Irish League odyssey for European football groundhoppers

Groundhopping is proving a popular attraction for Irish League football clubs, with more people travelling from outside the UK to visit stadia.

Groundhopping involves attending football matches at as many different grounds as possible.

Football enthusiasts from the Netherlands and Germany are among those visiting Northern Ireland as football tourism extends to these shores.

Last Christmas, Dutch football groundhopper Mathijs Kros celebrated the festive season in Belfast, with four Irish League games in a row, including the Steel and Sons Cup Final on 25 December.

He is a big fan of Irish League football.

“I like the banter in the stands and the fact that there is a real connection between the players and the fans if you go to a game,” he said.

“The previous year, I was looking at my boring Christmas dinner in the Netherlands and thinking: ‘Next year I will be in Belfast’,” he added.

“This season, I was able to go to the Steel and Sons Cup Final on Christmas Day, the north Belfast derby between Crusaders and Cliftonville on Boxing Day, the east Belfast derby between Dundela and Harland and Wolff Welders on 27 December and a game involving Portstewart and Knockbreda Parish on 28 December.

“I had all my Christmases at once.”

Mr Kros has supported Cliftonville FC in the Irish Premiership since 2013 and makes the trip to Northern Ireland four times a season to attend games.

Wouter Schollema, also from the Netherlands, has visited various stadia in Northern Ireland for more than a decade and is the author of a book about the history of football in Belfast.

“What I like most about the Irish league is that it is still the pure football, the grounds have a soul and stories attached to them,” he said.

“The Premier League in England is expensive and it is plastic fantastic.”

He has taken in a game in each of his 25 visits to Belfast.

“I went to Loughgall last year for their game against Crusaders, as it was the smallest settlement in Europe to have a top-flight club – it was a brilliant experience.”

He also visited Belfast last year with 20 people and visited a number of grounds.

Groundhopper Ross Lee, from Paisley in Scotland, has visited more than 700 stadia in 26 countries, with his partner Nicola Stevenson visiting more than 400.

Mr Lee said this had included trips to grounds in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

This Friday, the couple will be at the Brandywell in Londonderry to take in Derry City’s League of Ireland Premier Division fixture against Galway United, fresh from a trip to Bologna FC in Italy’s Serie A, last month.

“In the Irish League, I have been at Glentoran’s ground, The Oval, which is a mecca for groundhoppers, as well as Linfield, Harland and Wolff Welders, Coleraine and Portstewart,” he said.

“I have also been at the grounds of Bohemians and Sligo Rovers in the League of Ireland.

He believes the two leagues are “more authentic” than the likes of the Premier League in England and the Bundesliga in Germany.

“You get more craic and the grounds are more interesting.”

Mr Lee said trips were also about exploring the history and culture of a place.

This is also highlighted by Chris Lee, the English author of a new book, Shades of Green, which saw him groundhopping across the island of Ireland while charting its “rich football history”.

“I love [Glentoran’s ground], the Oval, that’s my favourite stadium in Europe,” he said.

“It’s a time capsule, so unique.

“Cliftonville’s Solitude ground is special too, with that old stand.

“It’s the oldest football ground on the island of Ireland and where the first international penalty was taken – and missed.”

John Moore takes supporters on tours of Glentoran’s stadium, the Oval, and said that hardly a week passes when there is not a group of groundhoppers from Europe visiting.

“They are mostly Dutch, Belgians, Germans and French,” he added.

Mr Moore said there had been an upsurge of groundhoppers at the Oval in recent years.

“With the international football break, the Irish League still goes on, and people can take in a couple of games,” he added.

He said relatively cheap flights from some European cities to Dublin and Belfast helped.

Sam North of Footy Adventures visits stadia across the UK and Europe, documenting it all on social media.

He has made six visits to Northern Ireland since June 2022.

Mr North said his content relating to the Irish League had garnered millions of views from all over the world.

“I absolutely love it. I think the one drawback of doing it in other parts of the UK would be that the countries are so big, but within Northern Ireland, it is all so close,” he added.

“The passion is so good and the local fan base is incredible.”

Mr North said that as well as groundhoppers being attracted by the “old school” feel of some stadia in Northern Ireland, the physical element of some play was also “a throwback to how football used to be”.

More than 40 football clubs in Northern Ireland can now apply for money from a £36.2m fund which was initially announced 14 years ago.

The aim of the Northern Ireland Football Fund is to improve sporting facilities for players and supporters.

An estimated £200m is needed to bring facilities in Northern Ireland up to the required standard.

Mr North welcomes the funding for stadia, but he said it was important that the character of grounds in Northern Ireland is retained in any refurbishment.

“I just hope they can keep the history of the grounds as they are right now, but maybe give them a few modern touches.”