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Club to stage Groundhopper Day
Andrew Schooler14 Jan - 07:33
Fans invited to the Royal Oak on March 22 - Non-League Day - as part of HPFC's 150th anniversary celebrations.
Harwich and Parkeston Football Club is pleased to announce it is to stage a ‘Groundhopper Day’ as part of the club’s 150th anniversary celebrations.
The event will take place on Saturday March 22, which features the home Thurlow Nunn League game with AFC Sudbury Reserves.
This is Non-League Day, which provides a platform for clubs to promote the importance of affordable, volunteer-led, community football.
With no Premier League games taking place on that day, England not in action and Colchester United away, the club hopes to attract fans from inside and outside the local area to visit the famous Royal Oak ground.
The Oak, and its famous grandstand which has long been considered one of the best in non-league football, has drawn in numerous groundhoppers and non-league fans in general down the years.
It is hoped many will turn out for March’s special event, which will include a guided tour of the 127-year-old ground, the second oldest in Essex. The tour, which explains the ground’s long history, will take place at 2pm, an hour before kick-off.
Working in conjunction with the Harwich Society, the club is also planning to offer a free guided tour of Historic Harwich to any fans – either those coming into the town for the day or those based locally. If there is demand, this event will take place at 11am and will include a visit to Harwich Museum, which is staging a special exhibition about HPFC during 2025 to tie in with the club’s 150th anniversary.
As locals will already be aware, the port town of Harwich has a rich history. It was the birthplace of Christopher Jones, captain of the Mayflower, which took the Pilgrim Fathers to America in 1620.
It is also home to the Electric Palace cinema which, opened in 1911, is one of the world’s oldest purpose-built cinemas still operational.
Other notable interests include the Treadwheel Crane, built in 1667 and believed to be the only remaining two-wheel man-operated crane in the UK, and the Napoleonic Redoubt Fort. The town was also home to the popular Hi-de-Hi TV show of the 1980s.
Those interested in the town tour are asked to contact the club via email at harwichfc@yahoo.com.
The club issues a printed programme – priced £1 – and any groundhoppers wanting to reserve a copy are also asked to email the same address. This will help the club judge the print run required.
This the first major event of HPFC’s 150th anniversary celebrations with more currently being planned for later in the year.
The club was formed in October 1875 so most celebratory events are expected to take place in the second half of the year and/or during the 2025/26 season.
The event will take place on Saturday March 22, which features the home Thurlow Nunn League game with AFC Sudbury Reserves.
This is Non-League Day, which provides a platform for clubs to promote the importance of affordable, volunteer-led, community football.
With no Premier League games taking place on that day, England not in action and Colchester United away, the club hopes to attract fans from inside and outside the local area to visit the famous Royal Oak ground.
The Oak, and its famous grandstand which has long been considered one of the best in non-league football, has drawn in numerous groundhoppers and non-league fans in general down the years.
It is hoped many will turn out for March’s special event, which will include a guided tour of the 127-year-old ground, the second oldest in Essex. The tour, which explains the ground’s long history, will take place at 2pm, an hour before kick-off.
Working in conjunction with the Harwich Society, the club is also planning to offer a free guided tour of Historic Harwich to any fans – either those coming into the town for the day or those based locally. If there is demand, this event will take place at 11am and will include a visit to Harwich Museum, which is staging a special exhibition about HPFC during 2025 to tie in with the club’s 150th anniversary.
As locals will already be aware, the port town of Harwich has a rich history. It was the birthplace of Christopher Jones, captain of the Mayflower, which took the Pilgrim Fathers to America in 1620.
It is also home to the Electric Palace cinema which, opened in 1911, is one of the world’s oldest purpose-built cinemas still operational.
Other notable interests include the Treadwheel Crane, built in 1667 and believed to be the only remaining two-wheel man-operated crane in the UK, and the Napoleonic Redoubt Fort. The town was also home to the popular Hi-de-Hi TV show of the 1980s.
Those interested in the town tour are asked to contact the club via email at harwichfc@yahoo.com.
The club issues a printed programme – priced £1 – and any groundhoppers wanting to reserve a copy are also asked to email the same address. This will help the club judge the print run required.
This the first major event of HPFC’s 150th anniversary celebrations with more currently being planned for later in the year.
The club was formed in October 1875 so most celebratory events are expected to take place in the second half of the year and/or during the 2025/26 season.
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