This guy is crazier than me! What a great fan!
( I've had to trim the post to get it to fit in.)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...n-cost-girlfriend-Britain-s-barmiest-fan.html
Incenzo has to balance his obsession with work for talkSPORT and Sky Sports as a reporter
He added: ‘One of my favourite trips was a game at Hexton FC in Hertfordshire, who played in the North Home Counties Sunday League third division. They had the smallest purpose-built grandstand in the world. One of their players had died so they built it as a memorial — it holds three people and has a little plaque inside.’
It is, he tells people, purely about ‘the love of football, any football’.
Needless to say, it is not always an accommodating hobby. ‘People might not understand or think it is a little obsessive, but it’s just me. I have four spare bedrooms full of memorabilia and scrap books.
Incenzo takes notes from every game he attends and gets an official from the stadium to sign it
Colwyn Bay, who play in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, was one ground he visited
‘I take notes from every game I go to and get an official from each ground to sign it. In 2004, I was actually part of a ground-hopping trip that set a Guinness World Record by going to five games at five grounds in a day.
‘It was based around the Central Midlands League and I and about 250 other ground-hoppers started at 11am at Greenwood Meadows FC. From there, there was a game at 1pm at Pelican FC, 3pm at Dunkirk FC, 5.30pm at Sandiacre Town FC and 8pm at Graham Street Prims FC.
‘I think it was after the second game, I had a huge row with my girlfriend. I had told her I would be going to a few games but after the second she was getting quite agitated. I told her I had to stay to complete the world record and she stormed off. I’ve not seen her since.
‘There are ground-hoppers all around the world and everyone has different rules. There are some German ground-hoppers who watch 45 minutes and go to the next game. That is a different hobby from my hobby — you have to watch the whole game or what is the point?
‘You go on an organised ground-hop trip and it can be anything from 200 to 400 people. It’s a nice community and full of quirks.
‘There is one guy who has to walk around the four sides inside the ground and outside as well and there is another who would insist on touching the match ball. There were a few times when he would get desperate and run on the pitch at half time or full time and hassle the referee to touch the ball. There was a game in Cornwall when the ball got kicked out of the ground on to a main road and he jumped into the road, between all these lorries and cars, to get to the ball.’
The TalkSPORT presenter also has an impressive array of different footballing books from over the years
For Incenzo, the demands are balanced against work for talkSPORT and Sky Sports and his obsession with QPR.
‘I started watching the QPR of Stan Bowles et al as a 10-year-old in 1973 and have been to 1,069 consecutive Loftus Road games, including every league, cup, friendly and testimonial game since,’ he said. ‘If you had offered me £1million to miss Sunday’s friendly against Atalanta I would have said no.’ It probably isn’t an exaggeration.
( I've had to trim the post to get it to fit in.)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...n-cost-girlfriend-Britain-s-barmiest-fan.html
You must log in or register to see images
Incenzo has to balance his obsession with work for talkSPORT and Sky Sports as a reporter
He added: ‘One of my favourite trips was a game at Hexton FC in Hertfordshire, who played in the North Home Counties Sunday League third division. They had the smallest purpose-built grandstand in the world. One of their players had died so they built it as a memorial — it holds three people and has a little plaque inside.’
It is, he tells people, purely about ‘the love of football, any football’.
Needless to say, it is not always an accommodating hobby. ‘People might not understand or think it is a little obsessive, but it’s just me. I have four spare bedrooms full of memorabilia and scrap books.
You must log in or register to see images
Incenzo takes notes from every game he attends and gets an official from the stadium to sign it
You must log in or register to see images
Colwyn Bay, who play in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, was one ground he visited
‘I take notes from every game I go to and get an official from each ground to sign it. In 2004, I was actually part of a ground-hopping trip that set a Guinness World Record by going to five games at five grounds in a day.
‘It was based around the Central Midlands League and I and about 250 other ground-hoppers started at 11am at Greenwood Meadows FC. From there, there was a game at 1pm at Pelican FC, 3pm at Dunkirk FC, 5.30pm at Sandiacre Town FC and 8pm at Graham Street Prims FC.
‘I think it was after the second game, I had a huge row with my girlfriend. I had told her I would be going to a few games but after the second she was getting quite agitated. I told her I had to stay to complete the world record and she stormed off. I’ve not seen her since.
You must log in or register to see images
‘There are ground-hoppers all around the world and everyone has different rules. There are some German ground-hoppers who watch 45 minutes and go to the next game. That is a different hobby from my hobby — you have to watch the whole game or what is the point?
‘You go on an organised ground-hop trip and it can be anything from 200 to 400 people. It’s a nice community and full of quirks.
‘There is one guy who has to walk around the four sides inside the ground and outside as well and there is another who would insist on touching the match ball. There were a few times when he would get desperate and run on the pitch at half time or full time and hassle the referee to touch the ball. There was a game in Cornwall when the ball got kicked out of the ground on to a main road and he jumped into the road, between all these lorries and cars, to get to the ball.’
You must log in or register to see images
The TalkSPORT presenter also has an impressive array of different footballing books from over the years
For Incenzo, the demands are balanced against work for talkSPORT and Sky Sports and his obsession with QPR.
‘I started watching the QPR of Stan Bowles et al as a 10-year-old in 1973 and have been to 1,069 consecutive Loftus Road games, including every league, cup, friendly and testimonial game since,’ he said. ‘If you had offered me £1million to miss Sunday’s friendly against Atalanta I would have said no.’ It probably isn’t an exaggeration.
