Trelleborgs FF 2 GIF Sundsvall 0 – Vangavallen – Monday 22nd September 2008 – 7pm

Sell outs are quite rare in Trelleborgs

Sell outs are quite rare in Trelleborgs

Trelleborgs are one of those Scandinavian teams that seems to punch above their weight. They regularly avoid relegation by a few points, get knocked out of the cup at an early stage and generally have a significance for being insignificant. Their bestt ever league finish was in 1992 when they finished third, and their biggest ever game was victory over a Jack Walker funded Blackburn Rovers team in the UEFA Cup in 1995. If one was to compare the to an English team it would be Wigan Athletic (without the Whelan wealth) or Bolton Wanderers (without the money of Reebok). With two thirds of the season gone they sat in eleventh place in the league, nine points off the relegation places and ten points off a European spot – so basically insignificant.

Their opponents sat on second to last spot and desperately needed a win to leapfrog Gefle and Ljungskile immediately above them. The rain suited the home team better in a first half where the ball spent most of the time in the air. When the home team did play the ball along the ground they created chances, which was so surprising that time and time again it was launched forward like a missile. The breakthrough came in the thirteenth minute when the speedy little forward Jensen outpaced the Sundsvall defence down the left hand channel and he finished with a quality strike into the bottom corner. Ten minutes later it was nearly two when a well struck free kick from the edge of the box took a wicked deflection that the Sundsvall keeper did well to parry away.

One thing that is weird about Swedish football that I still cannot get my head around is this business of showing goals as they go in from other games around the league. It is even more confusing when the teams on the screen are wearing the same colours as the game you are watching. So I look up and see a team playing in white break with speed, cross and the ball is headed in. Have I missed something here? Was I momentarily asleep or typing? No, of course not. It was a replay of a goal scored some hundreds of miles away at Halmstad. Pointless, utterly pointless.

Trelleborgs continued to cause problems for the visiting defence for the remainder of the first half, forcing a string of seven corners in just over two minutes at one point, although they really need to practice them and add some variation as every single one went to the near post (unless that is the taker could only kick it that far?).

At half time I took a chance to study the crowd, and actually found the away supporters. Now I do not exactly know where Sundsvall is, but I can either assume that it is along way away or their fans had no faith in their team as a Zafira’s worth of them were taking shelter in the stand opposite me in the far corner. From the other side of the pitch it appeared to be a Dad and his five sons plus a bloody big flag. You have to admire their loyalty in getting this far in the rain to support a team that would be hard pushed to beat Newcastle United or Tottenham on current form and that is saying something.

Five minutes into the second half and it was 2-0 as left sided midfielder Sundin was in the right place at the right time to slot home a knock down from Jensen, again thanks to a long ball into the area.  With the weather getting worse by the minute, so did the football.  Sundsvall had no clue how to pass the ball, let alone get the ball into the TFF penalty area, although they did have a goal chalked off for a blatant push.

So that was my trip to the extreme of Sweden over.  Perhaps one day I will return.  The club were warm and welcoming, and I never did get to see what Uma’s Grandmother looked like in stone!

About the Vangavallen – Capacity: 10,100
The Vangavallen has been home to Trelleborgs for over seventy five years although the ground was almost completely rebuilt in the 1990′s. It is now mostly seated although there is terracing at both ends of the ground, one of which is a small five step temporary terrace. The main stand is the oldest structure in the ground and dominates the local area, offering good views of the action. It is similar in design to the main stands at Bristol Rovers Memorial Ground or Lincoln City’s Sincil Bank where it only covers the middle part of the pitch. Opposite is a low covered stand with 8 rows of seats where most of the fans congregate, huddled together to protect themselves from the frequent wind and rain.

How to get to the Vangavallen
The stadium is located in the park area just north of the town centre on Ostervangsvagen. As most visitors will arrive in Trelleborgs via the regular 146 Bus line from Malmo Centrale then the easiest way to reach the stadium is to come out of the bus stand (from the direction you travelled), turn right and carry on walking, crossing a roundabout on your way. It should take no more than 15 minutes.

How to get a ticket for the Vangavallan
Sell outs are almost unheard of in Trelleborgs and you will only see the big crowds come out for the local derby with Malmo once a year. For the remainder of the games tickets are sold at the gates, costing 150SEK for a seat and 100SEK to stand behind the goal. A family ticket for 2 Adults and 2 Children costs 300SEK. TIckets can be booked online at http://www.trelleborgsff.se or by calling 0410 577 80.