Originally from Stevenage, the UK’s first “new town”, Liam Govey has been in Brno since 2022, teaching Geography, Language, Arts and Literature at the American Academy. However, he also has an unusual and interesting hobby: “groundhopping” – visiting as many football grounds as possible in one lifetime. By the time Brno Daily tracked him down, Liam had visited 269 different football grounds in the UK and around Europe. He also catalogues his experiences in a blog, combining his twin passions of football and writing. As Liam says, “It probably seems like an odd hobby […] As someone who loves writing too, it gives me plenty of inspiration to just wander around a random town and take everything in, open the notes app, jot down some thoughts.”
BD: How did you start counting football grounds? Do you know what the world record is? Would you be eligible to set a Guinness World Record?
LG: I guess I started counting them when I noticed it was possible to keep a note of them via this Groundhopping website, then I eventually downloaded an app called Groundhopper (now Futbology) that allows you to check into nearby games and tick grounds off that way. For me, it’s not about the world record at all – I just like to be in competition with some fellow Groundhopping friends back in England and indeed out here in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
BD: What is so special about football grounds?
LG: There’s nothing particularly special about them per se: it’s simply that I like football and visiting new places during my free time. This combines the best of both worlds in that sense. Plus, I guess it makes me feel more connected with my late father who first introduced me to football. It always feels like he’s there in the seat next to me at every game.
Personal favourites include Slovan Liberec and Sigma Olomouc as far as this country is concerned, but I’ve also had some amazing trips watching the likes of Dudelange in Luxembourg, Osasuna in Spain, and probably my absolute favourite stadium, St James’ Park in Newcastle – it’s hard not to fall in love with it.
BD: How do you combine your professional career with your almost professional hobby? Would you say you travel for business or pleasure?
LG: As a teacher, I’m lucky enough to have a fixed schedule in place which makes it easier to plan trips in advance. As well as this, I have a very generous 11 weeks off over the summer! I use my experiences to write my blog, which I often work on during the week, then finish it on the Monday after getting back to Brno. This weekend I have two games planned, so I have the basis of two blogs ready to go already. Honestly, my job is amazing, so it feels almost as if it’s a hobby rather than a job, so the two never clash in any way.
BD: How would you describe the Czech league in comparison to others including the ones back in the UK?
LG: The Czech League isn’t great if I’m being honest, but that’s not the reason I do this. If I wanted to watch amazing football, I could have stayed in England in front of a TV watching a goalless draw between Chelsea and Manchester City. At least if the game is boring live, you pop to the food stand for a unique snack of some kind. It’s also all relative – I went to watch some Romanian football recently and it was utterly horrendous!
BD: The author Hernán Casciari suggested that one can get a general idea of a people by watching their football and their fans. Would you agree on this?
LG: I would certainly agree with this, though I would also argue every fanbase has a degree of individual identity within – no two fans of one club are the same. For instance, there are actually a few fans of my own club Stevenage who I can’t stand! Every fanbase has its heroes and idiots.
BD: What’s coming next for you? What goals do you have for the future? Maybe writing a book?
LG: I have absolutely considered this – as mentioned, I write blogs, which I feel would make for a delightful book.
BD: If you can’t visit the stadium for some reason or another, where do you like to enjoy a football match? Do you have any recommendations here in Brno?
LG: Brno is actually something of a hotbed for football, even if it’s not top tier football. The second tier has Zbrojovka (a mixed bag if you like good football), nearby Vyskov, and Lisen. Then you have Start Brno in the third tier, Tatran Bohunice in the fourth tier. And a whole array of local teams in the regional fifth tier.
One team I’d like to shout out is Malomerice in the 9th tier (I think), whose players come from the Brno expat community. I highly recommend a visit there if you ever get the chance, even if you don’t like football – you can sip a beer and watch the array of dogs who often come to visit!
