Unusual grounds (2 Viewers)

Deleted member 5849 · Jun 16, 2016

I'm off sick (the steak in a pub last night wasn't as nice as it seemed at the time!) so here's a ground for ya.

This is the Mount, Catford. And Charlton played there for a season in 1923-1924. The Valley was massive at the time, (75,000 capacity) but the Mount was a more modest 50,000... although plans were for 80k.

This move was a plan to merge Charlton with Catford Southend, and Charlton took on Catford's colours of light and dark blue stripes for a season. The league blocked the merger though, so back to the Valley they went.

It's here because it's a ground of contrasts. The Valley speaks for itself, and was in a traditional hollow. The Mount was raised up.

Climb those steps you get to the ground, and the terraces had to be supported on pylons because of the slope.

Not much there now.

Unusual because of the motivations, and also the fact it was so reversed to the Valley. The ground meanwhile, hung aroun until the 1950s, but there ain't many photos reached t'interweb!

chiefdave · Jun 16, 2016

Interesting stuff. Like that you can still see evidence of these old grounds. Shame theres not more evidence of HR.

Deleted member 5849 · Jun 16, 2016

chiefdave said:
Like that you can still see evidence of these old grounds.

I know what's coming next then...

torchomatic · Jun 16, 2016

Chelsea-Bolton, 1957

Deleted member 5849 · Jun 16, 2016

Let's go continental, and the Stadio Filadelfia. Unusual because... it's still Torino's home!

Anyway, this is where they won all bar one of their titles.

You can see how hemmed in it became when they built the housing around it.

Quite a small ground really, and Torino suffered their own air disaster, that cut off the most powerful team in Italy in its pomp. Five consecutive titles they'd won, to then be cut off in their prime... all in this ground.

So they move out in 1959, move elsewhere, and with it comes a relegation. So... they move back. Why wouldn't you? This is where the glory is, whatever the size of their new home.

Off they go again but the echoes are there, evocative, and it's still Torino's training base in the 70s. It decays rather.

And then Torino move out almost entirely in the late 80s. Surely the end?

I love the bits of it that stayed upright.

Urban chic.

Well what I love about this ground is the connection of fans with it. Here's a game at it.

Who needs concrete and steel to keep a legend alive?

The campaign for years was to get Torino back there, back to their home where legends live, where the memories of their great team, the Grande Torino refuse to be buried. Amazingly, a ground is to be built there again!

Not the first team alas, but training and reserves. 15,000 (15,000!) people attended the laying of the foundation stone.

You don't need to understand Italian to see that it matters.

Maybe, one day, they'll go back properly. It'd be a fitting circle but even as it is, this old ground shows football can still have romance.

Liquid Gold · Jun 17, 2016

Loving this. Keep them coming

chiefdave · Jun 17, 2016

Brilliant stuff. Wish we could knock the houses down and go back to HR.

SkyBlueZack · Jun 17, 2016

chiefdave said:
Brilliant stuff. Wish we could knock the houses down and go back to HR.

But where would all the cars park?

Sumo the Micky Quinn · Jun 17, 2016

Braga, Portugal

chiefdave · Jun 17, 2016

Sumo the Micky Quinn said:
Braga, Portugal

That looks fantastic. Just googled it and it says all the facilities are in a huge concourse located under the pitch.

Sumo the Micky Quinn · Jun 17, 2016

Marina Bay, Singapore

mmabatho stadium, south africa

chiefdave · Jun 17, 2016

Is that Marina Bay one permanent?

stupot07 · Jun 17, 2016

chiefdave said:
Is that Marina Bay one permanent?

I looks like it has decent drainage....

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

chiefdave · Jun 17, 2016

Obviously never happened as they had no money but Pompey came up with this ridiculous idea to build a new stadium actually in the harbour.

Sumo the Micky Quinn · Jun 17, 2016

chiefdave said:
Is that Marina Bay one permanent?

According to Wikipedia it was built in 2007, for use for 5 years as a floating stage, however it is still being maintained to continue use until next years formula one.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Float_at_Marina_Bay

Deleted member 5849 · Jun 18, 2016

469 people watched a league game here.

Another manufactured team who died a death, Thames Association had a pretty inglorious league career. Two seasons in a league of 22, 20th and 22nd. Then again, with the title of the stadium, hardly surprising.

East London's full of teams, so it's not just West Ham you have to worry about, but Charlton, Millwall, and more...

Anyway Thames, much like New Brighton, were formed to put a stadium to work. The capacity was 120,000, and the first dog meeting attracted 56,000, so football seemed a natural choice. Two years into their existence they got elected to the league, despite an average attendance of less than 1,000! Still, they got 7,000 for their first league game...

It was speedway that took hold though, which got average attendances of 25,000 the same time the football club was ploughing on. An unusual ground for being the only speedway stadium designed by Archibald Leitch, famous football ground designer of the inter-war years. So maybe not surprising football turned up here...

Sand from St Austell, no less. Here's what a crowd should look like.

So anyway, the ground kept going until 1972, when it was sold to developers, and the speedway team evicted. It's a housing estate now, with roads names after speedway stars...

Sumo the Micky Quinn · Oct 13, 2016

A club in Argentina have been ordered to fix the wonky pitch they have been playing on for almost 30 years.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/37646821

Ranjit Bhurpa · Oct 15, 2016

For anyone interested in old or lost grounds or even individual stands and terraces, there is a fascinating web page linked to the Football Ground Guide website:

http://www.footballgroundguide.com/leagues/old-british-football-grounds-and-stands.html

My own favourites are The Den and Caithkin Park, not forgetting HR of course.

Ranjit Bhurpa · Oct 15, 2016

Should add I've also got fond memories of the 'old' Molineux. Once played in goal there in the mid 1980's at a time when one new stand had been built, but the Waterloo Road Stand, South Bank and North Bank were still there. The South Bank was absolutely massive and I glanced back at it admiringly many times during the match (obviously when the ball was down the other end!). The dug outs were about 30 yards from the Main Stand as the pitch had already been aligned for when the other 3 stands were redeveloped.

Bumberclart · Oct 18, 2016

Used to love the Baseball Ground. That 3 tier away end was a great stand.

Joy Division · Oct 18, 2016

Solihull Moors who we could have drawn in the FA cup and now in the Conference moved into their current ground in 2001 after a nomadic 10 years without a home. Damson Park where they now play is unique as it used to be a golf driving range, infact one of the stands behind the goal is still the original driving range structure.

Joy Division · Oct 18, 2016

Also, the main stand used to be a nightclub. When they moved in they added a few rows of seats to the front and a small roof structure.

wingy · Oct 29, 2016

Great thread!
Don't know how I missed it, apart from working my tits off, away from home and being offline for around 5-6. weeks
Nice stuff NW and all the contributors.

Deleted member 5849 · Oct 29, 2016

More to come, once work relaxes... so about May 2017 I reckon!

skybluesam66 · Oct 30, 2016

cant find a good picture, but until the 60's HR had a massive slope on it - a 6 foot drop from corner to corner

Joy Division · Oct 31, 2016

Norweigan Premier league side FC Aalesunds moved into their shiny new stadium in 2005, I'm assuming safety standards weren't too strict over there preceding that year, their former Kramyra Stadium required most supporters to obtain a decent qualification in mountaineering before entering the ground.

Alkhen · Oct 31, 2016

Chivas Guadalajara's Volcano themed Estadio Omnilife Stadium is certainly different.

Wired did a good article on it
www.wired.com/2010/08/mexico-volcano-stadium/

Alkhen · Nov 2, 2016

Gloucester Citys Meadow Park was the place I saw my first live match after winning a primary school kit design competition (they never did make my kit )

Back in 2007 the ground was condemned after floods.

the club has since been exiled all around the county relying on ground shares with, Cheltenham Town, Forest Green Rovers and Cirencester town.

Meadow Park is totally dilapidated now

Good news is that as new ground is planned with an ambitious target of being ready for the 2017-18 season

Alkhen · Nov 3, 2016

My local team Forest Green Rovers announced the final design for their new ground Eco Park today. I really love the design, it's going to be Ecofriendly & low impact. They are bank rolled by the owner of green energy firm Ecotricity, some of the things they have implemented like a vegan menu on match days is not to everyone's taste but it's great to see an owner with a clear vision and a love for the community. Makes me massively jealous as a Cov fan

Details here
https://www.forestgreenroversfc.com/news/first-team-news/2016/winning-stadium-design-announced

Nick · Nov 3, 2016

That looks really good, but doesn't look like many seats at all?

Deleted member 5849 · Nov 3, 2016

If they genuinely come up with that, fair play.

Does he give any details on how much effort and expense it'll be to maintain, though? There's a reason we moved away from wood in house building!

chiefdave · Nov 3, 2016

Looks great. Seems to be a lot of wood though, isn't that going to be more expensive to maintain and have a shorter lifespan?

Nick · Nov 3, 2016

Just makes me think of Grand Designs or Treehouse master.

Alkhen · Nov 3, 2016

Dale Vince the owner has a green agenda and is using the club to get it across to a wider more mainstream audience and gain media coverage. money really isn't much of an issue. FGR have brought really well this season and currently top the National League (formally the Conference) they got to Wembley last season but lost to Grimsby in the final. they looked destined for league football.

I believe the plan is initial 5,000 capacity with an easy/pre-planned upgrade to 10,000. plenty as the club is currently based in Nailsworth which is genuinely tiny. they are moving from the New Lawn stadium which is 5,000 capacity but 3,000 is old standing terrace. it's also located at the top of a huge hill with no parking and a terrible road so not ideal. Ecopark is going to be nearer the larger town of Stroud and just off the M5 so more likely to be attractive to people in Gloucester

I'm sure they will have a handle on the all wood deign and up keep etc. Dartford also have an eco friendly stadium. Princes Park. has a wooden stand I think.

Liquid Gold · Nov 3, 2016

Alkhen said:
Chivas Guadalajara's Volcano themed Estadio Omnilife Stadium is certainly different.

Wired did a good article on it
www.wired.com/2010/08/mexico-volcano-stadium/

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Unusual grounds (2 Viewers)

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