Base of the Pyramid
  • Home
    • About
  • Blog
  • Hops, Stats & More
    • Ground Hops
    • Match Details
    • All Time Hop Stats
    • Teams
    • Guest Blogs
  • SRWFL
    • SRWFL Archive
    • SRWFL Match Blogs
    • SRWFL Team Directory
    • SRWFL SoReg Review

My Love of Non-League - Tony Incenzo

5/3/2016

1 Comment

 
TalkSport presenter and ground-hopper extraordinaire Tony Incenzo talks about his love of non-league football, how it all began, entering the Guinness Book of Records, watching a match behind bars and what the future holds as a ground-hopper.
​
MY LOVE OF NON-LEAGUE FOOTBALL
by Tony Incenzo of talkSPORT Radio
(twitter: @TonyIncenzo)
 
IN THE BEGINNING
I’ve been watching Non-League football on a regular basis since I was 10 years old. What I like most is that the players, club officials and supporters are there for the love of the game. The true spirit of football exists at Non-League level.
 
I grew up in North-West London and I was taken by my family to see my local club QPR as a child in the 1970’s.
 
I’ve always supported the R’s, but when they were playing away from home I started going to see my local Non-League clubs – Hendon primarily, but also Finchley, Barnet and Edgware Town.
 
GROUNDHOPPER
From there, I decided to visit every Non-League club in London as my groundhopping bug began. By the time I was 17, I had visited all 92 Football League grounds and I visited all the Scottish League grounds whilst still a teenager.
 
Since then, I’ve continued travelling all around the country to visit Non-League clubs. Earlier this season, I chalked up my 2,000th ground at FC United of Manchester.
 
WORLD RECORD
One of the best groundhops was being part of a world record in March 2004. I joined 250 other groundhoppers to watch five matches at five different football grounds in one day in the Central Midlands League.
 
This is listed in the Guinness Book of Records and we received certificates confirming the world record at the end of the fifth game.
 
INSIDE PRISON!
In December 2011, I set about watching a match inside Feltham Prison in Middlesex.
 
This featured a team called Phoenix FC, who had to play all their fixtures at home (for obvious reasons!) as inmates of the Young Offender Institution at Feltham.
 
I received special permission by email to attend a fixture, but I was told not to bring a phone or a camera with me. I was instructed to arrive in the main car park along with the match referee and the visiting players from Hanworth Villa Vets.
 
We were met by members of the prison staff who escorted us all in together…via an airport-style metal detector, a body search, numerous locked gates and along a path to the changing rooms.
 
This process took 45 minutes. After the players and ref got changed, we were then accompanied through more locked gates out to the playing area.
 
A high mesh fence with barbed wire on top surrounded the football pitch. There were dug-outs along one touchline and I watched the match from there as the only spectator.
 
THE FUTURE
By going to FC United, I re-completed visits to the top 16 divisions of English football down to Non-League step 4. Then at step 5 I need 26 grounds and another 76 at step 6.
 
There are endless possibilities at step 7 and below. Also, I’ve been to 35 European countries plus the USA for football – so it would be nice to visit more countries.
 
Follow Tony Incenzo on Twitter @TonyIncenzo
1 Comment
David Milner link
26/1/2018 02:18:00

Just listening to you on Danny Kellys Excellent Memorabelia Show again on Podcast and sent it to loads of chums ..all loving it...Always love you and Ganny K's shows. Always take me back to 70s80s when I was more involved with football watching live....Lets get something together to make this a TalkSport regular..Itll be really popular !!! as i say listning again whilst reading your archives above...You are a fabulous writer of anything regarding 'our' greatest deepest love..jootball...Thank You from my heart for all your efforts...Tis a wonderful brilliant thing my friend...again hearty Thanks xxx

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    October 2012

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly