IN April 2026, I completed my life’s ambition of watching a match at every Non-League ground in the country’s entire National League System.
Stretching from Cornwall to Northumberland, embracing Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and the Isle of Wight. I finished off this mammoth 45 year task at Fulwood Amateurs of the North West Counties League on Easter Monday.
And I was humbled when my personal landmark was featured on the main BBC1 Evening News as well as BBC Breakfast where I was a studio guest on the sofa.
But my groundhopping adventures are far from over! In fact, it is very much like painting the Forth Bridge. Because once you fulfil a certain objective, it is time to start all over again.
That’s definitely the case for me. Heading into the current 2026/27 campaign, I was suddenly faced with another 22 Non-League grounds on my radar.
There are new venues for existing clubs Workington, Woolton and Brimsdown/ Lymore Gardens (groundshare). Then of the 40-plus teams promoted to the NLS at Step 6, I’ve identified a tally of 19 grounds requiring visits for fixtures.
Accordingly, here are reflections on my first two groundhops this season - neither of which featured in football betting markets but were both enjoyable outings.
Anstey Town 0-5 Birmingham OJM
- When: Saturday 1st August 2026
- Kick-off: 3pm
- Where: DMU (De Montfort University) Beaumont Park, Bennion Road, Leicester, LE4 1ES
- Competition: The Capelli Sport Midland Football League Division One
- Attendance: 59
I had previously seen a match on the 3G pitch at this complex on 19th June 2022 when Leicester Atletico lost 3-2 at home to Tower United in the Somali British Champions League Semi-Final (attendance 88). So now it was an opportunity to return and take in an Anstey Town fixture utilising the adjacent grass pitch.
The club are freshly promoted to Step 6 having sealed runners-up spot in the Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division during 2025/26. Anstey itself is a village housing 7,700 residents. I underwent a straightforward 85 mile drive to Beaumont Park via the M1 motorway accompanied by my wife and daughter on a day out.
Ground description: Facilities are more than adequate to meet grading criteria incorporating a 100-seater stand and further covered terracing for 100 spectators.
Programme details: It was originally meant to be a 12 page online edition. However, Non-League aficionado Craig Dabbs of Groundhop UK kindly printed off some copies which the club sold for £1 at the entry hut.
Contents included manager’s welcome, club history, away team focus, Midland League table & results, matchday line-ups and specifics of parking at Beaumont Park.
The match: Anyone present holding sports betting knowledge would’ve fancied Birmingham OJM after last season’s fifth placed finish.
Indeed, they ran out comfortable winners thanks to strikes by Dan O’Sullivan penalty (10 minutes), Muhammad Suleman two (36, 60 mins), Kai Del-Kiffin (49 mins) and Shaquille McDonald penalty (88 mins).
Hemsworth Miners Welfare 0-2 Dearne & District
- When: Saturday 15th August 2026
- Kick-off: 3pm
- Where: Just Football MDC Stadium, Prince Drive, Fitzwilliam, Pontefract, West Yorkshire WF9 5FD
- Competition: The FA Vase First Round Qualifying
- Attendance: 115
A 146 miles drive up the A1. Hemsworth is a town with a population of 13,300. But another case of déjà vu since I had also been to Hemsworth Miners Welfare FC before.
It was on 25th August 2008 in the Northern Counties East League Division One for a 1-1 draw against Teversal (attendance 178) at their previous home which was called Fitzwilliam Stadium.
However, Hemsworth left the NCEL in 2023 due to ground grading issues. In particular, it was reported the pitch was several yards short of the size stipulated by the Football Association.
So they set about building a new stadium of the necessary standard on adjacent land. And promotion was earned back to Step 6 in the NCEL Division One as 2025/26 champions of the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League.
Ground description: Located just beyond the original pitch which is now 3G. The new enclosed arena is a work in progress and already has sturdy covered accommodation for 100 spectators. Floodlights will be installed in September.
Programme details: On sale at the main gate at £2 for 24 pages. Copies were being printed by enthusiastic programme editor Darcy Pugh when I arrived at 1pm.
Content offered an FA Vase welcome, manager’s notes, NCEL tables, fixtures & results, Dearne & District focus, a player profile, junior section, volunteer spotlight, club statistics and squad lists.
The match: Dearne & District would have attracted the attention of FA Vase betting enthusiasts sitting one tier above their hosts as members of the NCEL Premier Division.
Following a scrappy scoreless first half, D&D took control through goals from Owen Fieldsend (46 minutes) and Justin Circuit (58 mins).
Football grounds visited: 2,715.
