epw019307 ENGLAND (1927). Luton Town Football Ground, Luton, 1927

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What is interesting with some of these photos is to look beyond the subject. Nowadays professional football pitches are tendered like a manicured lawn with special grass, growth enhancing lighting and an army of groundsmen. This photo is interesting because it indicates virtually no specialist work going into the pitch. The season is only eight weeks old at most yet already substantial wear is beginning to show through the middle of the pitch and into the penalty boxes and the goal lines are badly worn. I wonder if the pitch was used for anything else during the summer or whether the players actually trained and practiced on it rather than a separate training ground. Old photos show that after rain some of these pitches were almost unplayable.

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