Notts County

Here is something you probably didn’t know: Notts County is the oldest professional soccer club in the world. There is an older amateur club—Sheffield FC was founded in 1857—but County goes back to 1862. Yet you may not have even known they exist because they have been below the second tier of English football for 30 seasons. County helped found…

Forest, of course, is a rival, but with County in lower leagues, the Nottingham derby hasn’t happened since 2012. Lately they’ve developed hostilities with nearby neighbors Mansfield Town (15 miles away), Lincoln City (45 miles), and Chesterfield (26 miles). Wrexham is also not well liked due to the intense promotion battles they shared, but they…

Reborn in 2018 after folding the year before, Notts County Women are in the East Midlands Regional Women’s Football League at tier 6. They play their home games at Coronation Park, home of Eastwood

It seems that in 1988, County were playing at Shrewsbury Town, whose team was up 2-0 and whose fans were singing “On Top of Old Smokey.” County fans—either making fun of the locals’ accent and country life or celebrating when their team scored two quick goals to get a draw—changed the words to: I had a wheelbarrow But the wheels fell off. I had a…

Meadow Lane has been their home since 1910, and it must be the biggest in the history of the fourth (much less fifth) tier. Capacity is 19,841 in four separate stands, all built in the 1990s. Away fans get better than usual seats in the Jimmy Sirrel Stand on the side, and home rowdies are in the Kop stand behind a goal. Behind the other goal is…

GETTING THERE: It’s a very simple 10-minute walk from the Nottingham rail station. PUBS: There is a supporters club at the ground that lets in everybody who’s not an away fan. If you go past the stadium just a bit, you’ll find three modern pubs with good food: the Trent Navigation Inn, The Embankment, and Brewhouse and Kitchen. For more on food…