Steve B the Groundhopper

10am 5 September  2026 North East Christian Fellowship League Newcastle Community Christians 1 North Shields Unity 1 (att 10) Previous experience has taught me that this league's website isn't always to be trusted for venue information, but with three of the morning's four games all scheduled to be at Walbottle Academy I knew this was a safe bet. That said, I thought I'd spend my morning watching reigning champions St Charles begin their title defence, as that game was listed for a 10.15 kick off, which I assumed would be 15 minutes before the other matches. But when I arrived this game was closest to getting underway. It kicked off at 10am, 15 minutes before St Charles, who played on an adjacent artificial pitch, and half an hour before the other game on grass. Newcastle Community Christians finished runners-up last season, and had to come from behind to claim a point against North Shields Unity. The visitors made the better start, and scored an early goal. It remained...

6.30pm 2 September  2026 Craven and District League, Division One Embsay 6 Sutton 2 (att 104) Apparently this was the first football match in the North Yorkshire village of Embsay for more than a dozen years, and the home side put on quite a show for the locals who turned out to watch. At least during the first half, when Embsay blew Sutton away with five unanswered goals. It was harsh on Sutton, as the most significant difference between the sides was the hosts' clinical finishing. With the contest effectively over, the second period was predicably quieter. Sutton pulled a goal back midway through the half, before Embsay scored a sixth. The visitors had the consolation of scoring again just before the end. Embsay's 'new' football pitch is, judging by Google Earth's historic images, in the same place as its predecessor. New houses have been built north and east of the playing area, and I assume the revamped pitch was included as part of the deal to enable the develo...

6.15pm 1 September  2026 Huddersfield and District League, Premier Division Cumberworth 5 Honley 2 (att 27) Cumberworth made it two wins from their two opening fixtures with an entertaining and ultimately comfortable win against 10 man Honley. The home side took an early lead, but the game swung firmly in their favour thanks to a pair of goals in quick succession after around half-an-hour. Any remaining chance for Honley evaporated when they had a player sent off just before half time. Cumberworth got a fourth goal five minutes into the second period, but then eased off and risked allowing their opponents back into the contest. Honley scored twice, although between the goals they were fortunate not to suffer a second dismissal. The home side recovered, and netted a fifth goal to finally kill off any Honley hopes of an unlikely comeback. Cumberworth's Crown Field ground,  my only unvisited venue in the top division of the Huddersfield League, is in the village of Birdsedge. Lik...

3pm 31 August  2026 Midland Football League, Division Three Solihull Youth Academy 1 AFC Balsall 1 (att 32) As we were travelling back to Manchester from the South East it made sense to target a game that was on the way, but venue changes in the Midland Football League meant this was, in effect, my plan C. I had low expectations of the ground Solihull Youth Academy have moved into this season. It's an artificial pitch at the New Irish Centre Birmingham in King's Heath, and spectators have to watch from outside the high fence that encloses the playing area. I was last at the venue 25 years ago, when it was the West Midlands Transport sports ground. Back then there were only grass football pitches, and I saw a game on the pitch closest to the entrance. The new artificial pitch doesn't overlap that, hence a need to return by my groundhopping rules. Having won all seven of their league games so far, I expected the home side to continue their perfect start against mid-table AFC ...

3pm 29 August  2026 Southern Combination League, Division One Westfield 3 Mile Oak 1 (att 86) Of my unvisited teams newly promoted into the National League System - the top six levels of non-league football - Sussex-based Westfield was the biggest challenge for a journey from Manchester. So as we were in the South East for the weekend, and they had a home game, it made sense head south to the village which is just outside Hastings. Westfield's ground, the Knight and Davey Community Stadium, is fairly new and is almost across the road from the club's former home, which I visited in 2008. It's a two-sided venue, but one that ticks all the right boxes for this level of football. On the near side is a pavilion that houses changing rooms, toilets and a small bar area. There's some covered standing in front of the building and a seated stand to the right. At the right hand end of the ground, close to a mobile snack bar, there's an additional covered area. Dugouts are on t...

6.30pm 26 August  2026 Yorkshire Amateur League, Supreme Division FC Farsley 3 Leeds Medics and Dentists 2 (att 240) It's been a tumultuous couple of decades for football fans in Farsley. The original Farsley Celtic reached the heights of the National League before folding. Reformed, first as Farsley and then as Farsley Celtic, the successor club also rose through the leagues, getting as high as the National League North. They then imploded, in part due to a botched plans to install a 3G pitch. I don't know all the details, but without a usable home ground the second Farsley Celtic folded ahead of the start of last season. Supporters will be hoping the new FC Farsley is a case of third time lucky. They're starting at the bottom, or at least close to it, in the Yorkshire Amateur League. And with pitch problems not yet resolved home games are on what was the training pitch. It's enclosed, there are dugouts, and there was just about enough space for the large and enthusias...