This was our first ever explore as a group back in June, which kickstarted our interest in exploring abandoned places. As big football fans, this was quite a fitting explore to start off with an old football ground that had seen many teams come and go.
History
History
Washington Football Club is a football club based in Washington, Tyne and Wear, England. The club was formed by the local miners at the local "F-Pit" Colliery in the early 20th century as Washington Colliery F.C. The clubs distinctive red colours were agreed upon on formation and a codicil written making the team strip of red shirts being in existence in Perpetuity. The modern club was established in 1947 and joined the Wearside League in 1968. In the 1977–78 season, they reached the third round of the FA Vase. The club won promotion to the Northern Football League Division One after winning their last seven games of the 2014–15 season. It was their highest league standing since the 2003–04 season.
The football club has faced financial hardship due in part to having its changing rooms burnt in an arson attack in 2009; and with league rules stating each team should provide suitable facilities for home and away teams they have had to rely on the help of teams in the two divisions of the Northern Football League until financial support is provided within the club. These problems caused the club to abandon its Albany Park home during the 2010–11 season and take up residence at the Nissan Sports and Leisure Complex in Sunderland, the former home of Northern League rivals Sunderland Nissan, who folded in 2009.
The Explore
After getting to the ground and having a look around the outside, we made our way in for our first explore. Getting in was fairly easy and the locals that passed didn’t seem too bothered that we were going in either. The pitch was fairly overgrown and the stand on the side of the pitch was empty, apart from a few bits of rubbish. The main building, we weren’t sure what its main purpose was, looked to be sealed off and that it had took severe fire damage. There was a hole in the roof, however we didn’t want to risk climbing up due to the unstable structure. A couple of white containers sat next to the pitch, which looked like they were toilets and maybe a small café, however they were sealed off as well. We did find a small hut around the back, which contained all sorts of stuff, ranging from old books to seat parts. Although there wasn’t much to explore, it was a good explore for our first time out.
Since our first explore, we have explored around ten places, with many more to come. Hope you enjoy reading!
Photos from the visit
The entrance
The main building
Rummaging through history
View from the touchline
Stay tuned for more reports!
After getting to the ground and having a look around the outside, we made our way in for our first explore. Getting in was fairly easy and the locals that passed didn’t seem too bothered that we were going in either. The pitch was fairly overgrown and the stand on the side of the pitch was empty, apart from a few bits of rubbish. The main building, we weren’t sure what its main purpose was, looked to be sealed off and that it had took severe fire damage. There was a hole in the roof, however we didn’t want to risk climbing up due to the unstable structure. A couple of white containers sat next to the pitch, which looked like they were toilets and maybe a small café, however they were sealed off as well. We did find a small hut around the back, which contained all sorts of stuff, ranging from old books to seat parts. Although there wasn’t much to explore, it was a good explore for our first time out.
Since our first explore, we have explored around ten places, with many more to come. Hope you enjoy reading!
Photos from the visit
The entrance
The main building
Rummaging through history
View from the touchline
Stay tuned for more reports!
