Royal Gembloux Sport; Belgium

Royal Gembloux Sport play in one of the regional divisions in the Namur region. Though I've not seen a game here I have passed it a number of times, as you can see it from the adjacent railway line. I actually saw them play last season, away to JS Fossoise.



This is the entrance from the road, the buildings being the club bar, and the changing rooms.



Believe it or not htis footballing caracature on the wall is the club crest!



Club initials on the gate.



As we enter we're at the corner of the pitch. Ahead of us is an open side, there is cover further along.



Behind the goal is the club facilities, and this strange hoarding, strange, because it's so big, and not facing the pitch. Maybe unusual is a better word.



Behind the goal is open hard standing.



This is the clubhouse.



Beyond that is this newer changing room block.



Here we look back behind the goal, directly into the sun, so not too clear.



Along the side, still open, are the dugouts.



Railed off, and narrow hard standing down the side.



From this side we look across the pitch, to the only cover in the ground, on the other side.



We are close to the dugouts now.



They look rather narrow too, not surprising, given the tightness of the ground.



Behind us is a basic, second railed off pitch.



Toward the corner, in the main ground, there are some paving slabs, for hard standing, of sorts.



Turning behind the goal it's just railed off & grassed.



From this corner we look behind us again, across to the second pitch.



Now we're behind the goal, looking through the net to the covered side.



A few paces to the left, and we now see the covered part clearly.



Along the final side now, not quite grassed, not wuite hard standing. A minor side road behind, the tarpaulin type perimeter fence won't keep many out!



The cover at last. Two narrow rows of 'bench seats'.



Or terracing. Take your pick really.



From the cover we look over to the dugouts.



Walking onto the pitch we look down to the end with the buildings.



And down the covered side, the train line runs behind it.



Now we're back at the entrance, with the ticket booth block. And that ends our walk round a typical minor Belgian ground.

Ashfield; Glasgow, Scotland

Ashfield play in the West of Scotland Superleague First Division, and are one of the oldest junior sides in Scotland. They play at Saracen Park, which has been their home since 1937. It is unusual for a Scottish Junior ground, not just because they are also home to Glasgow Tigers speedway, but in that they actually have a grandstand, rather than just a covered terrace.

I took these pictures in March 2010, I have yet to go there on a marchday, but have since been back for a speedway meeting, which you will see on the posting iimmediately below this one.




This is the entrance. I loved the old fashioned signage,on top of the concrete.



To the right of this entrance are these turnstiles, though I'm not sure if these are just for speedway meetings or not.



This is the sign on the back of the stand. CLEAR in it's assertion that this is Saracen Park. The bikers call it Ashfield Stadium.



A hoarding outside the ground, advertising the speedway.



By the main road is also this bar, the ground behind. Presumably this is their social club.



In the ground now, these are the 'speedway' turnstiles from inside.



As we come through them we are on this bank of terracing.



A close up of the large speedway billboard.



The bend of terrace narrows as curves round behind the goal. This leads to the 'pits' for rhe speedway.



This is as far as we can go, in this direction.



From this end we look across the pitch, to the terrace, & steep grass bank on the far side.



We are going to head back round the ground in the other direction. Here we see the terracing again, with the main stand, and more terracing, covered, beyond.



The front of the stand has the speeedway name on it, A Plant being their main sponsors, not the football ones.



The football name is also on it.



Nice old fashioned steps in the centre, at the front.



Here we see it full on from in front, on the track.



A quaint old sign to the changing rooms.



An extremely untidy but packed noticeboard is on the corridor wall.



As is this old commemorative sign. 1966? The year I was born!



I had a bit of a nose, as you do, & there were a couple of Ashfield officials holding a meeting in the boardroom. I asked to take a couple of pics, which they kindly let me do. they were friendly enough, but if truth be told I was struggling to understand their broad Glaswegian accents, so they may have thought I was a bit rude or untalkative. I didn't mean to... ;-)




Back outside again, we head up into the stand, presumably a limited capacity due to safety reasons, as it is wooden.



From the centre. looking upwards, we glance right.



The 'posh' seats in the centre.



And to our left, as we look upwards.



The same seats, this time to our right, as we turned round to face the pitch. Sounds confusing, but it's not!



Toward the other end of the stand we look across the pitch.



And to our left, where we see the covered terrace a little bit further along.



In front of the old stand is some terracing, which we can see here.



From down in front of the stand we now look across the track & pitch.



A similar shot, with an old scoreboard over the other side. It looks as though there may have been greyhound racing here in the past, as it looks like an old tote board type structure to me.



This is the covered terrace, further along this side, going up to the corner.



Here we stand toward the back of it.



And look across the pitch from under it.



Time to look back toward the mian stand, where we've come from.



In the top corner of the covered terrace is a tea bar.



Now we're heading to the open raised walkway behind the goal, which gives another look back at the terrace & main stand.



The shuttered buildings to our left is a bar area, presumably for speedway, as it has that sport's memorabilia on the walls.



A door was unlocked as there was a member of groundstaff about, so I took a quick snap inside.



A bit blurred, but this was on the wall.



And this old picture.



Outside again, we heading round to the far side.



From up here we look down the pitch.



In the other direction, through the protective speedway mesh, we look back at the main side.



As the buildings behind the goal are left behind more terracing opens up on this bend.



And this continues along the side.



From up on this corner, a bend I suppose, in speedway parlance, we look over the pitch again, from our elevated position.



Cracking (literally in places!) old open terracing down the full length of this side.



Here we look directly down it, with the banking clear behind it.



A close up of the terrace, by the crush barriers at the back.



At the front of the terracing we look back to the shuttered bar end.



And directly across the pitch, to the main stand.



Then over to the open steps on the far side, where we first came into the ground.



Up to the pits at the end now. This is a far as we go. This ground may have pits, but despite me not being a fan of running track grounds, this venue has been a delight to walk round, & are certainly not the pits for me!



The last few snaps are from on the pitch. Here we look to the mainly closed 'pits end'.



Turning to look at the open terracing along the side.



Then back to the shuttered bar end.



Round to the covered terrace.



And then the main stand.



Lastly the open terrace on the 'first bend'.