Lancashire football fan builds £5k eight foot long stand in his back garden to watch his local team

A Lancashire football fan has spent £5,000 on building a six seater stand in his back garden so he and his grandsons can watch their local football team.

Ian Nutter, 65, decided to build the terrace after he found three of his eight grandsons leaning over his wooden back garden fence trying to catch Barnoldswick Town in action. The grandad, from Barnoldswick, has revealed there is a huge "15 foot drop" behind the fence which sits metres from the pitch and to prevent them from getting hurt he decided to build his very own box.

Building the garden stand

Ian, who owns an architectural metalwork company and has worked with the likes of Manchester United, then spent the next six weeks putting together the eight foot long seating area.

Ian said: "I didn't set out to build this, it just grew organically. At first it was supposed to be a wooden platform but when I stood on it I thought 'well this isn't very good' so I took it to the next level. It was designed by a structural engineer, put together by my four apprentices, and I just oversaw everything. The stand has a steel structure which has been set into concrete - there is a little staircase into it. It has a wooden floor and wooden panelled sides similar to what you find on a shed. The seats are originals from Burnley FC's Cricket Field Stand at Turf Moor. Then the roof is made from aluminium and it has toughened glass at the front to stop wide shots from hitting you."

Before building the seating area in November 2023, he asked Barnoldswick Town Chairman Nigel Hill for permission who agreed. Ian - who is also a massive Burnley FC fan - tries to catch as many games as possible. On a typical matchday Ian says he'll make himself a flask of tea or a couple of pork pies to drink and nibble on whilst watching the game.

He said: "This isn't something I've just thrown together, it's a proper structure. Even if it is chucking it down with rain you can watch the game in comfort. It’s a great thing to have. If there is a football match going on at the bottom of my garden, even if it is rainy and windy, and my wife is inside watching The Great British Bake Off, you'll know where I'd rather be. When I watch games in the winter, at half time I'll go to my shed and warm up by the fire before it kicks off again."

Ian says his grandsons love it, regularly coming over with their friends to watch the matches. He has also told how he gets stick from away fans who see him.

He said: "I hear chants from away fans sometimes. They sing 'rich b*****d sat in his stand' and I'll just wave back at them. It doesn't bother me, it's just football at the end of the day."

To watch Barnoldswick Town it costs £7, with a season ticket priced at £120.

Metalcraft Engineering

Ian's company Metalcraft Engineering have experience building in football stadiums, fitting architectural metalwork within the stands like corporate bar areas. They previously worked on Manchester United's Old Trafford and Everton FC's new football stadium, Hill Dickinson.