I was given ‘120 Grounds for Divorce’ by Mark Savage as a Birthday Present last year. During the recent Lockdown here in this country I set about trying to clear a big backlog of books that I still had to read. As I wouldn’t get to be visiting any football stadiums for a while, I thought this book would be good to read through.

Ever since I first started watching football as a child, I have always had a big interest in football stadiums. If I am on holiday or passing by somewhere with a stadium I will always stop to try and look at what it is like. So, this book definitely interested me a lot.

The author of the book, Mark Savage, details the 120 different stadiums in England and Wales that he has visited over the last 40+ years. For anyone interested in stadiums, this is a great read. It brought back lots of great memories of some of the stadiums that I have visited over the years. Many of these stadiums have long since been demolished and replaced with modern stadiums in their place. I was always a fan of the older style grounds with real character, like The Baseball Ground at Derby, The Dell at Southampton and Highbury at Arsenal.

When the fixtures are announced at the start of each new season I have always looked out for any Manchester United away games against newly promoted teams or any clubs who have moved to a new ground, as it is the chance to visit somewhere new. Similarly, when the FA Cup and League Cup Draws are made, I always want us to get an away match against a club that we have not played against before or for a long time.

The book is very well written by the author, not just about visiting the actual grounds, telling the story of his life along the way – with a lot also written about his friendships, girlfriends, wives, children, work, holidays and even a divorce thrown in too. Writing it like that definitely makes it more interesting to read, as it is a more personal story by him. Football has changed so much, especially since the early 1990s and the author covers these changes really well with his experiences of going to matches throughout this time.

This book will definitely appeal to anyone with any interest in football grounds, regardless of whatever club you support.