News
Will There be Safe Standing at Football Games in England?
Is "safe standing" coming to football games in England? After the Hillsborough Disaster of 1989 and the subsequent Taylor Report, terraces were replaced by seats at all English football stadiums. Now, safe standing is being trialed by several Premier League clubs. In this post, Groundhopper Soccer Guides summarizes the events that led to the removal…
What is Going on with Derby County?
News broke recently that Derby County FC, an original member of the Football League in 1888 and now famously managed by Wayne Rooney, entered administration and actually might go out of business. What does all that mean? We'll try to explain it. What Does "Administration" Mean in England? Administration in England is basically the same…
Did a New Stadium Cause the Downfall of Darlington F.C.?
‘Build it and they will come?’ Not even a new 25,000-seat state-of-the-art stadium could save cash-strapped Darlington FC from being expelled from the English Football Association. History of Darlington F.C. The club was founded in 1883 in Darling, County Durham, England. The Quakers have spent much of their existence in the lower tiers of English…
A Who’s Who of the European Super League
With the soccer world flooded with news stories about the European Super League, we want to help you understand who the main characters are in this soap opera. We also tackle questions like "Why is the Super League controversial?" and "What would a Super League mean for the Premier League"? Updated April 21, 2021: This…
Sorting Through the Mess that is Sheffield Wednesday
Fans focused on the Premier League might not be aware of goings on down in the Championship, much less down towards the bottom of that league. But there’s a pretty big club struggling down there, in some interesting but not terribly uncommon ways. So we thought we would try to answer these questions: What the…
A Financial Tsunami is Threatening to Swamp England’s Non-League Football
When the tsunami comes, you want to be on high ground. And if you can’t get there, you will depend on help from above, or you may be swept away. The same is true of the financial tsunami that is the Covid-19 pandemic as it regards the finances of football. The higher you go, the…
What is the European Super League, and is it Going to Happen?
The European Super League, or something like it, is an idea that's seemingly been talked about forever. Is it finally about to happen? The latest version of a "European Super League" came out this week, as reported by Sky Sports, hot on the heels of a related idea called Project Big Picture. Let's try to…
Are English Soccer Clubs Going Out of Business Because of the Pandemic?
The pandemic is obviously doing immense damage all over the world, but since this is essentially an English soccer community, I thought I would address this question: Is the pandemic going to drive English soccer clubs out of business? The short answer is yes, and it already has. But let's dig into the how's, the…