Groundhopping is a hobby that involves attending as many football matches at as many different grounds as possible. Participants are known as ‘groundhoppers’ and are usually have a neutral opinion of the games they watch, simply seeing the whole process as a leisure activity. The hobby originated in the late 1980s and is closely related to the emergence of so-called ‘awayday culture’, remaining especially popular in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands.
Many football fans would consider themselves casual groundhoppers, ticking off new grounds as they follow their supported team around the country. However, for an increasing number of fans, groundhopping is their main way of enjoying football, preferring to support football as a whole rather than any particular team.
Groundhopping as a hobby benefits from the fact that participants have the freedom to attend as many games as they like and don’t have to become members of official clubs. However, there has recently been an emergence of formal organisations aimed at bringing enthusiasts together and helping schedule matches.
One such organisation is GroundhopUK which specialises in putting on dedicated ‘groundhop weekends’ across the UK in conjunction with official league bodies. Their annual ‘Scottish Hop’ took place between the 17th and 19th March 2023 at various games in the East of Scotland Leagues, allowing enthusiasts the chance to attend six matches across the weekend due to pre-determined staggered kick-off times. GroundhopUK organise match tickets, travel, and accommodation for participants who make the journey from England and Wales, and also ensure there are enough programmes printed for attendees to buy and collect.
"Groundhopping between non-league games reminds us that football is still very much alive at grassroots level.”
I attended two games on the Saturday evening and caught up with Kieran, a groundhopper who travelled up to Edinburgh from Southern England specifically for the event. Of the hobby itself, he said: “I have personally seen a growth in groundhopping over the years, probably down to new apps which help people track the matches they attend and make it more accessible.
“While some people make trips as part of a group, others often go it alone, but these weekends are great in helping you meet likeminded people who enjoy football at the local level.”
Perhaps more importantly, such organised 'groundhop weekends' offer non-league clubs an often much needed boost in matchday revenue due to the abnormally large crowds attending the games. Kieran commented: “These trips are basically a win-win. We enthusiasts get to experience new grounds and the clubs benefit from the extra revenue we provide by attending and buying merchandise to collect.
“Our passion is grassroots football so it feels good to know your hobby is also actually making a difference in helping smaller teams survive.”
Groundhopping as an activity stemmed from the awayday culture of fans following their team around the country and Europe, but over time it has branched out to symbolise a movement away from the elite game. Many fans feel disenchanted with the top-level game due to increased commercialisation and the feeling of being a customer rather than a valued supporter. Kieran says that he and many of his fellow groundhoppers took up the hobby as a means of rediscovering their love for football.
“Lots of us used to support so-called big clubs in the EFL or Premier League but started feeling the tradition of football as the working man’s game was being lost. The crazy money being pumped into the top doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of slowing down which will only make the gap even bigger. Groundhopping between non-league games reminds us that football is still very much alive at grassroots level.”
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