When you think of Cornwall; pasties, cream teas and long sandy beaches come to mind but for the locals in Falmouth there is only one thing on their mind. Football.
Bickland Park is dubbed the “Cornish Wembley” by many in the area and is home to the F-Troop, Falmouth’s core fanbase which stretches not only the town but its surrounding areas in their hundreds.
Falmouth Town currently play in the Southern Football League Division One South where they’re at the pinnacle of their history whilst beating the league average on attendances despite not being a football town.
On a matchday, a sea of Black & Orange can be seen at Bickland Park as the Cornish are proud to wear their colours. Speaking to Falmouth Town’s club secretary Wayne Pascoe, he describes it as “one of the most unique untold stories in football and that people should travel down to see it for themselves”.
Bickland Park is one of the last gems in non-league football, with no modern facilities or concourses in Cornwall. Just a brick stand on the side of the pitch with individual seating bolted in through the seat and a labyrinth of paths to get to certain sections with the dugouts also being inside the stand.
The usual ritual for Falmouth fans is bringing all their musical equipment to the game to stand in the packet end whilst listening to Ska and Two Tone on their speaker which adds to the magic of the experience as usually you don’t see clubs bring a drum let alone an entire marching band at this level.
On the day that I caught the F-Troop, they hosted Willand Rovers and the home crowd had plenty to get behind as they eased to a 3-0 victory and were vocal all game. To some the result probably doesn’t matter, it’s more about the unity in a dark time in a tight-knit community which brings it home for Town.
At full time, the warmth of the locals is felt within their clubhouse as it hasn’t changed one bit since the 1980’s bar a couple of barrel changes. Whether it’s your first or last trip to Bickland Park, the F-Troop is one of the most welcoming fanbases in football and will make your visit memorable and impressionable.
Bickland Park