A traditional trip: Into the heartlands of England's old-school grounds

Words: Frank Kowet

Images: Frank Kowet

Over Christmas and New Year’s day, there’s no football in the Netherlands. So the question arose: what should we do instead?

We quickly realised this was our chance to tick off Goodison Park before it gets demolished. After a stadium tour years ago, experiencing a match there was still high on the list.

So, we managed to secure tickets for Everton vs. Nottingham Forest. Although this meant we had to sit separately, it didn’t spoil the fun.

Anyone who has been to an Everton match before will agree that it’s mainly about the beautiful stadium. The football on both sides was very poor, and the atmosphere in the stadium was of a similar level. Forest won 0-2.

We explored Liverpool’s sights and nightlife. The next day, we traveled to Birmingham.

First, we were treated to an extensive private tour of St. Andrew’s, home of Birmingham City. They still have a very cool former main stand and a business lounge called ‘The Garrison,’ entirely themed after the Birmingham gang from the Netflix series Peaky Blinders.

In the evening, Aston Villa played Brighton and Hove Albion. Villa Park is still a genuinely traditional English stadium, with the highlight being the exterior of ‘The Holte End.’ Notably, there was a cozy but distinctly German-style fan zone outside the stadium—something we hadn’t expected at all. The match ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw.

The next day, we headed to London and our first stop was Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea, which we visited via a stadium tour.

The stadium has a lot of character and is notable for its relatively low capacity for a top club. Another fascinating feature is the presence of betting shops inside English stadiums, like here.

Before celebrating New Year’s Eve, we took one more stadium tour, this time at Craven Cottage, home of Fulham.

What a delight it is that both the Sir John Haynes Stand and the cottage itself are designated as heritage landmarks.

This entirely non-commercial stadium tour is highly recommended—you even get to enter the cottage!

The club makes excellent use of these historic buildings while contrasting them with a modern stand that generates a staggering 30% of the club’s revenue.

After the spectacular fireworks at the London Eye, the pièce de résistance of our trip awaited on New Year’s Day.

Following a hearty English breakfast, we visited some friends from our club, Go Ahead Eagles, who have a friendly connection with Luton Town.

At a pub in Luton, we met Mark, Perri, Justin, and Michael. Following their lead, we arrived at the stadium just moments before the players came onto the pitch—a very English tradition.

TV viewers might say, “What a dump,” but ‘The Kenny’ is a charming old-school football ground. It does lack standing terraces and beer in the stands, but otherwise, it’s a gem.

The classic English banter was clearly audible here, likely due in part to Luton’s poor results.

Fans were singing, “You’re nothing special, we lose every week,” towards the away end, cheering when a Luton player managed to clear the ball over the touchline, and sarcastically applauding when the manager made his first substitution in the 80th minute.

Yet, the bench includes players like Tim Krul, and Victor Moses came on but couldn’t make a single good touch. Luton lost again, this time 0-1 to Norwich City.

All in all, Kenilworth Road is a fantastic ground, and Luton Town has a great atmosphere. The new stadium is expected to be completed by 2029, so be sure to visit “shithole” Luton—as their own fans joke—while you still can.

©Frank/ Terrace Edition. Aston Villa FC.

©Frank/ Terrace Edition. Birmingham City FC.

Frank is on X: @frank_kowet

Boxing Day beauty

Everton, my first

A season on film

Aston Villa: More than gold

Reed 2024