{"id":550489,"date":"2020-04-28T15:40:37","date_gmt":"2020-04-28T19:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonfootball.com\/?p=550489"},"modified":"2026-01-30T16:50:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T21:50:37","slug":"never-to-be-forgotten-grounds-the-baseball-ground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2020\/04\/28\/never-to-be-forgotten-grounds-the-baseball-ground\/","title":{"rendered":"Never to Be Forgotten Grounds: The Baseball Ground"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to the latest instalment of the Last Word on Football’s series<\/a> of articles looking at some of the most memorable grounds that are sadly no longer with us. These grounds\u00a0will always have a special place in the hearts of a particular team\u2019s supporters and fans of football alike.<\/p>\n

In this edition, we look at the Baseball Ground; this was the home of Derby County for 102 years of their 136-year history.<\/p>\n

The ground saw some great highs, some disappointing lows and many a memorable match during its time.<\/p>\n

Never to Be Forgotten Football Grounds: The Baseball Ground<\/h2>\n

Before Football Came Baseball<\/h3>\n

The Baseball Ground opened in 1890 and originally hosted, yep you guessed it, baseball.<\/p>\n

Built by Sir Francis Ley, owner of the foundry situated behind the Pop side, the ground was part of his venture to bring baseball to the UK.<\/p>\n

Derby County Baseball Club were national champions in 1890 but their success soon tailed off and Derby County Football Club made the BBG their home in 1895.<\/p>\n

The Rams moved from their Racecourse Ground home into the then Ley’s Baseball Ground.<\/p>\n

Legend has it, upon permanently moving in, a group of gypsies were forced off the site and cursed the side; Derby lost three FA Cup finals in the next eight years.<\/p>\n

The early days of Derby’s time at the BBG coincided with the playing career of the club’s record goalscorer, Steve Bloomer; he netted 332 goals in two stints for the Rams.<\/p>\n

You Walk Into the Pop Side, You Hear a Mighty Roar<\/h3>\n

The Baseball Ground wasn’t widely known for its quality playing field but instead the atmosphere in the stands.<\/p>\n

Described by one fan, as a ground where the “only place you could dribble was on the wings.<\/p>\n

“The pitch was absolutely terrible, a mud bath….but Derby knew how to play on it.”<\/p>\n

The close proximity between the terraces and the field made the BBG an intimidating ground for many to visit.<\/p>\n

Not to mention the noise created by the stomping feet on the wooden boards of the stands whenever the Rams earned a corner or free-kick.<\/p>\n

The floodlights lit up the surrounding narrow, cobbled streets whenever there was a midweek fixture.<\/p>\n

The Pop side, the terraced lower-tier of the Ley Stand, was the place to be on all accounts, for the die-hard and most passionate of Rams fans.<\/p>\n

Oh, and just in case the Baseball Ground wasn’t unique enough, it wasn’t rectangular either; the stadium’s baseball heritage meant that the stands didn’t line up with the pitch.<\/p>\n

Memorable Matches<\/h3>\n

Putting three past the Portuguese giants of Benfica<\/a> in the 1972\/73 season was a game that provides fond memories for many a Rams fan.<\/p>\n

Goals from John McGovern, Kevin Hector and Roy McFarland gave the Rams a great advantage going into the return fixture.<\/p>\n

After being crowned league champions in the previous season, Cloughie’s side would brush aside Benfica and reach the European Cup semi-finals, only to lose out to Juventus<\/a> in contentious fashion.<\/p>\n

A few years later and the Rams would be winning the First Division yet again; this time Dave MacKay was at the helm.<\/p>\n

Derby went nine matches unbeaten to snatch the 1974\/75 title by just two points from Liverpool.<\/p>\n

One of these games was a 5-0 drubbing of lowly Luton Town, with all five goals coming from striker Roger Davies.<\/p>\n

The following season and another memorable European Cup night played out under the lights of the BBG.<\/p>\n

Benfica were big, but they weren’t the Galacticos. Derby welcomed Real Madrid<\/a> to town for the first leg of a second-round tie that they won 4-1<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A Charlie George hat-trick and a goal from defender David Nish won the Rams the match; the less that is said about the return leg the better.<\/p>\n

The demolition of Finn Harps 12-0 in the UEFA Cup was another European classic; Hector netted five and there were two hat-tricks from Charlie George and Leighton James.<\/p>\n

The Decline of the Baseball Ground<\/h3>\n

Following the tragedy that took place at Hillsborough in 1989, the Baseball Ground transitioned into an all-seater stadium.<\/p>\n

By the mid-1990s the capacity had shrunk from just over 40,000 to around 18,000.<\/p>\n

With Derby pushing to be a top division side, a move to a larger stadium was called for and the construction of Pride Park began in 1996.<\/p>\n

Sunday, May 11, 1997 marked the end of first-team football at the Baseball Ground – the reserve side played there until it’s demolition in 2003.<\/p>\n

Arsenal<\/a> were the visitors on that spring day – an early Derby goal and a Tony Adams red card came before the North London side scored three second-half goals.<\/p>\n

Fans streamed onto the pitch at the full-time whistle, grabbing handfuls of turf as pieces of history.<\/p>\n

The call to clear the pitch for fireworks fell on deaf ears; this was the last chance Derby fans had to take in a place that was the scene to so many of the chapters in the club’s great history.<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>