Grounsell Park

Grounsell Park sits in the High Heaton area of Newcastle upon Tyne on Newton Road. The ground was not built so much as grown. The site began as a disused quarry, a deep hole in the earth that Heaton Stannington FC filled themselves to create a pitch for their first match in 1935. The club developed the place piece by piece, turning a former quarry into a home for local football.

The ground carries the name of Bob Grounsell, a long-serving player and official described as "Mr Heaton Stannington". It was renamed in his honour after years under the title Newton Park. Recent years have seen it referred to as The Willow Park, a name that sticks because of a sponsorship deal rather than any historical weight. The capacity of the place is 2,500. It is a modest ground, but it has held its shape through the decades as the city around it changed.

What remains visible at Grounsell Park is the spirit of the club that built it. Heaton Stannington FC, known as "The Stan", have played there since the beginning. The natural grass surface has seen generations of local players pass through it. The ground has not chased glory, but it has maintained a steady presence in the community. The official website for the club provides further details, but the real story of the ground lies in its origins. It is a place where the history of the club is written into the landscape itself. The quarry became a pitch, a pitch became a stadium, and the stadium became a landmark for those who call High Heaton home.