Rab B Nesbit Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 I know this has been discussed on here before ... http://mobile.slfl.co.uk/site/51895628-9db2-4faa-a88e-09119cf6561e/default?url=http%3A%2F%2Fslfl.co.uk%2F2014%2F08%2Flowland-league-announces-groundhop-uk-partnership%2F This will be the first ever one held in Scotland! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcastle broon Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 I know this has been discussed on here before ... http://mobile.slfl.co.uk/site/51895628-9db2-4faa-a88e-09119cf6561e/default?url=http%3A%2F%2Fslfl.co.uk%2F2014%2F08%2Flowland-league-announces-groundhop-uk-partnership%2F This will be the first ever one held in Scotland! Nice one rab,I know the northern league "groundhopping" days are popular and well attended. Couldn't see any league fixtures on them dates. edit: reserved weekend #1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rab B Nesbit Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 Nice one rab, I know the northern league "groundhopping" days are popular and well attended. Couldn't see any league fixtures on them dates. edit: reserved weekend #1 This will be a good money spinner for all clubs and great publicity for the Lowland League Newky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillonearth Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Most of the groundhoppers you get up from down south are genuinely nice people - we get them up in twos and threes throughout the season, and the majority are just guys who love their football, but aren't tied to the one club. You do get the odd inconsiderate one showing up though. We had one a couple of seasons ago turning up unannounced and demanding 15 copies of the programme, which considering we were playing a team who didn't bring any support and had maybe only done 35 copies simply wasn't on - a phone call ahead and we could have sorted him out easily. This one was also under the impression admission money covered access to anywhere in the ground, and I mean anywhere - I'm always happy to give people the tour if they're there in plenty of time, but not the manager's office and the physio room 20 minutes before kick-off... En masse I don't know what they would be like - the majority fine I imagine, but be prepared for a few demanding divas. Also don't expect to gain any new supporters out of it; regardless of how much they enjoy the day, the nature of the hobby dictates they'll be somewhere else the next weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow_red Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 I've been on three groundhops organised by Groundhop UK (Chris Berzai and Laurence Reade) and they've all been very well attended and excellent for the clubs involved. I've never met any hopping "prima donnas" but every hopper is different... most will want a programme, some will want a club badge but all will want a cask of REAL ALE and some good food! I know it's difficult for licencing reasons etc. in Scottish grounds, but a huge money spinner would be to get in a cask or two from a local brewery and just serve them on gravity. Some hoppers will insist on touching all of the corner flags before actually saying they've been there! Not only do the people on the official hop turn up (around 70ish) they tend to bring at least double that with people making their own way or travelling from the local area - like I will. They will demand that everyone is charged £5 in (apart from season ticket members and club officials) but this is to ensure that the hosting club receives plenty of money. If the average punter pays £5 in, buys a £3 pint and a pie you're looking at up to £2,000 extra for each club. It's a shame a lot of the Junior FAs are so backwards when it comes to this sort of thing, as they could have been reaping the rewards for a long time now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roker Rover Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I will definitely be attending this but probably under my own steam rather than on the bus as I live just the other side of the border. I am a bit of a ground hopper although I do follow Sunderland and Gateshead actively as well. The Lowland league and the East of Scotland league are ones I have my eyes on as I have now done around 125 out of about 137 non league grounds in the North East, North Yorkshire and Cumbria. This should get me round getting on for half the Lowland league in one weekend and Sunderland and Gateshead are both away that weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnorLamb Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Any details confirmed yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow_red Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 I've heard direct from the organiser that they will be prioritising teams not currently ground sharing, so that excludes BSC and Stirling University. This is because it's likely a lot of hoppers will have been to those grounds before (Stirling Albion and Maryhill) and it may put off attendees. Whatever grounds they don't make this year they will look at hitting next year, although of course that might include a currently SFL2 team... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mantis Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 The word at the moment is they'll be doing Dalbeattie, Threave, Vale, Gala, Selkirk this season, and WW, Spamtins, City, Preston, EK next year. Or maybe it was Ed Uni instead of EK, cannae mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcastle broon Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 The word at the moment is they'll be doing Dalbeattie, Threave, Vale, Gala, Selkirk this season, and WW, Spamtins, City, Preston, EK next year. Or maybe it was Ed Uni instead of EK, cannae mind. How would that work then cause after Gretna away on 22nd Nov we wouldve played all the D&G and Borders teams away ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mantis Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 How would that work then cause after Gretna away on 22nd Nov we wouldve played all the D&G and Borders teams away ? Aye but we could be playing one of the other 6, sorry 5, that weekend, mind you I take your point, it must be getting a bit tight for fixtures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow_red Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Here's some confirmed info: Scotland. The details should be released towards the end of next week, I am scheduled to meet with the SLFL next week to put the first one fully in place. However, I have to book hotels and coaches, and to do this I have to give some idea of numbers. This is why I am asking now for you to express any interest in going. The more we have, the better the price we can do this trip for. For information, I am looking at taking two coaches up to Scotland: one heading from London up the M1 corridor, the other from Cardiff and up the M5/M6 corridor, all to link up at our opening game, which will be in the Lowland league on the Friday night. I know we looked at not doing that, but it became clear that a Friday game in Scotland was what people wanted, so we have added it on. Besides which, we were looking at using Friday for travelling anyway so we may as well have a game on the Hop at the end of it! These coaches will pick up en route, and drop back after the last game on the Sunday. It should be a good, easy way to travel, and with the coaches running to our schedule, we don;t have to worry so much about timings for trains etc. So, there you go. If you're interested in going on the Lowland League Hop, let me know and I'll reserve a coach seat and hotel rooms (please specify if you want twin or single, may not be able to oblige with all singles, will be on a first come first served basis). At the moment, this is just for coach and hotel spaces. If you are planning on doing this independently, I don't need to know for the moment, unless you want to reserve a hotel/B&B. There are some interesting places I looked at that were far too small, but if people not using the coach are after something, well, I may be able to obtain a good price on a block booking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mantis Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Double room for Jamie McQueen and Peter McGauley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magoo Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Dungeon room by the sounds of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rab B Nesbit Posted November 13, 2014 Author Share Posted November 13, 2014 Lowland League Hop details will be announced at 12 noon tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mantis Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Lowland League Hop details will be announced at 12 noon tomorrow. Beer! Feck! Arse! Drink! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rab B Nesbit Posted November 13, 2014 Author Share Posted November 13, 2014 You better get saving your money up Mantis ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow_red Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Friday 20 March 7.45pm East Kilbride v Whitehill Welfare Saturday 21 March 12 noon Vale of Leithen v Preston Athletic 3.30pm Selkirk v Spartans 7pm Gala Fairydean Rovers v Stirling University Sunday 22 March 12 noon Dalbeattie Star v Edinburgh City 3pm Threave Rovers v Edinburgh University Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow_red Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 That's five new grounds for me and one 45 minutes walk away. Excellent... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cicero Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Gretna and BSC are idle that weekend so I could go to all six matches. However I have been to each of those grounds at least three or four times each so it is less of an attraction for me Could I cope with six matches over a weekend? I am finding going to four this week hard enough. Anyway I would need to get permission from her that must be obeyed. Rab, what is the best strategy to go about that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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