What Grounds Are You Looking Forward To

These are grounds I haven't been to before that I'd like to visit this coming season:

Shrewsbury
Dag and Red
Chesterfield
Lincoln
Rotherham
Aldershot (for similar reasons to Rob!)
Port Vale
Burton
Northampton

And there's a few, such as Crewe, Notts County and Barnet, that I'm sure I'll be going to again.

Lewis Hopes we draw Arsenal in the FA Cup so we can go to the Emirates and thrash 'em three nil! Tim Sills to score a first half hat-trick! Premiership teams aren't a patch on the good old local lower league teams! Too much money and not enough fan connection addling their brains. Thank God for teams like Torquay. The life-blood of English football!

I'd have to challenge you on that Graham.......................I've never seen anything as comprehensive as Arsenal's "fan connection" and their contribution to the local community where I live (within sight of the Emirates Stadium) is second to none.

Every estate (and there are so many in the L.B. of Islington) benefits from Arsenal's investment in football facilities with 3G surfaces rapidly and now almost completely replacing the old red shale or concrete/tarmac arenas or "cages" as we refer to them up here.........all floodlit and all catering for football and basketball. A vast team of community coaches, organisors and mentors travel the borough supervising ad hoc small sided tournaments ( my son had just come in from one such event battered and bruised, exhausted and hungry just as I was going to bed last night!) It's a common sight to see an Arsenal Youth Worker resplendent in his club tracksuit, footballs slung over his shoulder in a net bag and dragging a huge kit bag on wheels getting onto a bus round here as they go off on another assignment. My kids'primary school has an "Arsenal staffed After School Club" every Wednesday, as do many other schools.

There is "Arsenal Positive Futures", a combination of play, recreation and learn facilities with learning venues all around the borough for after school hours, weekends and holidays. Similar groups are welcomed into the Emirates to use the vast corporate areas for further creative events; there are "Senior Citizens' Clubs". Only two days ago I did a job for Arsenal FC and their official charity for the season just completed..................."The Teenage Cancer Trust" and just last week the Gunners drew a crowd of over 33,000 for their FA Youth Cup Final first leg with Liverpool by only charging a fiver for adults and two quid a kid which gave opportunity for the many thousands of underprivileged and single parent children around here the chance to actually watch a game in the vast stadium that dominates the local skyline.

Seats were "unreserved and un numbered" thus we were able to sit in the very best area which would have cost us in the region of ninety quid a piece for a first team game by getting there early enough and the football was absolutely top drawer and played in a great atmosphere!