Grounds for concern

Football is a simple pleasure. At the heart of its success has been the ability of clubs to connect with local people and get them start and sustain a habit within them of going to the game.

From top to bottom of the football pyramid regular support of a football team relies upon a fans ability to watch a local team, regularly on a Saturday afternoon, at a local stadium.

This is definitely the case in the Blue Square North where many clubs rely on their local community to get behind their local team. A Saturday fixture involving Guiseley at Nethermoor is my idea of a good afternoon - a 30 minute walk to the ground from my house, 90 minutes of good quality football, and a swift pint of beer in the clubhouse afterwards is my idea of perfection.

For the most part of this campaign, I’ve been able to indulge in this pleasure consistently, which helps form the habit and keeps me coming back. Despite the tough winter and the wet summer the Nethermoor pitch has held up pretty well thanks to effective investments (such as pumps) and great ground staff -so postponements have been minimized. In addition I’ve been able to enjoy seeing steady off-field progress including a new all seat stand, improved terracing, and better pitch-side fencing. Knowing that there is a regular game on Saturday afternoon is a key factor for many.

Yet the experience has not been the same for fans of other clubs in the division for whom a combination of bad weather and economic hardships have pressed hard.

First, the wet weather has wreaked havoc with some of grounds with poorer pitches. Harrogate Town and FC Halifax fans have really suffered due to the drainage problems at their respective clubs. Both have had to suffer the frustration of constant postponements. In Harrogate’s case the cancellations started as early as August and by the time Wetherby Road hosted the FA Cup Second Round tie with Hastings in front of the ITV cameras, the pitch was a mud-bath and barely playable. Both sets of fans have had to watch their team play ‘home’ games at other stadiums in an attempt to get matches played – Harrogate as far as Doncaster, while Halifax fans had to travel to Rochdale – hardly surprisingly this has hit attendances.

Second, a number of clubs face uncertain futures in their home stadiums. Two weeks ago Guiseley made the long trip to Worcester City for their last ever appearance at City’s St Georges Way stadium. It was a poignant moment as football has been played at the ground for over 100 years and has witnessed some remarkable moments, including an FA Cup victory over Liverpool in the 1950s. The ground’s location looks like the inspiration of a Lowry painting and is nestled in a housing estate and adjacent to a canal. The fans I spoke to were struggling to come to terms with a prospective move – one local told me that he grew up supporting the team, living just ten minutes from the ground he ruefully said “I just can’t imagine there not being a football ground here.” From next season City will be ground-sharing with Kidderminster while plans to develop a replacement stadium remain uncertain.

Another club to have suffered badly with their stadium is Gloucester City. The Tigers have had to play their home matches in Cheltenham since flooding in 2007 ruined their former home. In exile the club has performed tremendously to retain their Blue Square North status despite high travel costs and falling attendances. Sadly, despite great efforts to establish plans for a replacement stadium planning issues and funding continue to challenge the club.

The consequence of constant postponements and stadium relocations hits hard. In the short term clubs lose tremendous amounts of revenue and face fixture pile ups. In the long term clubs lose momentum and the opportunity to inspire new fans. This has been the case in the Blue Square North. Attendances have been affected at Harrogate as ‘spur of the moment’ fans are uncertain whether a game will go ahead, while Gloucester City has had to encourage home fans to travel to a different town to watch football. In these circumstances the opportunities for the next generation of supporters to experience a local game reduces and so potential long term support is lost.

Despite our on-field rivalries, football fans know clubs are interdependent. I sincerely hope Halifax and Harrogate’s pitch problems are resolved for their own sakes and that Worcester and Gloucester find a new and successful spiritual home - in that regard I think we stand as one.

After all, no matter where you are in the world, we all share the desire to watch competitive games played in front of loyal local fans - in their own stadiums.