Hallam FC: I visited world's oldest football ground for oldest tournament, and was amazed by who was there
We all know Sheffield is steeped in football history. And it really does seem the rest of the world knows too.
It had been a long time since I had been to see Hallam, but this weekend, with the FA Cup starting, I went to take a look with my family.
The football season had not really got started yet, but the FA Cup had started with what they call the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round.
So we headed to Sandygate Road, near Crosspool to take a look.
We got there quite early, and the ground was easy to find, right next to Sandygate Road. The 51 bus stopped nearby.
The stadium itself may be the oldest in the world in terms of how long football has been played there, but it is pretty modern. It has a decent sized grandstand, and a small area of covered terrace, and then plenty of space around the pitch. Hallam play in Northern Counties East League Premier Division, which is the ninth tier of English football.
The first happy surprise was when paying to get in. Tapping my card against the machine, it cost only £6 per person to get in for the match, against a team called Lower Breck, from Liverpool. Having arrived early enough, we sat town in the stand.
The stadium snack bar had a good range of foods, with chips, pasties and hot dogs, as well as hot and cold drinks. And you could still see the pitch from the queue. We got a coffee each, for £2, which felt like good value for a hot drink.
We sat down and waited for kick off, After plenty of presentations before the game, the action started - on a pitch that has the sort of slope that all of us who have played matches in Sheffield’s parks in the local leagues know well.
It made for a game that I could identify with. Also rather endearing was the sight of players or ball boys having to pop into the foliage behind one of the goals to find a ball at one stage before kick-off, also something many of us know well!
The game was full blooded, and enjoyable, the away side taking the lead with a penalty in the first half, and blue-shirted Hallam hitting back with two second half headers. All the of goals came from the team kicking up hill.
The experience had all you’d expect from football at any level. No, it wasn’t Hillsborough or Bramall Lane. But there were the supporters in their blue replica blue Hallam shirts, a mixture of fans wearing the current designs, and those from previous seasons. There were the banners displayed by both the home fans and the away fans.
And, in the best tradition of away fans, there was a noisy Lower Breck following, having travelled 80 odd miles to an away game.
Heading off, having watched Hallam stay in the cup, there was even a club official on the gate personally thanking fans for coming, as they left.
Chatting to other fans on my way out, among nearly 700 who had attended, I was surprised to find it was not just people from Sheffield and Liverpool at the game - there were also tourists who had come from thousands of miles away, who knew about the history.
One German spectator said he had come because he knew of the history of Hallam. He said: “I’m a football fan, and I like to see other football games. I’m from Germany supporting Bayer Leverkusen.”
Another told the Star he had come from Kuwait. He said: “I came all the way from Kuwait. So it’s far out, and this is my first visit to Hallam Football Club. I like non league football, the atmosphere has been excellent. We had a wonderful journey, and I like it because it’s the oldest stadium in the world.”
He said he had also been to see games in Leeds and London.
But for another, a season ticket holder, it was all about supporting his team.
He said he loved the atmosphere and the celebrations. He said: “It’s a just a good game of football, and honest, a bit different from going to watch a professional game. You have a drink while you’re at the match, get food, and everything. It’s the overall occasion.”
An my view? It was one of the of the cheapest afternoons of great entertainment you’ll find in the city, making for a great value experience.