Many football fans follow their favorite team, no matter where. Ground the hoppers to be boring. You have to collect stadiums. Your Hobby is pushing you to the living circle of the League over the League – up to exotic destinations.
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Ground Hopping – Real Stadium Love
The game has already started, as Pedro plods still ever-and concentrated around the square. And counts. After about twenty minutes he returns to the three-tiered stone bleachers and announces the result: “139 it is.” So many viewers watch the game between JSK Rodgau and Rot-Weiß Darmstadt. Association League of Hesse, the sixth-highest German play class, on a cold, grey Thursday evening in September.
Pedro is ground hopper – and that’s not the only one among the 139 viewers. While other football fans try year after year, your stick collection to be complete, collect ground hopper stages. As well as Jonas Schulte. He is here for the first Time and “crosses the Ground”. So it’s called when you can tick a stadium off his list. The year is going well for Schulte, he is on track for a record: “two years Ago, my record year was, with 153. Since I will now come loose on it, I’m good at travel. But you have to say: I am only a small light. I know people that go to 250, maybe even 300 Games in a year!”, says Schulte.
Association League romance in the floodlit game in Rodgau.
Originating from England
The idea of the ground hopping comes from England. In 1974, the Briton Geoff Rose made a suggestion: Fans who have visited all 92 stadiums of the first four English professional leagues, should receive a special tie, which paid tribute to this achievement. Four years later, the “92 Club” was founded.
In the meantime, hopping, Ground and international, for example, in the Netherlands, but especially popular in Germany. An internationally valid set of “rules” for the overflow type, there is not. Some ground-hoppers to stay in your country, a lot of other travel abroad and collect “country points”. Some are limited to the top leagues, others make no difference. You should at least be a half time the game remained, before you jump to the next Ground. Also, since it is more stringent, at other times softer interpretations. The scene is organized rather loosely.
Bratwurst-Rating
A charming Detail are the habits that develop ground-hoppers are. Of a spectator, the other to stop counting the time, explains Jonas Schulte, while he is enabled with the Anpffiff of the arbitrator, his Timer. Others rate the sausages of the stages in accordance with quality and publish a Ranking in the network.
Although many ground-hoppers are, as a loner on the road – in Games, you meet again and again. Through the App, “ground-hoppers”, you can check the games officially and see what Hobby are colleagues on the spot. So you make new acquaintances, and discuss the past experiences or make plans for carpooling: “There are, admittedly, also games, the you busy. But to me, it is also important to see something from the game,” said Schulte.
Jonas Schulte (31) “collects” for ten years stages.
Collect In the country and abroad
But it’s not just about the Sport. “Overall, I’d say it’s more than just football. Also The Culture. It’s just cool to come for the first Time in a stadium, and this construct to look at. So in a game like today, okay, that you take with you, because you want to eventually have the League completely,” says Philipp Kunz, another ground hopper on the spot, while Red-White Darmstadt, Germany gets the game in Rodgau increasingly under control, and with 1:0 in the lead.
Kunz is always points on the hunt for “Countries”. In the 36 countries he looked now football, has just returned from a Balkan trip. “For the number, I can’t Pat myself on the shoulder,” stresses Kunz. Schulte said he recently met a ground hopper, had to be 200 countries points. For comparison: The FIFA has 211 national associations.
The search for a Particular
For Schulte, a trip to Slovakia, of course, associated with soccer. He does not focus on leagues to complete, but is looking for Associations with particular stages or stories: “The most beautiful story was that of the SV Willofs, who founded after over 20 years with his team new. This is not a village of 400 inhabitants, which actually have enough people. They have renovated the old stadium with wooden bleachers and the swamp that had formed in the square. The whole village is crazy to see football again. There I go again!”
After more than twenty years ago, there was football again in Willofs.
However, there are also negative experiences. Ground-hoppers are, as a Once-guests are not everywhere seen – diehard fan groups invite you to join in to the register. “As it is, then, either we are Boxing you out of the stadium to get out, or you give ten euros in the choreography-the checkout,” says Schulte. You should keep a low profile, little photograph.
The Hobby in everyday life
Many ground-hoppers plan their week after the Games. For the environment, often not an easy task: “understanding there is little acceptance of the more correct word,” says Kunz, I believe, is. Hobby-mate Schulte takes his partner often into the stadium. It is actually quite good with the everyday combine, says the Radio editor.
But it is also clear The week are usually scheduled, under the week of the celebration is evening rare with a sofa and a TV occupied, but often with stone steps and under-class football romance. Also a kind of Statement against the commercialisation of football.
No Playground, but a football grandstand: The stadium Karlovy Vary-Dvory in Czech Republic.
Sixth-tier vs. super Clasico
And while Red-White Darmstadt, leaves this evening in the sixth League to be a womanizer and a 3:0 victory at JSK Rodgau eintütet, there are also ground-hoppers the big Highlights, and dreams.
For Kunz, the opportunity to fulfill a long dream soon: “I’m flying in October to Argentina, as the super Clasico [games between Boca Juniors and River Plate – approx. d. Red.] set. If we get the cards, that the thing would be of course. Horny not any more!”