A New Adventure...

The deadline for me to renew my season ticket at Oxford United at a reasonable rate passed last week.

...and I didn't get one.

After 20 years of loyal service, I've decided to take a year out from being a ST holder. Not that I won't still go along  - I just won't be tied into it every other weekend of the football season.

No longer my weekly home

In the spare time freed up, I'm going to try and gain membership of the 92 Club.

For those who aren't aware, membership of 'The 92 Club' means you have watched a game at every one of the 92 Premiership & Football League grounds in England & Wales. Have a look here.

But what on earth you are doing reading this if you didn't know that, I don't know.

I've already done 65 of them (Although this is a contentious statement - see below!), so have 27 left to do. That'll still be a challenge in one season - but it's not like I'm going to be doing something mental like all 92 in 9 months. I'm not crazy.

I will try and blog about my experience at each of those 27 grounds and their environs on my new blog www.92club.blogspot.co.uk.

If I can manage to be organised, I will also try and get in contact with fans of each team I'm visiting before the game, hopefully meet up on the day and try and find something unique about each town. Hopefully.

I also have a bonkers idea that I could try and join a few other groups of OUFC fans of various shapes and sizes on OUFC matches I do attend, and they can show me their matchday experience in an attempt to convince me to give up the 92 quest and renew my regular attendance at Grenoble Road. Get in contact if you fancy being an OUFC chaperone to a disillusioned fan for the day!

The idea to do this has come about for four main reasons:

1. Becoming disenchanted with the match-day experience at Oxford United home games in a mostly soulless 3-sided stadium. I still love the club, but I can't get motivated anymore to commit to going to The Kassam Stadium every other week. Hopefully a year of distancing myself a little may re-invigorate my passion.

2. Another season in League 2 for Oxford means only 1 new ground to visit next season. That's boring.

3. Greg Dyke's RIDICULOUS suggestion of a new "League 3" of Premiership 'B' teams that if implemented will mean if I don't tick off the 92 soon it may become a redundant endeavour. And maybe I can try and tap into what it is that makes the Football League tick, and why shitting all over a century old institution and the less glamorous clubs that are its heartbeat is a BAD IDEA.

4. I want a project to discipline myself to get back to blogging.

This might be an epic failure of course. Nobody may want to talk to me. Or I may not be able to afford it (there are a fair number of Premiership/Championship clubs on the list with their grossly inflated matchday prices). Or I may just not be able to find anything interesting to say. But I'll give it a go, and you don't have to read it of course if it's shit.

And yeah, I do reserve the right to give up and get a season ticket if convinced otherwise!

Tune back into www.92club.blogspot.co.uk over the summer for my initial plans, or contact me at FantasticMrOx@mail.com if you want to give me some ideas or book yourself in for taking me on your matchday experience next season!