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Bulwell, a market town a little over three miles north
of Nottingham, is probably best known to outsiders for its less
attractive elements. It received nation attention in 2006 when the Scots
Grey Public House featured in a television programme entitled "The
Ten Hardest Pubs in Britain". The pub has since closed because it
was seen to be too "rough" to control adequately. The town also has an
entry on the notorious website chavtowns, where the writer
argues: "This is
one chav infested hole that needs to be added to your archive. It
features all the local amenities that are important to a chav
(McDonalds, plenty of shops to "teef" from, a video shop to "hang out"
at....the list goes on!). Luckily I only have to drive though on my way
home but this is plenty on time to be gawked at by all kinds of inbred
morons, covered in cheap clothing purchased from local flea markets &
more gold then Mr T. Bulwell - Chavtacular."
However, the town affectionately known locally as
'Bullwool' has plenty going for it. There's the renouned sense of
community, Bertie Mee, the Arsenal Manager who led the gunners to their
first ever Double, zilch nightclubs, the area near Moorbridge nicknamed
"Bulwell-on-Sea", 1950's Formula One driver, Les Leston. Now there's a
football team doing their best to put 'Bullwool' on the map for all the
right reasons - enter Bulwell Football Club.
Formed in August 2006, Bulwell Football Club first
competed in the Notts Amateur Alliance Premier Division. Initial
intentions were to stabilise itself in its first season, then
hopefully attract a better standard players to compete well in
the following league campaign. The Bulls, with ninety percent of its
playing staff from the Bulwell area, just wanted to ensure they stayed
afloat. However, an excellent start encouraged better quality players to
jion the Bulls earleier than expected, and they quickly gelled. What was
to follow vastly exceeded even their wildest expectations, winning the
NAA Premier Division title, and finishing runners-up in the Notts F.A.
Intermediate Cup.
The following season saw the Bulls retain their
NAA Premier League title, recording a remarkable twenty-six wins out of
twenty-six,
before losing their final league game. The defeat proved to be the last
in the NAA, as the Bulls moved to the second-tier of the more ambitious
Notts Senior League.
Up until the summer of 2008, the Bulls had played out its success story
at the River Lean School site on Hucknall Lane in Bulwell. However, with
the facilities on Hucknall Lane not being good enough to host the higher
standard of football the club craves, and with the school due to close
for renovation, a move ensued a mile or so south to share Basford
United's Greenwich Avenue home.
Greenwich Avenue is located within the
huge open space known as the Mill Street Playing Field. The main pitch
is a cordoned off area on the northern-central side of the park, close to the
banks of the previously mentioned, River Lean. Also behind this
end of the Ground is one of Nottingham's newest additions the route for
the Nottingham Express Transit, more commonly known as the Tram. Whilst
this rail line is shared with standard trains, you won't fail to distinguish
the difference due to the Tram's unique 'swishing movement' and distinctive
cowbell.
The entire Ground is encircled by an eight-foot
high mesh-like fence. With only two ways out on either side, this can be
rather inconvenient when a wasted shot, or a fine defensive tackle transcends
the fence and hurtles into the park. Still, at least it should be easy
enough to find, providing it doesn't head for the tram line. The
pitch itself is almost entirely surrounded by a white, metal tubular rail,
12 foot, inside the perimeter fencing. The rusty old roller in
the south-west corner could definitely do with a run out as on my visit,
the 12 foot gap is turning into
what could only be described as a suburban jungle. Whilst it desperately
needs some attention, the pitch is in a fairly healthy condition. Two
robust dugouts sit on the west side of the pitch. These identical small
structures are brick built, flat-roofed, with bench seating for three at
the most. Basford have added a small nameplate to each to mark 'Home'
& 'Away' dugouts - a nice touch. On the
opposite side of the pitch is the ground's only cover area for spectators.
This consists of flat standing with a breezeblock backboard, partly
painted apple green. Part of the backboard appears to be missing
on both sides, and a
rusty metal frame holds aloft a precariously balanced
corrugated roof. If that isn't enough to discourage you from using it in
all but the harshest of weather,
wait until you try and reach it. There could be snakes in all that undergrowth
from the gated entrance to the stand, such is its condition. By the entrance, there are also a
couple of what appear to be electrical terminal
buildings sited. Behind these buildings, on
the main park area, are two unusually placed floodlights. Both are modern,
single-pole
steel affairs, with three clusters each, both facing away from the pitch
over what I presume is a training area. The
Clubhouse is situated some distance away by the main entrance to the park.
This is quite a grand two-tier structure, which sadly, like much of the
location, has fallen from grace, with all of its windows boarded up. The
building is entirely brick built, bar the slated roof, and decorative
wooden panelling on the front. There is an additional single level building
attached to the rear. It's all quite huge, and resembles more of a large
residential house than a Clubhouse.
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From Nottingham - Travel
north on the A60 Mansfield Road until you reach the Goose Fair Roundabout.
Take 1st exit off first roundabout, then 2nd exit for B682 (Bulwell).
Continue up Sherwood Rise, onto Nottingham Road for 1.2 miles. Get into
right hand lane & turn left at McDonalds traffic lights. Get into
right hand lane, and turn right at next traffic lights. Turn right onto
Church Street (the road to the north east of where you're looking, not
Vernon Road, as you'll more likely to get into traffic problems that way).
At end of Church Street, turn right onto Alpine Street, which becomes
Percy Street. After 0.8 miles, turn right at mini-roundabout onto Mill
Street, then first left into Bagnall Road. Turn 1st right into Greenwich
Avenue, and the entrance to the Ground is straight ahead, with a large car
park available for use.
Nottingham City Transport - No.70 (Assarts Farm - Nottm Victoria
Centre) runs by the top of Greenwich Avenue, No.69 (Basford - Nottm
Victoria Centre) terminates at Percy Street, a short distance from the
Ground.
Bulwell - 1 mile on the Robin Hood Line (Nottm- Worksop).
turn right out of station up Main Street, then left onto Highbury Vale.
Continue until you reach David Lane crossing. Go over the crossing up
David Lane, then take the 2nd right onto Bagnall Road. then right onto
Greenwich Avenue, and the entrance to the Ground it straight ahead.