Olivers Mount - Home of Handsworth FC

Image: © Ian Dodds Taken: 4 Sep 2021

FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round : Handsworth FC 2 Coventry United 0, Attendance 368 This is the new ground of a fairly new team, though it is hard to figure out exactly how long the real club goes back, it having emerged from an older one of the same name via mergers, name changes, and various relocations. Existence is sometimes tough in Tier 9 of the football pyramid it seems. (Tier 1 is the Premier League, so theoretically if Handsworth top their leagues, win playoffs, and carry out necessary ground improvements along the way, they could be kicking off against Manchester United in eight years time.) The pitch is artificial, but there is a tannoy, as well as a bar in the clubhouse, which is further South at the entrance by the cricket field. Handsworth currently play in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division. Obviously the rules regarding alcohol in normal fixtures differ from FA-run competitions - repeated announcements were made advising spectators that today beers would not be allowed to be carried from the clubhouse to the playing area. All clubs in the pyramid leagues down to Tier 10 can enter the FA Cup if they fulfil certain criteria - which most do - and decide they want to. The prize money for winning today's tie was £2,250.

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