Clubs in the UK
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"…
Reader Report: Dean From Canada visits Fleetwood Town
One of the things I’ve loved so much about planning trips to see soccer in England is this: As I have continued to write blog posts all about it, I started to get emails from other people who want to go see a game in England. Here’s the exchange between me and Dean, a police…
Reader Report: Josh and Jennifer See a Game at Everton FC
Back at the start of the season in 2017, I helped a blog reader named Josh see a Premier League game at Everton FC in Liverpool. As it happens, though, this wasn't just any old game. This was the return of Mr. Wayne Rooney, former Evertonian, then Manchester United and England legend, and now back…
Reader Report: Joe Sees a Game at Liverpool
When Joe got in touch with me, he knew he wanted to see a Liverpool game at Anfield. And as it happens, I have several Liverpool hospitality packages for sale. The result was that Joe had a day that he describes as "surreal," with great seats and a great match. What's not to love? It…
Reader Report: April and Garrett See a Game at Manchester City
I love helping people out with Premier League tickets and hospitality packages. In the latest "Reader Report" from soccer adventures I've helped out with, April and her boyfriend Garrett saw Manchester City play Arsenal at The Etihad in Manchester. In their case, the package they chose was just a couple of seats in the upper…
