It's been a mixed year for British football, with England getting to the final of the Euros before missing out on penalties (a familiar occurrence) and the phased return of fans to live matches.  As the national sport, it's easy to see why die-hard fans will go to any lengths to watch their team play, and none have taken this further than the Linfield Ladder Loyal; a group of Linfield supporters who took to scaling new heights to see their side play while fans were banned from football grounds. 

The group have used all manner of ladders, and even a portaloo, to gain enough height to see over the wall of the ground to glimpse the on-pitch action, and have vowed to continue watching matches this way if the ban on fans returns at any point.  The leader of the LLL, Ivan Ogborn, first attended a match with a ladder in November 2020, and found five other committed fans doing the same thing.  Since then more have joined their ranks to see their favourite players on the pitch.

Ogborn used to be a ladder salesman, so he had the knowledge to ensure he picked the right ladder for the job, as well as a collection of ladders to choose from.  One favourite was a double extension ladder that he used to climb a tree for a great vantage point.  On many occasions the LLL would scout the away ground ahead of the game, in order to be able to choose the right ladder to take for the circumstances.  We have to admire this dedication to football and safety, as most of the horror stories we read about fatal and life-changing ladder accidents are a result of people choosing the wrong ladder.

Stepladders are the obvious choice for viewing sport over a high wall – think of the umpires at Wimbledon who have their elevated chairs to give them the best view of the court and a comfortable place to sit.  The LLL have used ladders set up on adjoining tennis courts to view matches, and they've also used ladders in a church ground in Larne to watch an away game.  After getting permission to use the grounds the group had a whip-round to donate to the congregation as a way of saying thank you.  The fans have been invited into people's homes to use their ladders in the back gardens which back onto football grounds, and it seems that Ogborn has enjoyed this novel way of watching his team and is a little sad to leave the ladders behind and get back into the stands.

The group has also sat on vans, bins and anything else that gets them a decent view of the pitch; at one point toying with the idea of hiring a cherry picker to get them extra height for certain grounds.  In the end, the LLL abandoned the cherry picker idea due to the cost and relied on their original ladders.  We have to congratulate them on their high regard for safety, as looking for the best height access method for the purpose is a vital part of staying safe. 

Sadly, the LLL have not come through the season unscathed – one of their members broke an ankle while celebrating a goal, although this happened in the stands while Covid restrictions were temporarily lifted and had nothing to do with a ladder.

If you're after a ladder for watching sports, have a look at our huge range of ladders where you'll find a ladder for every purpose, whether you need to see over a high wall, climb onto a roof, or even up a tree on soft ground (tripod ladders are ideal for this purpose).  We must say that if you're intending to stand up a ladder for 45 minutes at a time that you'll need sturdy footwear to fight foot fatigue, and you may want to invest in an additional platform step to provide a wider, deeper standing area for extra comfort.