Hoppers do it Anywhere
New Beginning for Newbiggin AFC Newbiggin are one of the latest two teams to join the Northern League for the first time in their history. They join Durham United in their newly-earned NL Division Two status and will look to kick off the new season with a bang. That won’t be an easy task, with…
Back to Grassroots (Atchoo!) The 2025/26 Hoppers Guide season starts with a friendly game between Brandon United and Esh Winning. Not the sort of glamour tie that kids dream of, maybe, but two local sides where community means more than money. After my successful avoidance of the horrendous Club World Cup, while players should have…
Third Time Lucky Having attempted to visit Stockton Town on two previous occasions, hopefully, today goes smoothly and I finally achieve the goal. If you are reading this, then we can safely assume I did… The first time I attempted a trip to Bishopton Road West coincided with the local bus company staff deciding to…
Oh! Hebburn is a Place on Earth This would be my second visit to Hebburn Town, and I was looking forward to seeing the progress made. In Hopper tales #37, Hebburn Town were in the NPL East Division but have since been promoted to the Premier Division. A new stand has also been constructed since…
Almost Done! Newton Aycliffe and Stockton Town are the only teams left for me to visit who play above Northern League level. Today was all about making that just one left to visit, as I headed south to Newton Aycliffe. The visitors were Belper Town, a friendly Derbyshire club we have already visited and made…
Oh, I do Like to be Beside the Seaside… Today saw us heading south, to Marske, or Marske-by-the-Sea to give it its full Sunday name, on the fantastic Northeast Coast. I’m lucky enough to live in an area with several coastal teams to visit, which means plenty of opportunities for fresh sea air and, more…
A Double Game Weekend I have visited North Shields before but with the FA Vase games starting to spread out over the country, the closest and easiest game to get to was here, at the Daren Persson Stadium. It would be the first fixture of a rare double-game weekend for Hoppers Guide! Tickets for Rangers…
Landlords versus Tenants Both Sunderland West End and Chester-Le-Street United, currently call the Ford Hub Complex home. I have visited the complex before but neglected to do a blog review at the time. So, with both of today’s teams calling the ground home, it was a perfect opportunity to rectify that prior neglect. With Stoke…
Washington? How Capital! This weekend saw us head to Washington! Nope, not that one, the less famous original version in the Northeast of England. As someone lucky enough to have visited the USA’s capital city, it was interesting to find out that there was a connection between the two places. More on that later. Most…
The Other Prudhoe This week we headed to the town of Prudhoe, for a game between two teams sharing the same ground. Both Newcastle University and Prudhoe Youth Club call Essity Park ‘home’. Despite sometimes being called ‘The Essity Park Derby’, neither of today’s teams owns the ground. Prudhoe Town men’s team folded during the…