Shortlisted for the 2023 Illustrated Sports Book of the Year

Remarkable Football Grounds is a collection of some of the most memorable places to watch and play football around the world.

Ranging from the stellar stadiums of the Premier League to windswept islands in the Scottish Hebrides or the far-flung Pacific, including stadia that resemble flying saucers, a crocodile and an armadillo! Remarkable Football Grounds features a range of the oldest, biggest, highest, quirkiest and furthest flung stadia and the stories behind their existence. Italian Serie B team Venezia can be reached by canal, with moorings nearby; Bamburgh Castle football ground lies in the shadow of a Game of Thrones-scale fortress, while Estadio Silvestre is a full-size pitch on the roof of a building in Tenerife.

Some of the oldest, storied stadiums are here, including Anfield for Liverpool, Fulham, which has a tunnel under the pitch and the two Dundee football clubs, that have sizeable grounds, Tannadice and Dens Park, just 183 metres (200 yards) apart.

At the quirkier end of the scale, the Aveiro stadium in Portugal looks like a giant children's playset, while in Gangwon, South Korea, the football pitch doubles as a ski jump landing area.

Many of the stadiums come with spectacular views. The Faroe Islands have produced some strong football teams in the past and many of their grounds are set in picture perfect landscapes. The same can be said of Norway's Lofoten Islands where flat land is at a premium and the pitch sides are used for drying fish. In Slovakia, the Janosovka football pitch has a narrow gauge railway that runs between the pitch and the grandstand.

Others are located in some of the most dangerous parts of the world. Nobody loves the 'away' fixture at Coroico which entails tackling the 'Death Road'.

Grounds include: the impressive new Qatari World Cup venues, Wembley Stadium, Camp Nou, Monaco, Old Trafford, Allianz Arena, Petrovsky (Zenit St.Petersburg), Trogir in Croatia, Longgang in China and the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

An illustrated guide to the world's perfect soccer pitches - Shortlisted for 2023 Illustrated Sports Book of the Year

About the Author

The first football ground that Ryan Herman visited was Upton Park on Saturday, April 27, 1978, when Liverpool beat West Ham 2-0. His first published article appeared in the launch issue of FourFourTwo magazine in 1994. Around the same time, he started his first full-time job as a sports reporter, ticking off new grounds every other week as he travelled the country covering Chelsea, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers. He has written for a broad range of titles including The Rugby Journal, SportBusiness, as well as GQ where he wrote about his experiences at the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. He is currently a regular contributor for The New European newspaper covering sport and social issues.

Reviews

'Any fan of the beautiful game will fall for this gorgeous coffee-table book. A tour of the most incredible venues from the Hebrides to far-flung Pacific islands - it's a visual treat combined with some fascinating backstories'
Deirdre O'Brien, Best magazine

'With the world once again open for travel, this book serves as the perfect guide for those wishing to take in a stadium or two. Groundhoppers unite!'
Pitch magazine

'Should the groundhopping community need a sacred text, Herman's book would make for a spectacular bible. It features jaw-dropping photographs of nearly 100 stadia around the world that each offers visitors something extra.'
Esquire.com

'The perfect gift for football fans.'
My Weekly

'Awe-inspiring photos of the world's most remarkable football pitches.'
CNN Style

Book Information
ISBN 9781911682202
Author Ryan Herman
Format Hardback
Page Count 224
Imprint Pavilion
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 1370g
Dimensions(mm) 250mm * 285mm * 22mm