A Stadium Tour of White Hart Lane

I had promised George a stadium tour at White Hart Lane for his birthday present and after lunch we headed off to Tottenham to go on the 2pm tour. We found our way to the temporary shop along the side of the stadium where I found out that if we had wanted to go on the stadium tour we should have booked in advance. Panic ensued as we waited to hear whether there was space for us to join at the last minute - and forget getting the George's ticket for free (he is a junior member) - you can only get that if you book in advance. I was struck by the difference we experienced at Emirates immediately. Our Junior Gunner friend who did the tour with us at Emirates just showed his card and he was welcomed in. Not at Tottenham. But I didn't let my irritation show as we started the tour.

We saw all the hot spots at White Hart Lane. The stadium is really showing it's age but I was glad to see that there were workman there, hopefully sprucing it up - it needs it. There is still no start date for the new stadium according to the tour guide, but they are going to build it onto the side of the old stadium so that they can build and play concurrently. Highlights of the tour included the ancient communal bath in the away changing room, the diggers re-seeding the pitch, finding out about Body Armour being the new kit sponsor and answering several of the tour guild's trivia questions correctly. All in all, I was a little put off by the guide's near-constant put downs of Arsenal. Advice to Spurs - you only substantiate the point of being the lesser club if you feel the need to belittle your rivals all the time. You are a good club and you don't need to be better than Arsenal to prove it.

We finished at the temporary shop and after a toilet break in their MOST DISGUSTING PUBLIC TOILET I HAVE EVER USED, we bought a football and some shorts (for Toby!). Spurs have changed their kit maker, and the Puma kits were being sold for a steep discount. My neighbour, a big Spurs fan, was surprised to see Toby pairing his new shorts with his favourite Arsenal top.

It was a contrast to the welcome we had at Millwall and Charlton.

Off to The Valley

In our euphoric mood we happily found our way to Charlton Station via London Bridge and according to the book we would see the Charlton Athletic's stadium from the station. We didn't see it, and asked directions but the first person we asked had no idea where it was. So we took a risk and turned left and headed for a busier looking road. This turned out to have a sign eventually. The Valley is hidden within a housing estate and I think it is a little hard to find. I later read that it doesn't have any floodlight pylons so this might be why I didn't spot it until we reached our destination.

The rebuilt Valley was completed in 1992, so it was a similar age to Millwall. Charlton was the first top flight club to be forced to ground-share for a seven year period with local rivals Crystal Palace but the new stadium struck me as impressive. We had read that Charlton had only just been promoted to the Championship and there were signs of celebration pasted around the club.

The shop had it's metal shutters partway closed, but as we approached we noticed people inside. I tentatively knocked on the door and a man emerged from around the side to tell us that they were doing a shop inventory that day and it was closed. We must have looked disappointed, and as we explained the reason for our visit, he quickly offered to take us into the ground itself. We could hardly believe our luck.

As we walked along we chatted about Charlton's recent success and their hopes for the season ahead. There was an industrious air around the place as we peeked into the stadium gap between the south and west stands. Charlton were taking advantage of the summer break to completely re-seed the pitch, and there were diggers and piles of sand all around us. After a frenzy of photos we headed back along past the ticket office and waved goodbye to the store manager.

As we were just about to leave we had noticed a group of OAPs inside a Charlton Community Trust building that is inside the ground. They were having an exercise session and waved us in. Nervously we explained our visit and they couldn't have been more kind. The boys played on the Wii with them and I chatted about football. There were people having a cooking lesson in there too. Most of the people there also volunteer as stewards during games and are all lifelong Addicks fans. Though we had plans to visit more stadiums that morning, part of this adventure is knowing when to abandon your plans and go with the flow. We learned more about the kindness and warmth of football fans there than we had ever known before. We reluctantly left with our bag full of goodies including children's t-shirts, programs and a season pass holder. They were off to have lunch at the stadium cafe and we waved goodbye with a spring in our steps. Pictures to come eventually.

-Ali

Millwall - Love It or Hate It?

Our next trip to London and more stadiums to visit! We were looking forward to this trip partly because it was summer and partly because it was going to be interesting to see some of the smaller clubs. The boys were looking forward to using the overland trains. I know, most people must think we are crazy that we would be excited by this. The season was finished and all the clubs would be in hibernation, but I hadn't really thought about that until later. We got an early start and arrived at London Bridge by about 9:30 and the platforms all had that hollow sound after a rush of people. We had decided to use London Bridge as a hub and we would travel back and forth to Millwall first as per the instructions in the book. The book, oh we got got a new book.

It is not quite as good as the old book, but it is good enough - it's ours so we can mark it. We've started noting the dates we visit the clubs.

When we arrived at South Bermondsey station, we were greeted with the sight of stray dogs mating behind a travelers housing area and the stench of the rubbish. I read that someone descibe it like "a cross between a rotting rubbish tip & a bag of warm dogshit". I must agree. We walked along the pavements with chain link fences to our side. Behind the fences are an aray of what you might expect near a football ground: soggy fried chicken takeaway boxes with old bones sticking out, newspapers, broken bottles and crushed cans, fag ends and the odd dirty nappy. I hurried the boys along hoping to see the more welcome signs of a stadium - floodlights. And within moments we saw Zampa Road - the street that would lead us to our destination. Dodging dustbin lorries, we headed down the street and a new stench greeted us - I think that there is a fish factory there or something. 

But we didn't let our noses stop us and soon saw across the road - the stadium. We took some photos from the outside. The  "New" Den looks fairly new, built in 1993: the main welcome signs, the visitors entrance (good luck to them?!) and the coach parking area. This ground looked unique to me despite the fact that we had already visited other stadiums. Our usual first port of call was the shop. After more photos of garden gnomes, vintage footballs and last season's kit on sale we asked the shop assistant our customary questions for advise on what else we might see. She mentioned that we should try reception. When we stepped in to the office and asked permission to take more pictures of the signed shirts and a the trophies on display, the lady there kindly offered to take us into the stadium itself. Wow! So this is a what Championship clubs are like! We waited about a half a second and said YES immediately. So she made a few calls and someone came and unlocked a few doors and she pointed us in the right direction and said that we could go out there as long as we didn't go on the pitch. And we walked right in, just like that!

We saw the signs for the changing rooms, the first aid area and before we knew it, we were going down the tunnel, pitch-side, just like the players. More and more pictures were taken - thank goodness for digital cameras. We sheepishly headed back just as the reception lady was coming to find us, hoping we hadn't disappeared. At that moment, I happened to glance down into a bin  and noticed an old football sock right there on the top of other odds and ends. I picked it out and sheepishly asked the lady if we could keep it as a memento. She said that we could, but she didn't want us to say mention it. So I tucked it into me bag and after profuse expressions of gratitude, we rushed back out into the real world.

We couldn't believe our luck. Seeing the pitch and coming away with the sock left us feeling like we better start supporting Millwall. All of the people that we had encountered were so obliging and compassionate. We hadn't expected to witness fights or threatening chanting that Millwall are known for, but for them to have been so indulgent in our pastime was unexpected.

So I will end this as we sit on the train coming back into London Bridge, now scattered with families bringing children for day trips, reflecting, and basking in our success.

Millwall, hate the smell, love the club. What do you think? Pictures to follow once I decide whether to let google into my iPad.

Our First Tour and more

We set off early to meet other Gooner friends from Northampton for our tour of Emirates. This time we got there easily and the familiar view of the stadium was a welcome sight. After another extended trip through the shop, we set off on our self-guided tour of the stadium. It was great to go at our own pace, but some of us found the headsets cumbersome and the boys did not want to wear them all the time. We probably missed some important facts but it left us to soak in the sites. It was my first view of an actual ground it I found it surprise by how small it looked. When you watching it on TV, it looks immense, but when you are there, and it is empty, it doesn't look so big. The view from the Executive Boxes was wonderful but getting pitch-side was so exciting. Going through the tunnel, sitting in the players seats, and along the boxes that the managers pace back and forth in was amazing. When you are in the changing rooms you can imagine the buzz of the players before and after the matches - celebrating or commiserating. You can picture the manager shouting at the players (or throwing  hair driers) and soothing sore muscles in the Jacuzzi. Now when we watch games on TV, we can really imagine what it must be like for them as they linger in the tunnel and the cheers they hear as they walk out. It was a wonderful treat, but we had alot of ground to cover so we had to say goodbye to our Northampton friends and carry on with our task. More stadiums!

We then took the tube to Seven Sisters and the bus up to White Hart Lane. This was in part to stop George from having a temper tantrum (he was only 5 at the time) and also because Adam hadn't seen the ground. You don't get a very good idea of what the stadium is like from outside White Hart Lane, but we went back into the shop and had a few minutes walk around the surrounding area. There wasn't much atmosphere and after the friendly people at West Ham, and the tour at Emirates, it was a little bit of a letdown. But we had to keep George happy. After more a pit stop for lunch, we went on to Loftus Road for the final visit.

Maybe we were just tired or maybe the approach to the stadium is not so exciting, but again we were a little underwhelmed when we saw the stadium. The people working in the shop ignored us as well and this was not so nice. One thing we thought of later was that Toby and George had not zipped up their coats and their football shirts from the rival teams were showing. This was something that we had made sure to avoid before, so this could have been why the shop assistants ignored us. We tried to engage them in conversation to no avail. After taking lots of photos of the shop, we went out to see the ground and get a feel for the stadium. One interesting thing we learned was something they mentioned about their Neil Warnock Garden Gnome. Apparently that gnome had won some football club gnome competition. We had noticed that all the clubs sold garden gnomes in their shops. I'm not sure if that was true about that gnome. Maybe they were teasing us? I've tried to google it, but I can't find out anything. What about you?

We headed home after that and happily reflected on our adventures and planned our next outing. Thank you for reading. I'll add some more photos soon. - Ali

Another Day in London

Our next adventure was another visit to London with our friend and neighbour, Adam (11). This trip was over two days and we started out early on the train from Northampton. After dropping off our bags, we straight to Hammersmith and then down the Fulham Palace Road headed for Craven Cottage - this time armed with our library book so we knew just how to get there. The brisk walk through the tree-lined streets of Fulham filled us all with excitement. And when the lights of the stadium was just visible above the houses we could not stop ourselves from taking photos. We stopped into the shop first to look at (and photograph) everything. The shop assistant kindly gave us a program or two and the Kit Catalogue. After walking around the outside of the ground as much as we could and peaking in through the fences, we hopped back onto a bus down the Fulham Road to Chelsea. 

When we reached the ground, we were overwhelmed by how many other fans were around us. No one seemed to be speaking English. It couldn't have contrasted more than the quaint and secluded Craven Cottage. Chelsea was busy, noisy and brash. We walked through the two story shop and around the public areas of the ground but we did not get a sense of personality from the atmosphere. After a little lunch on a bench we were tired and a long trip on the District Line from Fulham Broadway to Upton Park was just the thing. 

When we emerged from the station we might as well have come a hundred miles. My "country boys" were wide-eyed at the ethnic market and shops around us. With the scents of spices and shoe leather in the air and the sounds of reggae blasting from somebody's market stall, we headed down the road and soon enough The Boleyn Ground came into view. The boys just loved the castle look to the outside of the stadium. There is a primary school next door and they all said how they wished they could go to school there. Again we headed for the shop first to photograph everything in sight. The shop assistants couldn't have been more kind, recommending a few key places to visit - including the Bobby Moore statue a few minutes walk away. http://www.ukattraction.com/london/the-bobby-moore-statue.htm When we mentioned the reason for our visit, they gave the boys a little squeezy football each as a memento. We walked past a sort of cemetery memorial place set aside for people to have their ashes scattered. There we candles and fake flowers. Clearly there are some devoted fans. After a few photos of the charming statue we popped into the Boleyn Pub next door for a photo. This pub is a well-known watering hole for fans and we made the hammer sign next to the bar with several customers cheering us on. It was getting late, and though we had hoped to make it to Dagenham and Redbridge I thought better of it and we headed home for the night. I found out later that we have a distant Dumbell cousin who was goal keeper at West Ham for a short time. I wonder if this would have gotten us a little more attention. It didn't matter, we had a great visit. It was a lovely view of the Olympic Park from the tube as the sun was fading away over London. Adam took most of the pictures this day, but I got a few before my battery ran out:

The Lights of Craven Cottage

How it began

Let me introduce myself to you. I am a mother of two boys. I am from a tiny place in New England, Vermont, USA and did not grow up knowing ANYTHING about football. To me, the game of football was something played with pads, helmets and oval-shaped balls. However I do love sport and so I am inclined to get interested in any competitive sport. We live in Northamptonshire now and my husband (Nick) is more a rugby person, but indulges us in our interest. We play football on the village green outside our house. My boys, Toby (8) and George (6) are getting better at it than me - which is a new surprise to me. I thought I would have a few more years of their admiration. But I think that I still play with them most evenings should keep up the admiration none the less.

About a year ago I was at the library and got out this book about the Football Grounds in England and Wales. 

It had all the stats about the grounds of the 92 league teams written for fans that might be travelling there. I knew we were onto something when we had to renew the book several times and the my two boys were taking it to bed. We had recently caught the football bug and this book was exciting and appealed to our limitless interest in fact and figures. 

I might better mention now that Toby supports Arsenal and George has chosen Tottenham Hotspur. I know that this is unusual for most families to have chosen two different teams, let alone two teams that despise each other. (For my American friends this is like a Red Sox/Yankees rivalry) The fact that Nick and I didn't have teams that we grew up supporting meant that our boys were free to choose for themselves. George doesn't despise Arsenal and Toby is the same with Tottenham  - but we do get some funny looks when the boys are walking down the street in their opposing strips. We have found that playing Fantasy Football helps bridge any problems about who is better than whom when we can all admit that some teams have some good players.

We lived in London for 10 years and I am confident getting around the city with the children. We've visited all the museums and playgrounds over the years and though we enjoyed our time doing that, during the school holidays it can be just too chaotic for us to entertain ourselves. On one such trip to London in the glorious October sunshine we had some free time and decided to take the tube to Emirates followed by a quick trip to White Hart Lane. It was fun for the boys to navigate the tube and we left at Highbury and Islington and walked up Holloway Road to Emirates. We made mistake number one of not reading up in the book about how to get there, as we followed the path that Toby had taken a few months earlier when his uncle had taken him to a game. You see, on game days, Holloway Road station is closed, but as we were going on an ordinary week day, we could have gone to the station right outside the ground. But with our adrenaline pumping, it didn't seem to matter. With a flutter in my stomach as we approached the stadium, it was a thrill to see the boys faces. We spent a good deal of time in the shop looking at all the things for sale. We had only planned on buying a pencil case for Toby but came away with an away top too. I just could not resist - I was transported to my own childhood. Upon leaving at Holloway Road, we asked at the station how to get to White Hart Lane. Again we made the mistake of not reading up in the book and headed the slow way -  via Finsbury Park, then a train to White Hart Lane overland station. What we should have done was get off the Victoria Line at Seven Sisters and taken a bus. The boys didn't mind, but I was getting hungry by the time we got to Tottenham ground only to find there is NO WHERE nice to stop and eat with children. To be fair, a top was also purchased for George at the Spurs Shop.

Here are some pictures of that first trip:

Van Persie was the hero of the day

It was a lovely Autumn Day

This is why I had the idea of starting to visit the football grounds during the holidays - a pilgrimage. This satisfied my boys love of football and travelling on the tube and buses around London. 

Our first official trip was planned with our neighbour Adam coming along for the fun over two days in the next holiday. Our reason for the trip was that as it was Toby's birthday, we could do the Emirates tour as a special treat. I will tell you about that trip in my next installment. Thank you for reading....

-Ali