Football fan builds own stand in Barnoldswick back garden

A football fan from east Lancashire has taken the terraces experience to a new level by building his own stand in his garden.

Ian Nutter, who lives alongside Barnoldswick Town FC’s Silentnight stadium, said he built it to stop his nine grandsons “hanging over the fence” to watch their matches.

The steel structure, clad in timber with a glass front and six seats, also has lighting and heating.

The 65-year-old architectural engineer said he “has a good idea of how to build a stand” after fabricating executive stands for Manchester United eight years ago.

“I thought I’d better build something for the grandsons to watch safely,” he said, as “there’s a 15ft drop on the other side of the fence”.

“Being a metal worker I decided to make a stadium that could be my happy place.”

While he does enjoy watching Barnoldswick’s games, he is “a lifelong Clarets fan” since attending his first Burnley match in 1973.

He has even learned how to make pork pies to enjoy while watching the football, though it took a while to perfect a recipe.

“For three years it was a complete disaster trying to read Jamie Oliver magazines,” he said, “and I eventually went to a butcher in Foulridge who showed me how to make a proper pork pie.

“I’ve also been over to the beer shed at Barnoldswick Town with a few friends of mine and we’ve had a thoroughly good night on some proper ale.”

But he is happiest being in his own private stand with the family, when “we all pile in and I enjoy it thoroughly”.