Venue Master
The Paddock
Cathy Miles of Westcliff-On-Sea, Essex and Mark Pumphrey of Bournville, West Midlands
have both asked if we can identify the venue used by Castlefield Blues, the fictitious ladies’ football team portrayed in the BBC TV series ‘Playing The Field’.
Casting around for a suitably gritty backdrop for their northern, working class drama, the producers
plumped for the Hallam Fields Sports Ground, home to Central Midlands League side Stanton
Ilkeston. Located smack in the middle of an industrial sprawl, a mile or two to the south of the Derbyshire town of Ilkeston, the Hallam Fields set up is in fact the company sports ground of a local
ironworks concern. On the Hallam Field Road side of the ground is a large pavilion with a viewing
balcony and extensive social facilities. The pitch itself is railed off and surrounded by tall floodlights
pylons, of which there are many in the surrounding area; a source of confusion for anyone struggling to locate the ground. A tiny metal cover stands on the far side of the venue, while tucked
away in the corner is an attracStanton Ilkeston - Pictures by Vince Taylor
tive little building
familiar to regular viewers of
the TV prog r a m m e .
Painted green,
this wooden
pavilion provides
dressing room
accommodation
and comes complete with a dormer type window
in the roof.
Groundtastic
page 77
77
Issue 23