Scrolling through social media a few weeks ago we came across a Facebook page called Dad & Son Footy Adventures and it immediately caught our eye!
A father and son travel around the country visiting as many football grounds as they can to watch a match or take in a stadium tour, and it's not just limited to the big well-known grounds from the Premier League, they also travel around Scotland visiting Non-League and lower League football clubs and they are today (Thursday 15th Feb) about to embark on a two-day tour of the Scottish Highlands taking in 19 football clubs in 48 hours!
We thought it would be great to find out more about the football-mad duo and Dean and his son Reece happily obliged by answering some questions we put to them.
Where are you based?
We are from Scotland and live in Cowdenbeath, Fife.
How long have you been going to football and how old was Reece when he went to his first game?
We have been going frequently for just over 1 year but Reece was 5 years old when he went to his 1st proper game.
Who do you and Reece support?
Rangers.
What gave you the bug to start ground hopping especially the lower reaches of Scottish Football?
We visited Manchester United for a stadium tour and Manchester City for a tour as well as a game on a birthday trip for Reece. He then wanted to do the rest of the EPL and then it spiralled to any English grounds we passed!
We then decided to do Scotland too!
How many grounds have you both visited now?
192 and counting!
What do you love about non-league football?
We feel the connection with the clubs and fans is better, not as crowded and you can move around easily (depending on the game 🤣) Not as many prima-donnas, real people playing real football!
I know this is a tough question but what has been yours and Reece's favourite ground that you have visited so far and why?
Oh, that is hard. Reece said Ibrox as we have made so many special memories in there (Europa League final run we were at every home game).
If I take Ibrox out of the equation the Spurs ground is special just in terms of how beautiful it is but it is also new. This is really hard!! Villa Park was really good also! 🤣
Do you contact the clubs before you visit them and if so how welcoming are they in general?
Yes, most of the time I contact the club, especially when we do tours. When we attend matches I tag the clubs in social media posts and sometimes contact them through email. Most clubs are welcoming especially the not-so-big clubs. Most of Scotland has been great up to now, as has England. We do pay for the tours at the bigger clubs.
What excursions have you planned in the near future?
We are going to tour the Scottish Highland on Thursday 15th and Friday and 16th of February.
Were also planning a summer trip down South again to London, Brighton, Bournemouth etc.
In October we have another small tour pencilled in but not confirmed clubs yet but will be in Wrexham direction.
Do you collect any memorabilia from your ground hops?
Yes, Reece collects anything 🤣🤣 Mostly pin badges and street signs from bigger clubs. He has a few shirts signed and unsigned, magnets, pennants etc.
Do you have any plans to go out to Germany for the Euros?
I actually have the chance of a ticket for the opening match against Germany but I can't get Reece one so I am reluctant to go without him as he is my wee wingman!
Have you done any ground hops abroad?
We did a couple. of grounds in Turkey while on holiday. One was a training facility in The Gloria Hotel and the other was a Turkish 2-league club Serikspor.
What football stadium is at the top of yours and Reece's bucket list?
Mine is the La Bombonera home of Boca Juniors in Buenos Aries, Argentina.
And Reece's choice is The Santiago Bernabeu, the home of Real Madrid.
We saw on your Facebook page that you and Reece visited every Scottish Premiership Stadium in under 13 hours to raise funds for the Edinburgh Children's Hospital Charity, how did that come about and how did it go?
We took on this challenge on the 3rd of April 2023 with Andy from FFF and Alex, who was a patient in the hospital when he was younger. We didn't stop once for any proper food, we were literally on a mission!!!! We got all the clubs involved and they were all amazing. We had such a brilliant day and we raised £2,250 for the charity!
We made a video about the day on our YouTube which you can watch below and it would be great if people reading this can give us a follow and subscribe to our channel.
Finally Dean, what is the best way for people to follow your and Reece's adventures?
It's been an absolute pleasure talking to you and Reece and we wish you all the best on your future adventures and fingers crossed you both get to do your bucket list stadiums one day!
