PARKSIDE
FA TROPHY PRELIM RD
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26
GROUND NO 220
ACCORDING to TripAdvisor's list of top attractions in Aveley, the best place to visit in the small Essex near the Dartford Crossing in Belhus Wood Country Park.
In fact, according to TripAdvisor it's the only attraction in Aveley.
We groundhoppers know better, of course, and we spare a thought for those feeding the ducks when they could be watching a match up the road.
Parkside, a modern £4.8m hub of footballing activity has been Aveley's home since as recently as 2017 when they left Mill Field, a stone's throw away, after 66 years.
With its 4G pitch and state-of-the-art main stand which incorporates a generous sized bar/function area, changing rooms and all he usual stuff, Parkside is very much in demand.
Fellow Isthmian League North club Grays Athletic groundshare there, as do May and Baker of the Thurlow Nunn League and it's available for community use too.
Aveley have fully embraced the modern way of life, even producing a download only programme, available by scanning a QR code on the bar window.
I decided to that too - holding a public poll on my new Twitter account to determine which game I should go to. Thanks for voting, everyone!
As a new build, Parkside is neat, tidy and functional but, you have to be honest, without a massive amount of character.
However it suits the club's needs perfectly and, let's face it, that's what we want, isn't it?
There's no point in playing at a rickety old ground that people who write non-league blogs drool over if it costs a fortune to maintain and therefore jeopardises the club's very existence.
And the architects back-heeled any thoughts of designing the main stand as a standard, symmetrical block - its roof sloping down at one end as if the giant wooden terrace statue at Dartford had hitched a ride through the tunnel and sat on it.
Parkside has covered seating on both sides of the pitch and bus shelter-style covered standing areas at each end - ideal on a wet and miserable day like this.
The latte from the tea bar went down a treat and the big screens in the bar showed both the early and late Premier League games on Sky as well as Soccer Saturday at half-time.
So there you go - there's much to like about Aveley's modern home. Someone had better tell TripAdvisor about it and offer an alternative to a day in the woods.
No comments:
Post a Comment