Paul’s Soccer Stories
Seeing a Game at Swansea City
Seeing a game at Swansea City would seem, without context, to be a pretty standard English Football League experience--except it's in Wales, of course! Not that it lacks interest or passion or drama -- certainly it was the exact opposite when I visited in March 2017, when they were in the Premier League. But if…
Seeing a Game at Charlton Athletic
American travel writer Rick Steves calls his business “Europe Through the Back Door,” and he always encourages people to be “a temporary local.” I have taken this philosophy to heart in my English soccer exploits, and it regularly sends me to places like Charlton Athletic in South East London. If you’re pretty new to English…
Groundhopper Paul Goes on Walkabout
I am always up for a journey. In fact, that's kind of how Groundhopper Guides started. I was sitting at The Emirates, watching Arsenal with a friend who had been showing me around the neighborhood and telling me stories, when I thought, "Hey, I should write a book about this." I kept skipping onto the…
2021 FA Cup Third Round Sunday: Scenes and Stories
Since we love the FA Cup Third Round here at Groundhopper Guides, we decided to gather up some scenes and stories from this weekend, when Championship and Premier League clubs entered the tournament. We wrote a separate post covering Friday's and Saturday's stories, so we'll start this post with Day 3 of the 2020-21 FA…
2020-21 FA Cup Third Round Sunday: Scenes and Stories
Since we love the FA Cup Third Round here at Groundhopper Guides, we decided to gather up some scenes and stories from this weekend, when Championship and Premier League clubs entered the tournament. We wrote a separate post covering Friday's and Saturday's stories, so we'll start this post with Day 3 of the 2020-21 FA…
2020-21 FA Cup Third Round Saturday: Scenes and Stories
As I watched the FA Cup Third Round ties on Saturday, I came across some interesting things that show why I think this weekend is one of the best in the English football calendar. (Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning Groundhopper Guides may receive some compensation if you make a purchase…
FA Cup Third Round Saturday: Scenes and Stories
As I watched the FA Cup Third Round ties on Saturday, I came across some interesting things that show why I think this weekend is one of the best in the English football calendar. Whether it's the minnows still swimming in the tournament, or the potential for famous giant-killings, the FA Cup Third Round, which…
I Took an Englishman to a Tennessee Vols Football Game
Before I started helping (mostly) Americans see soccer games in England, I was a sportswriter and a travel writer. One of my stories from that time is when I took an Englishman to a Tennessee Vols football game. I am now a veteran of well over 100 English soccer games at more than 60 football…
Chichester City at Tranmere Rovers in the FA Cup: What It’s All About
I go all over England, seeing the games, meeting the people, checking out the towns, looking for ... something. Sure, I'm adding clubs to my list, researching places for my book, trying out my hospitality packages -- running the business -- and hoping to catch a good game along the way. But there's something bigger, and…
Going to a Game at Luton Town FC
There’s a funny thing that happens when one says the word “Luton” to English people. Almost as a reflexive response, and virtually without fail, they wince, and one of the words they then say is “shithole.” And that’s just about the town; ask them about the football ground, and they look like they might be sick.…