Post by skally on Jan 20, 2006 13:27:02 GMT
Good afternoon and welcome to Gay Meadow, home of football!
The majority of you will know that for quite some time now Shrewsbury Town FC and the people associated with it have been involved in a rather long drawn out saga known as ‘The New Meadow’. Where will the location be? When will it happen? How big will it be? Do we all want it to happen? Will it even happen at all?! So many questions that have been buzzing around for many, many months now, the fact that this has been such a hot topic is proof, if it were needed, that a football clubs home is an extremely important issue. It’s not just bricks and mortar surrounding a grass pitch, it is a spiritual home, it has to feel right, look right, be perfect for that football club, otherwise things can go horribly wrong (look at Darlington!)
The latest New Meadow development is the news that permission has finally been granted for building work to begin, half of it now and half of it at a later date. Whilst it will be heartbreaking to leave our home behind, it’s pretty obvious that a new ground is essential to the progression and future success of our football club. This news has got me thinking about league two grounds in general, and the many that I have visited over the years.
Of the 24 clubs currently playing league two football I have now visited 23 of them whilst on my travels following Shrewsbury Town. Wycombe Wanderers’ Adams Park is the elusive one at the moment but I plan to put this right and complete the set on March 11th next year. Of course that will conclude this seasons 24 but the promotion and relegation action in May is bound to throw up another new trip for me next term.
For me, the beauty of being a fan of lower league football is the uniqueness of the grounds that you get to visit. Every away trip is different, each one pretty glorious in their own way. Whilst Darlington’s 28,000 all-seater monstrosity must be hell to visit every week, a once a season visit gives it something of a novelty factor. In contrast, the fixture computer also throws up trips to the likes of Whaddon Road and Underhill, homes of Cheltenham Town and Barnet respectively. Both are small old fashioned constructions with precious little seating but plenty of character. I always judge a ground by its burgers, at Cheltenham last season myself and 3 friends racked up a pretty impressive burger bill of £25, amazing the appetite that several pre match beers can give you!
Fans of Championship teams may have a lot of big modern stadiums to visit but other than the colour of the seats they may struggle to tell the difference between the stadiums of Southampton, Leicester, Coventry etc! Whilst all of these new grounds are necessary, I really hope that plenty of teams manage to hang onto their battered old rickety stadiums that hold so many magic memories. The point that I’m trying to put across is that a football ground has to have a bit of soul and character. This is why I have to admit I’m extremely nervous about our own new ground. We will be moving from a home renowned for its character and quirks such as the coracle in the river and the riverside which trees which shed their leaves all over the pitch on autumn days. From the plans that we have been shown it would seem that there is nothing to worry about on paper but then again, how often do blueprints turn out the way they were supposed to?!
I would very much like our new ground to end up something similar to Rushden’s Nene Park. It is a modern stadium but has all of the character and sense of home that a much older ground may have. The enclosed stands are close to the pitch creating a good atmosphere and the overall design of the site is lovely. You can even watch Premiership football on Sky T.V before the game as you munch on one of the best burgers in league two! In my opinion it is the best ground in the division, I might have enjoyed my visits there even more if we hadn’t been on the receiving end of a drubbing every time I’ve been!
As far as I’m concerned it would be a catastrophe if our new ground ended up like Chester City’s Deva stadium (or whatever they are calling it this week). Never has the insult ‘biscuit tin’ been so appropriate to describe a football stadium. It is so soulless that it takes a visit of Shrewsbury Town to liven it up in any way at all, no wonder their fans love visiting us so much!
Whenever it is that we finally all trudge out of Gay Meadow for the last time, I doubt that there will be a dry eye in the house, certainly not mine! So many great memories that will never be forgotten but we must move with the times, settle into our new home and create lots more wonderful memories there. For now at least though Gay Meadow is our home and we have played pretty well here all season, we need to continue this form and really make it a ground that opposition fans fear visiting. Onwards and upwards.
Keep the faith!
Skally
www.themightyshrew.co.uk
The majority of you will know that for quite some time now Shrewsbury Town FC and the people associated with it have been involved in a rather long drawn out saga known as ‘The New Meadow’. Where will the location be? When will it happen? How big will it be? Do we all want it to happen? Will it even happen at all?! So many questions that have been buzzing around for many, many months now, the fact that this has been such a hot topic is proof, if it were needed, that a football clubs home is an extremely important issue. It’s not just bricks and mortar surrounding a grass pitch, it is a spiritual home, it has to feel right, look right, be perfect for that football club, otherwise things can go horribly wrong (look at Darlington!)
The latest New Meadow development is the news that permission has finally been granted for building work to begin, half of it now and half of it at a later date. Whilst it will be heartbreaking to leave our home behind, it’s pretty obvious that a new ground is essential to the progression and future success of our football club. This news has got me thinking about league two grounds in general, and the many that I have visited over the years.
Of the 24 clubs currently playing league two football I have now visited 23 of them whilst on my travels following Shrewsbury Town. Wycombe Wanderers’ Adams Park is the elusive one at the moment but I plan to put this right and complete the set on March 11th next year. Of course that will conclude this seasons 24 but the promotion and relegation action in May is bound to throw up another new trip for me next term.
For me, the beauty of being a fan of lower league football is the uniqueness of the grounds that you get to visit. Every away trip is different, each one pretty glorious in their own way. Whilst Darlington’s 28,000 all-seater monstrosity must be hell to visit every week, a once a season visit gives it something of a novelty factor. In contrast, the fixture computer also throws up trips to the likes of Whaddon Road and Underhill, homes of Cheltenham Town and Barnet respectively. Both are small old fashioned constructions with precious little seating but plenty of character. I always judge a ground by its burgers, at Cheltenham last season myself and 3 friends racked up a pretty impressive burger bill of £25, amazing the appetite that several pre match beers can give you!
Fans of Championship teams may have a lot of big modern stadiums to visit but other than the colour of the seats they may struggle to tell the difference between the stadiums of Southampton, Leicester, Coventry etc! Whilst all of these new grounds are necessary, I really hope that plenty of teams manage to hang onto their battered old rickety stadiums that hold so many magic memories. The point that I’m trying to put across is that a football ground has to have a bit of soul and character. This is why I have to admit I’m extremely nervous about our own new ground. We will be moving from a home renowned for its character and quirks such as the coracle in the river and the riverside which trees which shed their leaves all over the pitch on autumn days. From the plans that we have been shown it would seem that there is nothing to worry about on paper but then again, how often do blueprints turn out the way they were supposed to?!
I would very much like our new ground to end up something similar to Rushden’s Nene Park. It is a modern stadium but has all of the character and sense of home that a much older ground may have. The enclosed stands are close to the pitch creating a good atmosphere and the overall design of the site is lovely. You can even watch Premiership football on Sky T.V before the game as you munch on one of the best burgers in league two! In my opinion it is the best ground in the division, I might have enjoyed my visits there even more if we hadn’t been on the receiving end of a drubbing every time I’ve been!
As far as I’m concerned it would be a catastrophe if our new ground ended up like Chester City’s Deva stadium (or whatever they are calling it this week). Never has the insult ‘biscuit tin’ been so appropriate to describe a football stadium. It is so soulless that it takes a visit of Shrewsbury Town to liven it up in any way at all, no wonder their fans love visiting us so much!
Whenever it is that we finally all trudge out of Gay Meadow for the last time, I doubt that there will be a dry eye in the house, certainly not mine! So many great memories that will never be forgotten but we must move with the times, settle into our new home and create lots more wonderful memories there. For now at least though Gay Meadow is our home and we have played pretty well here all season, we need to continue this form and really make it a ground that opposition fans fear visiting. Onwards and upwards.
Keep the faith!
Skally
www.themightyshrew.co.uk
