Best grounds

[Badger]

Details on the ESL grounds please, as I've only been to two so far, Enfield Town and Basildon.<P>Any info would be good, but I like my burger at half time and I drink Beer, not Lager. But also stuff like parking and local facilities and stuff, as I usually have to combine my footie with a shopping trip for the mother-in-law.

[NeilArrow]

Barkingside is my favourite so far. Stands all the way round, good bar/clubhouse, and a top snackbar with nice burgers.<BR>Pitch was a bit of a sandpit though.

[The Invisible Man]

Yes but Barkingsides' stands are all made of scaffold poles and bits of 4 by 2, and sheets of roof were blowing off the main one.<P>I thought Burnham was about the best and newest, albeit it a bit odd. It looks a bit like a railway station. Eton Manor was ok but its not really theirs.<P>I probably enjoyed Saffron Walden most of all though, because its so bizarre and has a nove view of the church. How quaint.<P>Just wait till we get one...

[SaafEssex]

I have visited most of the grounds in the league now.<BR>Barkingside's ground was bought by Ford United so will need to be good as it is a few divisions above us.<BR>Basildon United's ground has improve a great deal since Steve Wheeler has taken over. Hopefully we will be able to move to a new ground within a few years which will is good enough for us to go up.<BR>Bowers United have spent a lot of money on their ground and it looks far better than it did.<BR>Brentwood has one of the grounds that I think shouldn't be allowed in the ESL. We were told that we couldn't have chainlink fencing around the ground as people could watch for free. Brentwood has it around 3 sides of their pitch and I've seen people come out of the Brentwood Centre and watch the game through the fence! They haven't got any stands or seating outside either.<BR>Burnham Ramblers have got one of the best grounds in the league with a large main stand but not much room around the other sides of the pitch.<BR>Concord Rangers spent money on their ground a few years ago and it looks very tidy.<BR>Enfield Town is one of the grounds I haven't been to but from what i've heard it is a very poor quality ground, another one that isn't to league standards.<BR>Eton Manor have a nice ground at Wadham Lodge but as they ground share with Leyton Pennant it's hardly surprising.<BR>Hullbridge Sports have another poor ground, surrounded by chain link fencing on 3 sides of the pitch.<BR>Ilford have their pitch in a sports stadium so the ground is quite good but there is no bar or club house so you have to go over the round to the nearby pub.<BR>Leyton is another ground I haven't been to.<BR>Saffron Walden's ground isn't anything special, the main stand is terrible.<BR>Sawbridgeworth is the worst ground in the league, no stands or seating, poor pitch and dugouts and a poor clubhouse.<BR>Southend Manor have a large stand and quite nice club house.<BR>Stansted have a passable club house, a pitch which slopes towards the stand and no fencing between the pitch and the cricket pitch behind it.<BR>Woodford Town play at the Old Spotted Dog, home of Clapton FC, I haven't been there but apparently it's not a nice ground.

[ETFC Neil]

Never mind what are the best grounds in the league, I think we oughta continue what started on the ETFC forum and continued in Centre Spot, and discuss the burning issue of the day. Chiefly - best burger in the ESL. The leader so far has to be Concord Rangers, closely followed by Basildon United. We all know the loser already... a certain man who appeared to not want our custom on the south coast

[Badger]

I know ETFC have got the best barmaids. But then, I've known one of them for years, so I'm biased.<p>[ 18 October 2001: This message was edited by: Badger ]

[The Invisible Man]

ETFC Neil - you mentioned burgers so its inevitable that I have to chip in.<P>I too was denied the chance to sample the south coast burger. I must point out that I only just got a burger at Saffron Walden for similar reasons and I missed the first goal through waiting for it. And of course Sawbo don't actually sell burgers.<P>I didn't get to Concord so I welcome views from all on whether they are better than Basildon (my favourite) and Eton Manor, many people's first choice. And can anyone confirm whether Basildons van was actually a ringer, as discussed on the ETFC board, and if so should they be deducted Burger League points for cheating, or given extra points for initiative, foresight and cunning?

[SaafEssex]

I now know where the worst ground in the league is. Hullbridge Sports may be a bloody awful ground but Enfield's takes first prize.<BR>Basildon was closed by the league last seasons as the changing rooms were in bad condition and there were a few holes in the fences surrounding the pitch enabling people to gain free access to the match. The work was done and the league allowed us to re-open but it is beyond me how Enfield Town ever got Essex Senior League status at that dump.<BR>At the end of the game several people walked through there gardens to there houses and a group of kids ran to the corner of the ground and left. There were also people that walked across the cricket pitch to watch the game.<BR>The pitch was in poor condition, bald or going bald in places and was far from flat. There is no seating and the bus shelter behind (one of) the dugouts is **** .<BR>Grounds are supposed to have hard surfaces surrounding the pitch, not just one end and one side of it. <BR>The fencing around the pitch is supposed to have chain link fencing under it to stop the ball going under the fence and it helps if the fence is level!<P>On the upside, the club house is nice, the support is good and the programs are easily the best in the league by far...

[The Horse'sMouth]

I must agree but bearing in mind the time we had to get a ground we didn't do bad. I personally like the set up at Burnham but the Concord Rangers bar maid made that trip worth doing on her own.<P>THM

[The Invisible Man]

THM, you are clearly besotted with the Concord barmaid. I can't comment as I couldn't make that game, but the barmaid at Barkingside tickled my fancy.

[The Great Eckscape]

Has anybody been to Purfleet? Prior to the Foot & Mouth Crisis they made their famous 'Fleet Burger.' Expensive, but it was a huge burger and sometimes meant that people could not fit out of the turnstiles on the way out due to doubling their body weight!!!

[ETFC Neil]

Glenn, I have tried the Fleet Burger - and lived - at Purfleet, otherwise known to Enfield FC fans as 'Bates Motel... the house on the hill'.<P>I've always liked Purfleet's ground. The best scam we ever pulled there was the family entrance ticket. 2 adults and the 2 kids go in free. The thing being, the 19 year old kids lol. Statto was one of the kids, but who was the other? Psssst... no telling on me eh?

[Guest]

Back to the grounds thing...<P>Clapton's ground was closed by the Ryman League, so presumably Woodford couldn't play there either? Has it reopened? A word of warning - it's horrific...

[Keemo]

AFCHx have the best ground and facilities

[theofficeboy]

Personally speaking I like Stansted (having sponsored them in the past!) and having lived there for years.

 

Sawbo if for no other reason than big Dave (used to be tannoy man at Bishop's Stortford and now does the ladies at Sawbo - oooooh err) and the Gate pub round the corner, which serves a bloody good ale or 5.

 

Brentwood's bar facilities are good and very reasonable.

 

Barkingside, so I can meet up with my old mucker Jimmy Chapman hopefully, for whom I have the utmost respect, and the ground is good for a bit of behind the goal banter (you know what I mean Chappers!)

 

Burnham because it is a very good facility (and we fear you next season) and I used to sail a lot in those parts and got to know the pubs and the old soaks who probably watch them.

 

Tilbury, like the main stand and always enjoyed watching footie there (I know he's gone now, but Gary Kimble was a legend for me).

 

Romford, well what can you say. My mate Lord Gooders of Bishop's Stortford never has a bad word to say. But you may have your own thoughts. The few supporters I have met are genuinely decent guys who enjoy proper beer (not this gassed up laaaaaager [****!!****])

 

The rest, humble apologies, but don't know you.

[Lightweight]

What the F......... Keemo what are you on. Have you been trawling the archives or what. I hope I can put it down to humour. Thats at least 5 of you that have one. Carry on like this and I might even start liking you lot..................NAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!

[Lightweight]

But Stanstead play on playdough.

[Keemo]

I thought i would go delving into the past and see what we used to talk about and the ground thing seemed apt

[TB&G]

And me TOB. I'm a Real Ale man too. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/icon14.gif" alt="" />