Clubs in the UK
English Soccer Fan Chat:
Alan of Sheffield United
The latest in our series of English football fan chats is on YouTube, and this time the subject is Sheffield United. Our guest is Alan, whom I met online between the two Steel City Derbies in the 2017-18 season. The first, at Sheffield Wednesday -- or, as Alan likes to say, "A dilapidated old building…
New English Soccer Fan Chat:
Steve of Millwall FC
One of the more memorable nights of my English football groundhopping adventures was December 29, 2017, when I saw QPR play Millwall in The Den. You can read about My Night in the Den if you don't mind some rather severe cursing and irrational human behavior. But the night started on a very pleasant note,…
Latest “Fan Chat” Video: James of Leeds United
I have written a fair amount about Leeds United in this space, because they have a history both glorious and cautionary, as well as a cool stadium and great fanbase. So it was natural that I have a Leeds supporter in for a Fan Chat -- a new series on our YouTube channel in which…
English Soccer Fan Chat: Ian of Leicester City
The first installment of our new video series, Fan Chats, is now up on our YouTube channel. And we are starting with Ian, a Leicester City supporter since the 1970s. A while back, in previewing the Champions League Round of 16, we wrote that Leicester City had only been in a European competition once before,…
Who is Chorley FC, the Non-League Club Hosting Wolves in the FA Cup?
Let's get to know Chorley FC, FA Cup "minnows" from the sixth tier of English football. The last non-league club in the 2020-21 FA Cup hosted Wolverhampton Wanderers in their first-ever trip past the FA Cup Second Round. While I have not been to a game at Chorley FC, I had a great time learning…
Groundhopper Guide to Chorley FC
Let's get to know Chorley FC, FA Cup "minnows" from the sixth tier of English football. The last non-league club in the 2020-21 FA Cup hosted Wolverhampton Wanderers in their first-ever trip past the FA Cup Second Round. While I have not been to a game at Chorley FC, I had a great time learning…
Who is this Wrexham AFC that Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney Just Bought?
There has been a ton of media about actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney buying Wrexham AFC, a Welsh soccer club that plays in the English football league system. I will leave the coverage of the actors to others, but I want to answer this question: Who is Wrexham AFC? First up, the AFC stands for…
Video: Going “Beyond the Big Six” in the North of England
In my third and final "Beyond the Big Six" video, I take a look at about a dozen clubs in the north of England that I think are fun to hit for games. Almost all of these are within an hour by train from Manchester or Liverpool which, in turn, are barely an hour away…
Video: “Beyond the Big Six” and Just a Little Beyond London
Here is the second of my three-part video series called "Beyond the Big Six," in which I recommend English soccer clubs that get a lot less attention but which I think are well worth a visit. In the first video, we checked out clubs in Greater London, where you could easily see a game and…
Video: Getting “Beyond the Big Six” for Lower-League Action in London
A big part of my goal here at Groundhopper Soccer Guides is to get people to check out English soccer beyond the Premier League, or at least beyond the usual "Big Six" of Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man U, Arsenal and Tottenham. Seeing a game at a lower-league club is, in many ways, experiencing "real"…