[Archived] Most unusual football ground visited

[philipl]

Just had a text (wechat) message from my wife who is currently in Tehran.

Going to any sporting event is banned for women in Iran but FIFA has forced an exception for visiting supporters. So being Chinese, she has found a bunch of construction workers from the Chinese-built Tehran-Istfahan high speed rail link and is watching the Iran-China World Cup Qualifier this afternoon.

The Azadi Stadium is rated the most intimidating in Asia- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azadi_Stadium

Don't know whether to feel incredible proud of her or seriously concerned.

That set me thinking of other obscure places where other people have watched football around the world. I can offer Sindri, the home team of Hofn in the Icelandic third division, a Segundo Categoria match in Otovala, Ecuador (I don't know which Otovala club I was watching because the "stadium" was shared) and Turf Moor.  

[Sparks Rover]

Blacksnape was always like no place on earth in the 80s on the farmers field

[philipl]

Just now, Sparks Rover said:

Blacksnape was always like no place on earth in the 80s on the farmers field

I don't think I have ever been colder in my life than "playing" there as a ten year old. Just you mentioning it brought back the wind and the cutting hail...

[nathan_rovers1]

Probably one of the strangest grounds I went to was the Maracanã is Brazil and Flamengo were playing at home, what I didn't realise it that the supporters were protesting due to bad results so it was absolutely dead and then the second half it really came to life.

 

Also incredibly bizarre keeping in mind that that it is almost 80,000 that there were only about 15,000 there.

[oldjamfan1]

1 minute ago, philipl said:

I don't think I have ever been colder in my life than "playing" there as a ten year old. Just you mentioning it brought back the wind and the cutting hail...

I think the pitches at Sett End just off Roman Road a couple of hundred yards away from Blacksnape were actually colder (and more exposed). Also the YMCA pitch at Lammack/Whinney Hill was a bit bleak at times too.

In terms of the professional game; it is always a bit odd watching Queens Park play at a near-empty Hampden Park.

 

[1arC]

It wasn't particularly strange, but I went to the UEFA cup tie a few years ago in Bulgaria, when we played CSKA. On the day of the game, I went up to the stadium a few hours before Kick off for a look around, with my mate. We were expecting to just see it from outside, but when we got there, there doors were open to the trackside and the pitch. We were allowed in and actually walked on to the playing surface. I felt a bit intimidated on the way back out, as the ground is in the middle of a sports complex and we were shadowed a bit, by the Sofia fans. We made a hasty retreat and didn't return until an hour before kick off. For anyone who went to that game, you will know how intimidating that night was and I was very fearful after the match, given that we won on away goals, after a 3-3 draw. We had been 0-3 up and who knows what would have happened, had we actually hammered them!

[Sparks Rover]

Couple of strange cage like enclosures at Siena and Pisa. ...same there you could just walk in during the day....

[Exiled in Toronto]

After Sett End anywhere felt like Wembley.

Best for me was La Bombonera, home of Boca Juniors, crazy place. Just getting to the ground was an endless series of riot police, dogs, water-cannon, the works. The ground on three sides is a three-tiered, very steep bowl - every walkway and steps was crammed with fans who had climbed in, most spent the game facing the crowd whipping up the frenzy which never stopped for the whole 90 mins. The 4th side is a vertical wall of private boxes (there's a major road right behind it so no room to build) and the crowd went completely bonkers when Maradona appeared in his box. Atmoshpere-wise it was like Turf Moor Boxing Day '77 on steroids. Players taking corners had riot police holding shields over their heads!

[philipl]

17 minutes ago, oldjamfan1 said:

I think the pitches at Sett End just off Roman Road a couple of hundred yards away from Blacksnape were actually colder (and more exposed). Also the YMCA pitch at Lammack/Whinney Hill was a bit bleak at times too.

In terms of the professional game; it is always a bit odd watching Queens Park play at a near-empty Hampden Park.

 

Yes you are right - experienced both Blacksnape but it was Sett End where the horizontal sleet was. My fingers were still frozen after 15 minutes in the hot shower. It used to be either the Hoddlesdon or Blackamoor bus from Darwen Circus. 

Saw some serious violence at the San Siro once but nothing to match the burning Vespa thrown from the top deck in an AC derby game.

 

[tomphil]

Wigan Athletic c2000  Springfield Park.

Burnden looked a bit odd with a supermarket covering 2/3 of one end as did Meadow Lane with a large brick wall of the side of a sports centre behind one goal.

Molineux was also a bit strange way way back.

[gumboots]

I've not been anywhere exotic but I've done a Lorient friendly at the ground of US Montagnards at Inzinzac Lochrist, and I watched Concarneau play a Paris FC side in French Ligue 2 last season. Nowhere really bizarre. 

[AJW]

Not exactly strange ground but certainly a strange feeling - Heysel Stadium in 1987 , school football trip , we played 2 games against local teams then took in a Euro Qualifier against one of the old Eastern Bloc countries  parts of the ground were still closed off and even though we were aged 13-15 years old the locals made us feel really uncomfortable

[philipl]

Iran won 1-0. She's just sent me a video from the Chinese supporters end and the ground is virtually full (78,000) and the wall of noise is amazing.

[mhead]

Two Sheffield nominations:

-the University playing fields were on a slope; it always used to snow each Friday (to stop you going home) and I can remember playing for the 2nds and spending all the first half taking throw-ins cos it was sleeting and so cold and windy.

-at that time Sheff United's Ground was also a cricket ground so in some locations you were stood over 100 yards from the action.

And then there was the Olympic Stadium near Volos when we played Larissa

[AllRoverAsia]

My hotel window at the Sheba Hotel in Sanaa (then North Yemen) overlooked a football ground with a decent crowd in attendance. No idea who was playing but it was watchable.

What made it a bit odd was that North & South Yemen were at odds in those days and fighter jets were roaring over us on their way to drop a load on Aden.

Most dangerous was here v Kuwait (may have been Iran) in a big Asian cup game in a ground for 80k with well over 120k in. Had a booked seat but no chance and not even a seat available on the steps. I managed to find somewhere to stand with a wall behind me and stayed put as could not move to find an exit to escape to a Pub.

Watched Oman national team play at home in a beautiful stadium with a perfect looking pitch with I suppose a 'crowd' of no more than 20 (twenty) others. That was weird.

Come to think of it I had some weird/dangerous times at a few Dutch football grounds when working in Holland.

 

[Mike E]

Seeing the Millmoor ground during Rotherham Away was a sad affair. I'd rather the match had been there, proper old school footy ground.

[roverandout]

Went to the mestailla in valencia once. Huge ground but the seating was wooden and the floor in front of every seat was littered with newspaper. Really impressive looking down from so high up. This was 20 years ago. Might have changed by now so not sure

[Sparks Rover]

Kenilworth Road i remember going through a back yard to get in.

[Tom]

Pune was an odd experience in a Monsoon and Indian fans with 'EAN KOUT' signs.

The toilets were an experience I would never want to revisit 

[AllRoverAsia]

6 minutes ago, Tom said:

Pune was an odd experience in a Monsoon and Indian fans with 'EAN KOUT' signs.

The toilets were an experience I would never want to revisit 

Yes indeed Asian squatters some horror storys there. If you've not seen you would not believe. 

 

[wolfie]

Not really an 'unusual ground visited' but more of an unusual place I've played football. I went backpacking round India in '94. I jumped on a bus from Manali to Leh, in Ladakh. We went over a mountain pass that was 18,000 ft and dropped into Leh at a mere 12,000 feet.

A few of the backpackers challenged the locals to a game of footie (seemed like a good idea at the time) Sprinting for 30 yards at 12,000 feet was exhausting and took a few minutes to recover from, I was a 32 year old smoker at the time. We won the game by virtue of the locals not being very good at football. The match was punctuated by a few fights. Nothing to do with us, mind. The Muslim lads seemed to end up scrapping with none Muslim lads due to the problems going on down in Kashmir at the time, and still are, I think.

 

[Sparks Rover]

Just now, wolfie said:

Not really an 'unusual ground visited' but more of an unusual place I've played football. I went backpacking round India in '94. I jumped on a bus from Manali to Leh, in Ladakh. We went over a mountain pass that was 18,000 ft and dropped into Leh at a mere 12,000 feet.

A few of the backpackers challenged the locals to a game of footie (seemed like a good idea at the time) Sprinting for 30 yards at 12,000 feet was exhausting and took a few minutes to recover from, I was a 32 year old smoker at the time. We won the game by virtue of the locals not being very good at football. The match was punctuated by a few fights. Nothing to do with us, mind. The Muslim lads seemed to end up scrapping with none Muslim lads due to the problems going on down in Kashmir at the time, and still are, I think.

 

I went to college with a lad who went trekking around there and nobody heard from him again. It will have been around the time you were there

[Roving Mick]

16 hours ago, 1arC said:

It wasn't particularly strange, but I went to the UEFA cup tie a few years ago in Bulgaria, when we played CSKA. On the day of the game, I went up to the stadium a few hours before Kick off for a look around, with my mate. We were expecting to just see it from outside, but when we got there, there doors were open to the trackside and the pitch. We were allowed in and actually walked on to the playing surface. I felt a bit intimidated on the way back out, as the ground is in the middle of a sports complex and we were shadowed a bit, by the Sofia fans. We made a hasty retreat and didn't return until an hour before kick off. For anyone who went to that game, you will know how intimidating that night was and I was very fearful after the match, given that we won on away goals, after a 3-3 draw. We had been 0-3 up and who knows what would have happened, had we actually hammered them!

Scary walking from the stadium through this park in the dark after the match and then getting back to the railway station for an overnight train to Greece.  Definitely needed our wits about us.

[Lancaster Rover]

Oxfords old ground was odd, there were about 14 stands. It was more like a cricket ground than a football ground, all these odd little pavilion like structures.

[1864roverite]

You lot haven't experienced anything until you have experienced Hypothermia Park at Brinscall in mid winter ! Even in summer and spring the chill will still freeze your knackers off ! Sett End and Blacksnape don't even touch it !