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Travel the length and breadth of Nottinghamshire and
you will struggle to find a more tranquil, elegant setting for a football ground
than that of Attenborough Football Club's.
To the north, the spire abreast of St.Mary's Church,
dating back to 1042, peers over the pitch,
whilst the fine and costly abodes on the Strand offer a splendid backdrop
with a range of beautiful architecture on offer on this peaceful country
lane. However, it is to the south where the location really comes into its
own. Just behind the goal is the edge of
Attenborough Nature Reserve, 360 acres of marshland on a vital migration
route inhabited by a multitude of diverse creatures.
Whilst the scenery is second to none, and I'd
encourage everyone not to incorporate a have a stroll around the neighbouring nature reserve on their visit, the
story of this long established football team is less rosy. Established
in 1946, very little is known about the first 30 years of Attenborough's
existence as a football
club. Their first serious move to make an impact on the local football
circuit was in 1976, when they joined the Midland League. In 1983, they
became founder members of the Central Midlands League. They competed at
this level for the next nine years, but were relegated to the Notts
Alliance in 1992. In 2004, they became founder members of the NSL.
That is all we know. Still, the Club clearly have
ambitions, judging by the facilities they share here with the village
cricket team. The first item you notice is the smart welcome sign as you
enter the car park. The old sign is still tucked round the other side of
the wall, perhaps for sentimental value. The Club house is entirely fitting
for the surroundings. More of a pavilion than a clubhouse, with the
cricket scoreboard neatly encased within the
structure, they serves adequate hot & cold snacks, and drinks, on
matchdays. Outside
is a covered porch area with benches provided. However, you'll need your binoculars
if you want to view the action on the football
pitch, which is quite some distance away.
There is only one pitchside feature of note, this
being the dugout on the halfway line. Partitioned in the centre, this is a
small, red brick built construction with hard standing on wither side.
Credit goes to the Club for the added extras of painting the front white,
and carefully adding the Club name on the fascia. Also on this side of the
pitch are the cricket club's practice nets.
A sentimental touch has been added around the north
perimeter of the Village Green with a number of different wooden benches
installed in memory of local residents, who no doubt enjoyed frequenting
this part of the village.
The pitch is sectioned off on matchdays only by temporary
stakes and rope. Prior to 1929, Attenborough
village was surrounded by wet grassland and willow beds, which were prone
to flooding in most years. Flooding enriched the
grassland with mineral rich silt deposits and beneath the topsoil lay
valuable deposits of sand and gravel which were deposited when glaciers
receded at the end of the last ice age. Extraction of these deposits of
sand and gravel began in 1929, leaving a bare landscape. The importance of
all this? Well whilst it laid the foundations for the Nature Reserve
to be established in 1966, the Village Green pitch has a habit of turning
into something of a quad mire. Do not wear your best shoes.
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From Nottingham - Follow A5005 (Beeston,
Long Eaton) out of town along Castle Boulevard 1.8 miles. At junction with
A52 Dunkirk flyover, continue straight over on A5005 along University
Boulevard. At next roundabout, turn left, continuing on the A5005. After
2.3 miles, turn left into Attenborough Lane (signposted Attenborough
Station). *Go over the railway crossing and
bear right, then immediately left into The Strand. Continue round
until you reach the car park & entrance to the ground on your RHS.
NottsDerby No.17 runs an infrequent
service from Nottm Old Market Square, via Beeston, into the village. A
more reliable alternative is to disembark from the regular TrentBarton Rainbow
5 (Long Eaton Green - Nottm Broadmarsh) on Nottm road, and then take
the pleasant stroll through the village, down to the ground. 