Halls FC

Venues don't get more basic that the Bexley Park Sports Club, which is home for Halls FC, of the Kent County League Division Two West. I recently visited here not to watch them, but Dulwich Hamlet Under Thirteens in a SELKENT League Cup Final.



The venue has no spectator facilities around the pitches at all, they were just roped off. You can see rugby posts in the background, this venue also being the home of Bexley Rugby Club.



With this being cup finals day there were crowds down the touchlines.



Set back, the entrance is to the right side of these buildings, are the bar areas & changing rooms.



Behind one of the goals it looks decidedly rural, which I suppose it is really, despite being on the very edges of Greater London.



Here we look across one of the pitches, corner flag & perimeter rope clearly in view.



Another looks across the sportsground, from behind one of the goals.



A bit of goalmouth action from the match I was there to see.

Orpington

This isn't a ground I've seen a game at yet,home to Orpington, of the Kent County League Premier Division. I was in the area, on the way to another game, when I chanced a look, to see if I could get in. Luckily there was someone on site, & I stuck my head into the empty bar area.
"Hello, can I help?"
"Erm...well...to be honest mate I'm a bit of a sad bastard who likes to take photos of grounds. do you mind if I pop inside?"
" Sure no problem...as lonf as you're not from the bloody council!"
Whoever the gentleman was he was friendly enough, and when I'd done what I'd set out to do he even gave me an old programme!

I'm not entirely sure of the history of this ground, but I believe it was formerly home to the now defunct Alma Swanley; & more recently, Swanley Furness.

These are the entrance gates. Later that evening they were firmly shut, so I guess I was just lucky to be passing when they were open.



From the car park you see the club house & changing rooms, with an all weather outdoor court to the right.



The entrance gate to the ground itself, by the main building.



This is the 'tunnel' once inside, & from here we're going to go clockwise around the ground.



Newer railings in this first corner, in front of the open 'patio' area, where the bar is.



Which you can see here.



Railed off down the side, with paving for the hard standing.



Before we head down there we look back, behind the goal.



Despite being basic, this open side looks a lot smarter for having these advertising hoardings.



Still very open behind the far goal.



Here we look down the touchline again.



Behind the goal now, we see the small stand on the far side for the first time. note the goal & corner flag moved behind the actual pitch. Presumably this makes it easier to cut the grass.



There's not much grass cut behind the fence at this end though!



Now we're heading down the far side, the stand looks as though it's seen better days, but it's still not in bad nick.



Here's a view of it from the front.



Nice plastic benches inside. They hurt though....I turned as I was snapping away, banged my leg into one, & got a 'dead leg' for the rest of the night, with a big bruise the next day! Stop laughing... ;-)



Another full on view, from the other side, and on the pitch.



The dugouts...with a bench in the middle. But football doesn't have a 'sin bin' like ice hockey!



Grass reclaiming hard standing past the dugouts. There's this strange railing type 'crush barrier' all on it's own.



As I'd not been here before I can only guess that it might have been part of some sort of covered terrace area in years gone by.



On the last leg now, back behind the goal.



There was this bench all on its own, behind this goal. Bring your own brolly & you've got another stand! ;-)



And so ends our look around Orpington's ground. It's very close to Swanley station, & one i've got earmarked for next season to 'tick off' with an actual match.

Viktoria Berlin; Berlin, Germany

This is the Friedrich Ebert Stadion, home of Viktoria Berlin, where I wathc a game in September 2007 against Lichtenberg 47. A nice enough ground, unfortunately with one of my 'footballing bugbears'... the running track!
There was no programme, but I picked up as club quarterly magazine in the clubhouse area.
There were also posters for a match the previous day at the same ground, for a club called S.D. Croatia e.V.



This is the entrance, from the main road. You could just walk in here, there was a table set up by the actual gate to the ground, further inside.



No programme, sadly this poster was securely locked, otherwise I'd have 'arf inched it! ;-)



The pitch itself was further along this drive, on the right.



Just inside the roadside entrance was this bar area & the changing rooms.



Coming into the ground it looks a typical basic running track ground, with grass banking on the far side.



But down the side we're on is a decent stretch of open terrace, with a small stand in the middle. Much as I have an aversion to running tracks, this side is decent, I begrudgingly admit to myself! ;-)



From this side we look across the pitch.



Moving further along, glancing across the pitch again, with some of the crowd in front of us.



A good shot of the stand, with the club crest at the back.



Moving round, there's more open terracing, and we catch a bit of one of the dugouts, in the corner of this shot.



From this corner of the ground you can see exactly why I don't like running tracks! Put me on top of the action anyday!



Behind the goal, up on the grass banking, the game seems distant.



Set back ,atop the banking, is this memorial of some sort. Sadly no plaque on it, of any description.



We've now moved all the way down the far side, this is the best shot I could get, with the sun shaded a little, I liked the benches running along the top.



Here we look back across to the main side.



A bit further along, similar view, from the corner.



And back to where we started.

FC Brandenburg 03; Berlin, Germany

I visited Sportpaltz Sommeringstrasse for a Landesliga Berlin match between the hosts FC Brandenburg 03 & SV Nord-Wedding in Spetember 2007. It was for a Sunday morning game, I went alone, as my two travelling friends, Tony & Tamara, bizarrely preferred to go to the 'delights' of Berlin Zoo instead!

There was a free eight page A5 black & white programme on the gate.


This is the entrance gate, from the road.




Simple hard standing behind this goal, chain fencing obstructing the view of the pitch.



Along the side is some open terracing. Further along is an open bench seated area.



Before we head there this a behind the goal again, the other side of the fencing.



This is the open seated area, nice on a sunny autumn morning like this.



Another angle, from the other side.



Across the pitch from this corner now, not the best of shots I must say!



It is also open standing behind the far goal.



But before we head round there we look back down the side, under the 'shady protection' of a tree.



No reason for taking this snap, apart from catching the two tight gits outside, who are saving themselves a whole three euros!



A little bit of goalmouth action as we move round.



From behind the goal we glance back down the side again.



Further along, at this end, there is some old terracing, and we see the terrace down the far side for the first time.



It stretches all the way down this side.



Trying to get some shade again, it was a nice warm weekend!



Further down, we look back down the terrace, as fans relax at half time.



The changing rooms are set in a building behind the terrace, which includes the bar. Here the visitors come out for the second half, & I settle down for that, having completed our tour of this German non-league ground.