The Football Grounds Debate: Should Teams Move or Stay?

For those of you who read this blog regularly and listen to the EPL Talk Podcast, you’ll know that I’m enamored with football grounds. So, thanks to a tip from the Tokyo Toffeeman, he pointed me to an article on the BBC Sport blog entitled “Do you care where your team plays?”

BBC’s Football Focus is doing a documentary on football grounds and are asking fans whether they prefer old grounds or new. While the post itself isn’t that interesting, the comments from football supporters around the world are fascinating.

There used to be only a few things you can count on in your life. Your family, death and taxes. But one most not forget football grounds, which are larger than life but sadly being replaced by modern grounds that lack the character of the cathedrals of football.

My personal recommendation is that the BBC visit the grounds of the past that are still standing (albeit perishing). The grounds are a good reminder of where clubs have evolved from. For example, traces of Arsenal’s Invicta Ground from 1893 in Plumstead can still be seen today.

The topic is a hot one with Everton looking into the possibility of moving from Goodison Park to Kirkby, six to seven miles from their current home. In America that distance may not sound like much, but it’s a huge in England for many reasons. One being that it would take Everton outside of Liverpool and away from their home since 1892.