FOOTBALL GROUNDS - 15TH EDITION

First published in 1993, this book has been a fixture in our catalogues ever since. Published in August at the start of the new football season, Aerofilms Guide: Football Grounds has become an indispensable reference guide for fans going to away matches and each edition regularly sells out. This 15th edition, which has had a make-over, has again been fully revised and includes information on the many ground alterations that have been completed over the past 12 months.
The past season has again been one of considerable change for football both on and off the pitch. New managers, new strips, new players, renewed optimism and sometimes, black despair; these are some of the things which fans have to come to terms with each season. Football grounds are being improved and extended all the time. For example, from the start of the 2006/7 season the capacity of Old Trafford was increased to 75,000, making it the largest football league ground in Britain, though even this goliath is still, in terms of capacity, some way behind many overseas grounds, such as FC Barcelonas Nou Camp stadium with its capacity of 96,000.
The year 2007 has also seen, at last, the long awaited and much delayed opening of the controversial new Wembley Stadium. Further down the league pyramid, though many of the smaller clubs have to battle to survive in a harsh financial environment, considerable investment continues to go into the various grounds around the country. This new edition should feature for the first time Shrewsbury Towns brand new ground, the New Meadow, assuming of course that the Blues stay in the league!
As well as providing information on new stadia, the Aerofilms Guide also records work and improvements which have been made at existing grounds around the country and, as always, it reflects the fact that each year two familiar names disappear from the guide as two clubs are relegated from League Two to be replaced by two promoted from the Nationwide Conference.
The book includes an aerial photo-map of each ground allowing the reader to locate the stadium in relation to the surrounding area and also has useful information on public transport facilities, where to park and much else. The 15th edition again includes updated plans of the grounds identifying blocks and disabled facilities and also provides a brief sketch of each clubs season. All of which makes the Aerofilms Guide: Football Grounds the best illustrated guide for the travelling football supporter of Premier League and Championship football in England and Wales.