Home

Boleyn Ground/Upton Park–(West Ham United FC): West Ham United FC-Queen’s Park Rangers (2-0) Matchday

November 4, 2014

thisisfootballislife England, England, Matchday Photos, Stadiums , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

More pictures of the Boleyn Ground taken during the East London-West London derby between West Ham United and Queen’s Park Rangers in the Premier League. The Boleyn Ground has been home to the “Hammers” since 1904 and, after a series of redevelopments in the 1990s, has reached a seating capacity of 35,016. The club rented the grounds from the Roman Catholic Church in 1912, and a church still stands outside the stadium–grounds for religious and lay worship side by side. The name Boleyn Park comes from the relationship between Green Street house and Anne Boleyn who supposedly stayed there. Now many refer to the stadium as Upton Park after the neighborhood it is in. One can reach the stadium from central London by taking either the District Line or Hammersmith & City Line to the Upton Park station. My one suggestion would be grab a bite to eat–or a pint–around the stadium post match and wait for the crowds to thin out if you’re not in a rush as the queue for the Upton Park tube station is chaotic immediately after the match–it took us about thirty minutes and involved a long walk.

20141005_122714 20141005_123156 20141005_123239 20141005_124226 20141005_124525 20141005_124555 20141005_162509 20141005_162126 20141005_162122 20141005_180917 20141005_180958 20141005_182159

Roots Hall, Southend-on-Sea, England–(Southend United FC): Southend United-Morecambe (0-1) Matchday

November 4, 2014

thisisfootballislife England, England, Matchday Photos, Stadiums , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Some more pictures of Roots Hall taken during the Division Two match between Southend United FC and Morecambe FC. Roots Hall was built in 1952 and opened in 1955. With a capacity of 12,392 it is the largest in Essex. Like White Hart Lane there are plans for a new stadium but work has yet to start. Interestingly the stadium–which was built on what was a storage area during the first World War–was the youngest in the football league until 1988. To get to Roots Hall one can take a one hour journey via National Rail from Liverpool Street station and disembark at Prittlewell.

20141004_145053 20141004_145144 20141004_145158 20141004_145847 20141004_150007 20141004_150440 20141004_152018 20141004_162735 20141004_161248 20141004_161305 20141004_165234 20141004_165646 20141004_165653 20141004_175843

 

White Hart Lane, London, England–(Tottenham Hotspur FC): Tottenham Hotspur-Besiktas JK (1-1) Matchday

November 4, 2014

thisisfootballislife England, England, Matchday Photos, Stadiums , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Some more pictures of White Hart Lane taken from the away supporters section during the UEFA Europa League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Besiktas JK. White Hart lane opened more than a century ago in 1899 when the first match saw a modest crowd of just 5,000. While the record attendance is an astounding 75,038, from a match in 1938, the new seating regulations mean that the current capacity is 36,284. Since this is smaller than the capacity of many Premier League stadia there are plans for reconstruction afoot. Luckily, I was able to make it out before another classic British ground fades into the past. The stadium has a cosy feeling, there is no denying that, and as a fan it feels as if you are almost on the pitch. To get there, take the Victoria line to Seven Sisters station and change for a National Rail service to White Hart Lane station.

20141002_200440 20141002_200734 20141002_200737 20141002_200937 20141002_200943 20141002_202109 20141002_201824 20141002_210848 20141002_213510 20141002_215209 20141002_215317 20141002_215745

 

Emirates Stadium, London, England — (Arsenal FC): Arsenal FC-Galatasaray SK (4-1) Matchday

November 4, 2014

thisisfootballislife England, England, Matchday Photos, Stadiums , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some pictures of Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium taken during the UEFA Champions League group stage match between Arsenal FC and Galatasaray SK. England’s third largest stadium with a capacity of 60,272, Emirates was opened in 2006 after Arsenal left their iconic ground, Highbury. I wish I could have made it out to Highbury before its demolition and transformation into lofts but all good things must end. Emirates stadium is easy to reach from central London as it is accessed by the Arsenal and Holloway Road Underground stations on the Picadilly Line. As a note, Arsenal station is usually closed on match days and Holloway Road is the station used for entrance and exit.

20141001_193129

 

 

20141001_193349 20141001_193732 20141001_194034 20141001_194054 20141001_194057 20141001_195701 20141001_202105 20141001_202108 20141001_210344 20141001_213449 20141001_213954 20141001_214354 20141001_214356 20141001_214359 20141001_215138

 

Craven Cottage, London, England – Fulham FC

February 15, 2012

thisisfootballislife England, Stadiums , , , , 3 Comments

Craven Cottage is one of those epic grounds. Its location is amazing, its age makes you feel the years. In it, you are truly living the evolution of football, from local XIs to the cash-splashed Premier League. As of now the capacity is 25,700, but it is slated to be increased. After all, it has been in use since 1896! In many ways, Craven Cottage took me home and gave me the feel of Fenway Park, the first stadium I ever attended a game at. The small doors–built in an age when people were of smaller proportions– reminded me of the small seats at old Fenway, where fans can’t help but feel slightly uncomfortable.

I was able to get a Fulham shirt, a picture of which can be seen here, and with it sitting on the banks of the Thames next to the stadium I was in a state of near-perfect contentment, a day in London well spent. For those interested, the Wikipedia article on Craven Cottage has a nice aerial photo, which puts the stadium’s unique location in perspective for the unfamiliar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craven_Cottage_).

 

IMG-20130215-00926 IMG-20130215-00927 IMG-20130215-00928 IMG-20130215-00929 IMG-20130215-00930 IMG-20130215-00931 IMG-20130215-00932 IMG-20130215-00933 IMG-20130215-00935 IMG-20130215-00936

Selhurst Park, London, England – Crystal Palace FC

February 15, 2012

thisisfootballislife England, Stadiums , , Leave a comment

In a bid to see some of the smaller parks near London, I decided to trek from South Norwood to the banks of the Thames. Along the way, I checked out Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park (capacity 26, 309), which was at that point a League One stadium–at the end of the season they gained promotion to the Premier League. Again, I was not able to get in, but I got some good pictures of the Stadium’s brick wall, as well as the surrounding neighborhood. It looked alot like the industrial areas of New England (unsurprisingly), where I am from, which made me wonder–for a moment–why I was spending British Pounds and getting poorer by the day for it. After that split second I resumed my walk, content with a grey afternoon in the old world. As a note, I’d like to draw attention to the second to last photo–I regularly go to matches with tools, so I’m glad they warned me ahead of time. The last photo is of the author getting in the spirit of Crystal Palace FC.

 

IMG-20130214-00902 IMG-20130214-00903 IMG-20130214-00903 IMG-20130214-00904 IMG-20130214-00905 Crawley-20130214-00919

Broadfield Stadium, Crawley, England – Crawley Town FC

February 15, 2012

thisisfootballislife England, Stadiums , , , , 1 Comment

On a trip to London in February I stayed in Crawley, where I could not resist getting a taste of lower league football. It was stereotypical weather, a little wet and a little dreary, but it did little to dampen my spirits as I searched for a Crawley Town shirt at the Broadfield Stadium (capacity 5,996). The pedestrian underpass is decorated in team colors, and the stadium walls still celebrate the team’s recent promotions to the third tier of English soccer. The final picture was taken at a Crawley fan hangout, where the locals lamented Britain’s choice to join the EU in the face of the economic downturn and mass-immigration from Eastern Europe.

IMG-20130211-00877 IMG-20130211-00878 IMG-20130211-00880 IMG-20130211-00879 IMG-20130211-00881 IMG-20130211-00882