What Is Groundhopping? The art of wandering and wondering.

Words: Guirec Munier

Images: Guirec Munier

Groundhopping. This term has always displeased me. A sort of consumerist gorging applied to supporterism. The emptiness of Generation Z in the style of Netflix or TikTok wandering from stadium to stadium.

I must confess, I too scrupulously count all the games I have attended since my very first match. Does this fact make me a frenzied hopper or is it the ambivalence inherent to my astrological sign?

Being in my forties, my old fart side grows inexorably as the years go by. I’m sorry if I offend the sensibilities of some people.

So, what is groundhopping in 2024? Actively following your club home and away? Live an enriching and captivating experience far from your daily life by understanding football through a sociological and cultural prism? Trying to rediscover a certain idea of football from yesteryear? Frantically chasing matches as long as it increases your statistics on Futbology? The pursuit of something more?

Everyone has their own motivations and their own way of approaching groundhopping. I’m no one to judge what is good or not. Then, myself, I gradually came to terms with the fact that my place was probably in this brotherhood with multiple profiles.

© Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Leeds United FC.

However, one trend raises eyebrows. The ideological drift stigmatizing women's football. For a number of hoppers eager to join the 92 Club, women's football doesn’t have the same value as the football played by men when it comes to ticking off a stadium.

Would a Liverpool FC Women v Arsenal Women FC played at Prenton Park be worth less than Tranmere Rovers v Colchester? Knock me down with a feather! Many forget one thing, the main thing, we talk about going to watch football, living our passion as intensely as possible. Some hoppers have clearly taken the wrong career path and should have opted for law or accounting.

For my part, my last episode of binge gaming dates from Easter. I managed to schedule five games between Good Friday and Easter Monday. A long-thought-out programme because I only cross the Channel once or twice a year. To start, I headed to North Wales.

I wanted to judge the so-called Disneyfication of Wrexham AFC with my own eyes. As a result, there are many American and Canadian fans there but there is real enthusiasm from the local community and Disneyfication is still quite distant. A solid popular base that is a pleasure to see.

Then, for the second match, I chose to explore the City Ground. For about two years I wanted to soak up every element of the stadium and experience the atmosphere of the Trent End. Crossing the Trent Bridge with your eyes fixed on this place breathing the soul of football, a nice meeting with the legendary Ebby Kleinrensing, the red tide as kick-off approaches, the passion of Forza Garibaldi. A Saturday that we would like to experience every weekend.

© Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Nottingham Forest FC.

For my third stop, a new game at Anfield was a must. I love the city of Liverpool, its people, every street around the stadium, crossing Stanley Park from Goodison Park and its perpendicular streets. It has almost become a pilgrimage over time. And it was also my last opportunity to see Jürgen Klopp. What a man.

The fourth match took a while to decide. The embarrassment of choice or the choice of embarrassment. I hesitated for a long time between several options: Home Park, Memorial Stadium, Portman Road, Meadow Lane and Blundell Park.

Finally, my choice fell on the Mighty Mariners stadium in Cleethorpes. You know, the kind of stadium that is uneconomic, outdated and not fit for modern-day football. LMAO. The kind of peremptory opinion that is completely off the mark when we see its Victorian pitch, the wooden and steel frames of the Main Stand, the floodlights bought second-hand from the Wolves by the supporters,… I haven't regretted my choice for a single second.

I’m still moved by the view overlooking Blundell Park and the surrounding terraced houses from the bridge over the railway line between Harrington Street and the North Sea. Pure poetry.

To end this rich and intense weekend, a new visit to Elland Road slipped unexpectedly into the program. It was more of an opportunity than a real desire. I don't know why but I didn't have lasting memories of my first two visits to Leeds. Many parameters should make me love this city and this stadium but I have never been particularly touched by them. And this third visit was of the same ilk. Nice, nothing more. The fourth can wait.

In life, I always favour quality over quantity. Groundhopping is no exception to the rule. And as I got older, the purely footballing aspect took a back seat. I no longer remember precisely most of the games I saw, even the most recent ones.

On the other hand, I retain vivid memories of the emotions experienced during significant matches, even distant ones. So, what's the point of stacking games without thinking? The second part of my life will be dedicated to the quest for emotion. By all means.

©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Grimsby Town FC.

©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Wrexham AFC.

©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Liverpool FC.

Guirec can be found on Instagram: @jeanprouffisonfire

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