Essex Senior League Grounds

[SaafEssex]

2 years ago the Essex FA closed down Basildon United's Gardiners Close because of the state of the changing rooms which at the time was fair enough. But they also complained about the fencing around the ground, around the pitch and the state of the footpaths around the pitch.

 

Having been to all but 2 grounds in the Essex Senior League (Waltham Abbey and Romford) I can't beleive that Basildon got pulled up on these things and several other clubs get away with it.

 

Rules:-

No chain link fencing is allowed around the ground as people can look in through it,

There must be a hard surface around the pitch,

The ground must be surrounded by proper fencing to stop people seeing in or gaining access.

 

Barkingside

Quite a nice ground, now owned by Sky's very own Ford United I believe. The changing rooms here are very nice.

'Oakside' passes.

 

Basildon United

A lot of work has been done to the ground over the last 2 seasons. The changing rooms are now tidy and all necessary repairs have been done. The pitch is the best it has been for years. The pitch is surrounded by a hard surface and the ground surrounded by fencing. There are 3 covered areas, one with proper seating and another with old wooden seats. Plans for a new ground will be known about by December.

Gardiners Close passes.

 

Bowers United

A dark and untidy ground. The only people that could see the ground from the outside are those living in the houses around it. The changing rooms are small but adequate.

Crown Avenue passes.

 

Brentwood

A pitch surrounded by chain link fencing except for a hedge where the pitch backs onto the car park. Whether or not you could say that the road chippings surrounding thet pitch is a hard surface or not is arguable. The flood lights point straight down on the pitch to avoid blinding driverson the nearby motorway. There is no seating and only a small covered area but you can see the game from the club house. Changing rooms are OK.

Brentwood Centre fails.

 

Burnham Ramblers

One of the best grounds in the league, a large main stand and a covered area on the opposite side. The changing rooms are nice.

Leslie Fields passes with flying colours.

 

Concord Rangers

Concord spent quite a bit of monet improving their ground several seasons ago in the hope the could go into the Rymans. Unfortunately they can't go anywhere because of the gas works behind their ground. Changing rooms are small and the showers are a strange design.

Thames Road passes.

 

Enfield Town

Ground sharing with Brimsdown Rovers is that you have to play at a sh*t ground. The pitch was terrible, the path only goes around 2 sides of the pitch, there is a small covered area but I think they move the cows off the pitch and into there. There is no fencing around the ground so anyone can gain access from any area, many people walked in through a gap in the bush or via the cricket pitch.

It wouldn't surprise me if a club that size soon moves into a Ryman standard ground and into a decent league. They, like Leyton before them are waste din this league.

Goldsdown Road fails

 

Eton Manor

Wadham Lodge is a Ryman standard ground and rightly so, a large main stand which only gets filled when Pennant are at home or when Enfield Town are in.

Wadham Lodge passes.

 

Hullbridge Sports

Another pitch surrounded by chain link fencing. The pitch is always uneven when I've been there. A tiny covered area with less than 10 seats in the ground.

Lower Road fails

 

Ilford

Now playing in a sports stadium. The main stand is large and there is plenty of room. The changing rooms are small and generally in adequate. After the games everyone heads over to the Cauliflower pub on the other side of the road, a stuffy and uncomfortable place but Ilford are in the process of building a club house and changing rooms in the stadium.

Cricklefield Sports Stadium passes as it is 'work in progress'

 

Saffron Walden Town

They supposedly spent a lot of time improving the pitch, well it still slopes and stays wet for ages. The main stand is ancient and possibly a fire hazard and it's totally wooden. The changing rooms are tiny but the ground is totally surrounded by fencing and a path that surrounds the majority of the pitch.

Catons Lane passes but must try harder...

 

Sawbridgeworth Town

Along with Enfield Town one of the worst ground in the league. Tiny changing rooms with 3 showers. One and a hlaf dugs, access to the ground from 2 sides of the ground and a poor pitch.

Crofters End fails and is bottom of the pile.

 

Southend Manor

Good size changing rooms, hard surface around the pitch and a large covered stand. When the hedges behind the dugouts are cut it is possible to see into the ground it's not to bad.

Southchurch Park passes.

 

Stansted

Small changing rooms and showers, a small covered stand which the pitch slopes towards. Tiny dugouts and access to the pitch via the cricket pitch on one side of the ground. A hard surface around 2 sides of the pitch.

Hargrave Park fails

 

Woodford Town

Share with Clapton FC, a covered all seated stand on one side and a scaffold covered stand on the opposite side. Enormous dugouts. An untidy ground with inadequate facilities, I don't know how Clapton get away with it in the Rymans.

The Old Spotted Dog fails.

 

Remember people, this is just my opinion.

[matthew oliver]

well im pleased to know that crocklefields passes because if it didnt there would be something very wrong with the rules.

[Willow Street Ender]

Pretty good assessment Colufan, Enfield / Brimsdown being in Middlesex does not come under ECFA jurisdiction. Why don't you try sending your observations to the powers that be, although if you did get any response it would probably be the usual waffle.

[SaafEssex]

I would have thought that the Essex FA would have something to say about the ground as they are playing in an Essex League.

 

I doubt they'll be in this tin-pot league much longer.

[Cyclops]

Hopefully Brimsdown will have a decent ground in the next couple of years and, if we are still there, ETFC and the ESL will also benefit from that.

 

BTW, you didn't mention that Burnham Ramblers have a superb pitch. There are clubs higher up the Pyramid that would be jealous of it.

[Guest]

Burnham's pitch ios one of those I haven't actually been on. I'm told that it's nice though...

[Guest]

This so called "tin-pot" league has seen 31 years history in the non-league game, three F A VASE successes and more clubs promoted to the Isthmian League than any other individual feeder (according to the handbook). The Essex Senior League has never confessed to be a Conference or Ryman League but a County "feeder" and in non-league circles its got a good name. I have never seen or heard of a rule that does not allow chain-link fencing though it would not pass Ryman grading who insist on "no-see through" fencing. The vitally important thing regarding ground facilities is that they are NOT DANGEROUS - maybe that is what happened at Basildon though I have to agree that it is now a pleasure to visit. Rumour has it on the circuit that Level three leagues in the Pyramid are to have ground grading done by the FA who will be looking for a common criteria at that level . Have you ever been " up north" in a Vase game ? Some of the grounds don't even come up to your "fail" standard in the ESL . What a shame that, having written an interesting though personal "appraisal" of the grounds, our "fan" should run down the league by calling it "tin-pot" ? Now that I have got that of my chest , I would certainly suggest that the fence around a few clubs pitches should be covered in by linked fencing or boards and a seated stand should be compulsory so that my gran and grandad can go and watch with me and some of our writers "fails" could become "passes" !

[Guest]

Hopefully the standards will help improve ground facilities and attract more people to the clubs.

 

I know Basildon used to get a good crowd in the 80's when they were up in the Rymans League. During the 97/98 season I saw Basildon play Concord in front of 400 people and the same for the away fixture a fe weeks later.

 

I say tin-pot as practically every other league played in by local teams gets coverage in one way or another. The clubs get decent crowds and can attract good players. Saying that the players have to come some where and there has been a lot of players leave the ESl for bigger and better things. Stuart Wardley springs to mind...

[Willow Street Ender]

The ESL sits at the bottom of the non-league pyramid and nobody with an ounce of common sense would expect too much in the way of facilities. All member clubs do their best and the efforts of clubs like Burnham Ramblers are commendable. The ESL is a very friendly set-up and interaction between rival supporters is excellent I am delighted that Romford have returned to the fold, I am now able to attend most games, home and away, an all together enjoyable experience.

[Dave Hedgehog]

I quite agree about the facilities at ESL grounds - as long as the grounds are safe for both players and supporters, there must be some common sense applied to the standard of facilities. Quite how some clubs survive at all is a miracle. I know how hard it is to keep Romford going, with a reasonable number of supporters. Just how the likes of Eton Manor, Hullbridge and Woodford get by is quite simply amazing amazing and if they were forced to put money into improvements they would probably fold. Did the person who started this thread ever have the pleasure of a visit to East Ham's Ferndale?

[The Invisible Man]

Thank you for your kind words about Enfield Town. As mentioned above, it is intended to improve facilities at Goldsdown Road, but in the meantime we are grateful to our hosts for giving us the chance to play at all.

 

I guess the ESL is not actually bottom of the pyramid as most parallel leagues have more than one division. Further, there is Internediate and Junior football below that. But I quibble.

 

Burnham is indeed sup[erb but I wonder if they will comply with the Disabililty Discrimination Act, as although there is a lift giving access to the bar at first floor level, I do not believe there is such provision for the tea bar. Apologies if I am wrong.

 

I also find Basildon a very pleasant place to visit. I also thoroughly enjoy trips to Sawbo (but I will miss our trip on Saturday.)

 

To hell with it, the whole damn league is great fun!

[ETFC Neil]

Boro 92, I once went to East Ham FC in my ground hopping days. It certainly was an experience and I seem to remember a 6.45pm k/o, so no floodlights I would say. My fave non league ground (changing the subject) was the Wolverton MK with its amazing and imposing workhouse along the one side of the pitch. Lewes and their bowl of a ground also has a certain charm on a summers day but is dire in the winter.

[Dave Hedgehog]

You should have seen the place with the lights on - they were the type that, when they came on, the place got darker! They were also on pylons which were not very high and often the ball went above the range of the lights - and completely out of sight until it re-entered the Ferndale atmpshpere! I once took a walk across the pitch (no, not during a game!) and was amazed to find that, although it was quite green, none of the vegetation was actually grass. Reuben Gane used to claim that it was a conservation area as it was home to many previously unknown species of plants and wildlife, many of which actually lived in the dressing rooms.

On a slightly more serious note, though, the geneal standard of ESL grounds compares pretty well with other Leagues of similar level in the Pyramid - we went to Desborough in the FA Cup this year and, quite frankly, the place was even worse than East Ham.

[matthew oliver]

yeah blah blah blah, ilfords still the best.....

[Guest]

Well hello Mo. Thanks for adding a touch of class to this thread.

 

See you soon.

 

Up the Boro.

 

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[matthew oliver]

as always, its a great pleasure.

[Guest]

That thread on the ESL grounds was very interesting. Something not normally found. Which would you say has given the best overal package this season. Meaning going to a game. Food. Good view of pitch. Most welcoming home club. Best fan facilities?

I only found out about Enfields website this evening. I will be checking out the other soon.

[The Invisible Man]

Personally I would say that Burnham Ramblers is probably about the best overall. Excellent new stadium, first class facilities (quibble about the first floor tea bar excepted). The burgers were very good.

 

I would put Bowers a good second. Nice clubhouse, not a bad stadium, far end needs tidying a bit.

 

Romford share at Ford (although Ford aren't there any more!) which is quite a good stadium but I didn't go in the bar or anything. Eton Manor won our Burger League last year, but the ground (which is Leyton Pennant's) is a bit iffy. Nice bar though. Concord also have quite a nice clubhouse but a mediocre (although adequate) stadium. Much the same could be said for Brentwood.

 

Yes I know we are about the worst! Woodford (Clapton) must be next worst. One could criticise Sawbo and Stansted but they have there own charm and they are nice people.

 

That's my humble op.

[matthew oliver]

where do romford play now?

[The Invisible Man]

Ford United's old ground.

 

Ford now play at Barkingside.