Paul’s Soccer Stories
Paul’s 2022-23 Groundhopping Plan
"Groundhopper Paul" is about to get on the road again. I think this is the season I am going to officially "do the 92." I'll also be checking out many of the European and Premier League tickets and hospitality options we sell. And I'll be touring the continent. And working. And hiking. And basically reverting…
Back to Barnet FC
Heading into injury time at Barnet FC, with the home team down 3-0, I found myself thinking about curses. There were plenty of them around, since I was in the home section; they were aimed at their own players, the result, the referee, Barnet Football Club's owner, the soccer gods, really just the whole world.…
Groundhopper Paul’s English & European Soccer Adventure, 2021-22 Edition
It's finally time to go groundhopping again! Groundhopper Soccer Guides founder, Paul Gerald, shares his plans for going to football games in England and Europe during the 2021-22 season. Updated 1-29-2022 with recent results and (mostly Covid-related) changes. Skip ahead to my schedule. For months now, I've been dealing with things like "how to grow…
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. But why does it matter? Because my goal is to join the 92 Club, also called "Doing the 92." For more on what that means, check out this post about the world of groundhopping. As of January…
A Festive Diary: Watching Soccer in England Over the Holidays
While it wasn't quite as fun and festive as years past, for reasons I need not state, my experience of watching English soccer over the Christmas period was nonetheless enjoyable. Here's a diary of my experience. If you are considering coming to England for a soccer-focused trip over the holidays in 2022, I can't recommend…
MLS Cup 2021, or Losing, Winning, and Wondering Why
What is it that makes us sports fans sign up for all the ups and downs, the emotional and financial costs, the abuse, and the exhaustion? Is it the chance at joy? It must run pretty deep, like into our DNA, because there seems no shaking it, no matter how often we say we’re done.…
Groundhopping at Blackpool FC
Let’s take a trip to Blackpool and see a game at Blackpool FC. Just understand, as we depart, that much around here seems to be about the past, some of which is to be celebrated and some, well, forgotten. Blackpool is a city many visitors to England might not think about, because they didn’t grow…
Groundhopping at Fleetwood Town FC
Going to a football game at Fleetwood Town is a chance to see a small club that got big quickly, step just off the tourist path for a truly local experience, and – lucky for me – witness the kind of magic that only live sports can produce. For many newcomers to English football, Fleetwood…
Groundhopping Weekend: FA Cup First Round 2021
A weekend in the FA Cup brings highs, lows, drama, dullness, rain, sun, joy, and grief -- plus all the stuff that happens on the pitch. The first three rounds of the Cup are some of my favorite weekends to be in England to watch football. The First and Second Rounds, generally the first weekends…
Seeing a Game at Dulwich Hamlet FC
I had the honor of seeing Dulwich Hamlet FC's Boxing Day (2018) return to their home ground of Champion Hill. Here's a report, and an introduction to this famous little community club in South London. (This post was originally written in 2019.) Out in South London, in a residential area next to a Sainsbury’s grocery…