2023 in Football

2023 was a year in two halves in football for me in all honesty. My enthusiasm was low after the first few months of the year and my football photography had ground to a halt- I even wondered if it was something I’d ever get back to. This was down to a number of reasons which I won’t go into right now, though after a house move in April and after a two month break (yes, two whole months) my passion for the sport was well and truly back. As was my photography, thankfully! I’m assuming the break was definitely needed, as coming back to to it, I’ve felt extremely enthusiastic about it again. This is definitely something I intend to carry through into 2024.

This can’t be a groundhopping post without stats really, can it? So stats you want, stats you get. In 2023 I visited 81 ‘new' (previously unvisited for me) grounds and watched 81 matches (35 of those were women’s). I watched 3 international fixtures (including the Lionesses twice). The highest international attendance was 41,947 for England Lionesses against Scotland and the highest domestic attendance was 24,092 for Newcastle Women vs Bradford City Women. The lowest (approximated) attendance was 5, for Thurgoland Welfare vs Fox Glen FC in the Sheffield and District Fair Play League Division 2. Total goals seen was 303, averaging 3.74 a game. And my most seen team was Barnsley Women’s FC (3 times).

And now, for the eagerly anticipated top 10! These are not just the ‘nicest’ grounds I feel I visited, but I’ve also taken into account enjoyable days out/ great clubs/ good overall football watching experiences. These are in the date order I visited.

Bridge End Ground

Settle United FC 4-0 Padiham Juniors Community FC, East Lancashire League Presidents Cup

View full photo set here.

Often mentioned amongst England’s most scenic football locations, Bridge End met my expectations and then some. Set within the Yorkshire Dales, you can really see why this ground gets its reputation.

Gronant Playing Fields

CPD Gronant 4-3 Overton Recreation, North East Wales Football League Cup semi final

View full photo set here.

A ground overlooking the sea, hemmed in by hills and views of a skatepark in the background- I think this might be the ultimate venue!

St James' Park

Newcastle United Women 6-1 Bradford City Women, FAWNL Division 1 North

An impressive looking 52 thousand capacity stadium on the edge of Newcastle city centre, this ground is not to be overlooked. But what really made this visit even more spectacular and memorable though was the 24 thousand plus crowd for a tier 4 women’s football match. It’s a sign that things are progressing in the right direction and definitely falls under the ‘things you love to see’ category! Must admit that sitting amongst that crowd made me feel pretty emotional. Keep it up please Newcastle, whatever you’re doing, you’re doing it well.

Oakwell Stadium

Barnsley FC U21 2-1 Swansea City U21, Professional Development League

A lovely, traditional stadium and still with some of its original 19th century wooden seats in the West Stand, this one is not to be missed.

Welfare Ground Moorends

Thorne Colliery FC 3-1 Holme Rovers, League Cup

They don’t make them like this anymore. A stand far too big for a team playing at their level (at non league step 7 in the Humber Premier League), but I ain’t complaining! Super friendly club too. And the ground is also home to Donny Rovers Belles.

View full photo set here.

Christchurch Meadows

Belper Town FC 3-4 Dunston UTS, Northern Premier League Division One East

I think this is everyone’s favourite ground, isn’t it?! Pictures will be able to say it better than I will, (full set linked below). But if you haven’t been, then go and if you have been, then go again! An extremely welcoming and friendly club too, making this match day experience hard to fault.

View full photo set here.

The Proctor Cars Stadium

Matlock Town FC 1-0 Bedford Town, FA Trophy

Another absolute gem of a ground in Derbyshire, this is another one where the pictures will say it better than I ever will! Picturesque from all angles and just as friendly and welcoming as the aforementioned Belper Town, you’ll be glad-iator (get it?!) you came.

View full photo set here.

The County Ground (Swindon)

Swindon Town Women FC 1-2 AFC Bournemouth Women, Women’s FA Cup Second Round Proper

Proper floodlights, with 4 interesting stands, all for an exciting second round Women’s FA Cup fixture, it was definitely worth the 306 mile round trip.

View full photo set here.

Craven Park

Hull City Ladies 6-0 FC United of Manchester Women, FAWNL Division One North

Predominantly used as a rugby venue, us and several other football ground enthusiasts were amongst the 1,017 strong crowd to witness FC United of Manchester Women get mauled by Hull City Ladies. Unusual venues such as this are always great grounds to ‘collect’, especially when they’re as impressive as this one.

Brisbane Road

Tottenham Hotspur Women 0-4 Manchester United Women, Women's Super League

Home to Leyton Orient alongside Spurs Women, I watched the latter take on Manchester United Women in the Women’s Super League. I was positioned in the Justin Edinburgh stand, right opposite the aesthetically pleasing East Stand (the oldest in the stadium, brought in from the now demolished Mitcham Stadium in 1955), which made for a nice backdrop to the action on the pitch.

Special mention: Glanford Park

Scunthorpe United FC 6-1 Bishop’s Stortford FC, National League North

Not the most exciting pick in terms of stadium architecture (though there are plenty worse), but this was where I feel I took some of my best football photographs in 2023. View the full set here.

Right, that's that done! See you at a ground in 2024 xo