Groundhopping for Beginners: How to Start

Some supporters follow one club. Others follow the grounds. Groundhopping is the habit of visiting as many different football stadiums as possible, ticking each one off a list, and it has grown from a niche pursuit into something with its own community, its own rules and its own arguments about what counts.

It suits people who like football more than they like any particular club, and people who enjoy the travelling as much as the match. Here is how it works and how to start.

What actually is groundhopping?

Visiting football grounds for the sake of visiting them, and keeping a record.

A groundhopper’s aim is to see a match at as many grounds as possible. Some focus on a particular set, such as every current Premier League and Football League ground, or every stadium in a country. Others go wherever a fixture takes them, at any level, from national stadiums to village pitches with a rope around them.

The record is the point. Most groundhoppers keep a list, and many keep programmes, tickets or photographs from each visit as evidence.

What counts as a visit?

This is where the arguments start, and every groundhopper has a view.

The strict position is that only a competitive match counts, watched from inside the ground for the full ninety minutes. Friendlies, reserve matches and youth games are disputed. Stadium tours do not count for anyone. Some insist the match must be between the home club and an opponent, so a neutral venue does not count for either side.

There is no governing body and no official rule. Most people settle on their own standard and stick to it, which is part of the appeal.

Where should a beginner start?

With grounds that are easy to reach and easy to get into.

Lower league and non-league grounds are the natural starting point. Tickets are cheap or bought on the day, the grounds are small enough to see properly, and there are far more of them than top-flight stadiums. A single Saturday in a large city can cover two matches at different levels if kick-off times allow.

The top-flight grounds are harder, because tickets for away supporters are limited and home tickets often require membership. Many groundhoppers leave those until they have a reason to be there, such as a cup tie or a friend with a spare.

How do you plan a trip?

Around the fixture list, and with a backup.

Groundhoppers plan weeks ahead, looking for clusters of matches in one area on the same weekend. A Saturday afternoon game and a Sunday morning non-league fixture near can cover two grounds in one trip. Some plan around midweek matches, which are less crowded and cheaper to reach.

The backup matters because matches get postponed, particularly in winter at lower levels where pitches flood. A plan with a second fixture in reach saves a wasted journey.

What should you take?

The same as any away day, plus a way of recording the visit.

Most groundhoppers photograph the ground from inside and outside, buy a programme if one exists, and keep the ticket. Some keep a notebook. The record is personal, but having one is the difference between groundhopping and simply going to a lot of matches.

Our guide to planning an away day train covers the travel side, which for groundhoppers is most of the challenge.

How do people keep count?

Lists, mostly, and increasingly apps.

Several websites and apps exist specifically for logging ground visits, with maps showing where you have been and which grounds remain. Some groundhoppers prefer a spreadsheet or a notebook. The traditionalists keep a physical collection of programmes and tickets, one per ground, which becomes a substantial archive over the years.

The numbers vary enormously. A casual groundhopper might have visited thirty grounds. The serious ones have been to several hundred, across several countries.

How do groundhoppers handle the top-flight grounds?

Patiently, and usually through cup competitions.

Getting into a Premier League ground as a neutral is difficult, since home tickets are mostly sold to members and away tickets go to the visiting club’s supporters. Early rounds of the domestic cups are the usual route: smaller crowds, more general sale tickets, and the same ground with the same atmosphere. Pre-season friendlies are another option, though many groundhoppers refuse to count them.

Some groundhoppers also buy a membership at a club they have no attachment to purely to access tickets, which is a sign of how seriously the pursuit is taken.

What about grounds that no longer exist?

They count, if you visited before they closed, and they are among the most valued entries on any groundhopper’s list.

Many grounds have been demolished or replaced over the last thirty years, and a visit to one that no longer exists is something that cannot be repeated. Older groundhoppers with entries for long-gone stadiums have something the newer ones cannot acquire, which adds an urgency to visiting grounds that are scheduled for replacement.

Why do people do it?

For the football, partly, but mostly for the places.

Every ground has its own character, shaped its age, its town and the people who fill it. Groundhopping is a way of seeing a country through its football, from the enormous stadiums down to the pitches behind a pub car park. It also gives a reason to visit places that would never otherwise be on anyone’s list.

And there is the collecting instinct. Once a list exists, the empty spaces on it become hard to ignore.

Is groundhopping expensive?

Less than following one club home and away, in most cases.

A groundhopper choosing lower league and non-league fixtures pays a fraction of a Premier League ticket price and can often travel shorter distances picking grounds near home first. The cost rises with ambition, since completing a full set of top-flight grounds or travelling abroad adds up, but the pursuit itself can be as cheap as a bus fare and a few pounds on the gate.

The programmes and tickets kept as records cost little. The time is the real investment, and most groundhoppers regard it as well spent.

What makes a ground worth the trip?

Atmosphere and character more than size, and our piece on what makes a great football atmosphere explains why some grounds have it and others do not. The groundhopper’s favourite is rarely the biggest stadium visited. It is usually the small one that surprised them.

The pursuit rewards curiosity more than anything else. Every ground has a story about who built it and why it sits where it does, and groundhoppers who take the time to learn those stories get far more from a visit than those who only tick the box.

Frequently asked questions

What is groundhopping?

Visiting as many different football grounds as possible to watch matches, and keeping a record of each visit.

What counts as a groundhopping visit?

There is no official rule. Most groundhoppers require a competitive match watched in full from inside the ground. Stadium tours never count.

Where should I start groundhopping?

At lower league and non-league grounds, where tickets are cheap, easy to get and there are far more of them to visit.