Paul’s Soccer Stories
Faded, Chaotic and Beautiful:
Seeing a Game at Pisa SC in Serie B
I have this image of tourists who paid their 25 Euros to go up the Leaning Tower of Pisa and then, at the top, looked over and saw what looked like some kind of crowd in a stadium, with some flags waving and lots of color, and wondering to themselves, “Huh, I wonder what’s going…
In Seville, at the Derby, Trying to Sing Along
I will never know what it is like to be a fan at El Gran Derbi. I know the general flavor of a derby, of course, because my sports life has certainly had rivalries. When I was a kid in Memphis, Ole Miss losing a football game to Mississippi State made my world less joyful;…
La Liga in the Barrio: A Game at Rayo Vallecano
You get a sense of what a game at Rayo Vallecano will be like before you even get there. You want to go to a game at Rayo Vallecano? Great. So you look on the website for tickets and see they are on sale at the stadium three days before the game. Only at the…
Soccer Games I Have Seen in my Quest to Join the 92 Club
I update this post regularly with all the football soccer games I've seen in the UK and Europe. For more on what that means, check out this post about the world of groundhopping. As of November 16, 2024, I have seen 269 games at 158 different grounds in the UK and Europe, including 91 of…
Groundhopper Paul on the “Because Football” Podcast
This week Groundhopper Paul was a guest on the "Because Football" podcast to talk about his personal soccer story, the formation of Groundhopper Guides, and how to get English and European soccer tickets to the biggest clubs. (Watch the episode above) Because Football is a podcast and YouTube storytelling outlet with a passion for exploring…
Groundhopper Paul on the “Crossing The Pond” Podcast
This week Groundhopper Paul was a guest on the "Crossing The Pond" podcast to give his unique insights gathered from groundhopping around the UK. Gary is a Brit with a soccer background who moved to America years ago, and his podcast is all about those transitions and the lessons learned along the way. As an…
My Worldview After Doing the 92
The Americans in the elevator were not having it with the lads in the bar. “What’s going on in there,” she said. “Some soccer game,” he said. “Well,” she said, “they have a bucket full of beers, and they’re making a lot of noise. Let’s eat in the restaurant instead.” When the doors opened, I…
A Game at FC United of Manchester
FC United of Manchester is an impressive and inspiring tale of principled supporter ownership. It is also, to these foreign eyes, a somewhat odd, sentimental fantasy world. Just start with the name, which already tells you that their supporters wanted to support an FC called United that wears red and black and plays in Manchester…
Doing the 92: The Homestretch
Greetings from Lincoln, where I am spending four nights in a pretty crappy Holiday Inn. Why? Well, because I am doing the 92, of course. Fellow groundhoppers will largely understand it, as we all find ourselves going to odd places at odd times to do this odd thing we've decided to do. And while Lincoln…
Paul’s Groundhopping Plans for 2023-24
Well, unless something major changes, my 2023-24 groundhopping run is complete. But I did finish the 92 this season as planned! Last season's tally was 65 games, adding 10 to my UK grounds list and leaving me at 85 of the current season's 92 league clubs. Thirty-one of those 65 games were in Europe, adding…
