Grounds for appeal

Football stadiums are as intrinsic to a club’s identity as its players.

While footballers come and go, for the most part, the stadium remains. There’s a reason why fans talk about ‘home’ matches – the stadium of our chosen club is often more of a refuge than the place we live in.

While (nearly) every ground has a place in someone’s heart, some are more memorable than others. In fact, a select few are extraordinary. And it’s these that writer Ryan Herman has profiled in a beautiful new book, Remarkable Football Grounds.

All football life is here. There’s a stadium surrounded by water, one halfway up a mountain and another with a (removable) forest on the pitch. For Ryan, while there is no perfect ground, some things are a no-no.

“Putting a running track around a football pitch should be banned,” he says. “You want people to be on top of the action with proximity to the players: that’s why West Ham’s move to the London Stadium has been so difficult. You need an ‘end’, a focal point like the ‘Yellow Wall’ at Dortmund. It has a positive effect on the team.”

Pelé knew what he was talking about when he called it “the beautiful game”

Ryan isn’t just an enthusiast of big-league grounds – some of the most memorable football experiences can be found in relatively humble surroundings.

“Lewes FC in West Sussex has a lovely ground,” he says. “It’s unlike anywhere else – a mish-mash of styles. There are even beach houses you can rent out, it’s their version of the executive box!”

While England, the home of football, features heavily in the book, one country has been blessed with breathtaking stadiums.

“Croatia has so many beautiful grounds,” says Ryan. “My favourite is the Gospin Dolac stadium in Imotski near the Bosnian border.

The man behind it was trainer/pop singer Fulgencije Fuđo Vučemilovic ​​who had the idea in 1954 that Imotski’s football club should build a ground next to the Blue Lake. Nothing happened for 30 years, then in 1978, they filled in a 30m-deep crater with rocks and built the ground on that. He called it a ‘wonder of the world’. And it is!”

From Norway to Wales, Austria to the Faroe Islands, football and its culture unites every country. And the fact that this simple sport has led to so many architectural wonders proves that Pelé knew what he was talking about when he called it “the beautiful game”.