Esporte Clube Bahia - Brasileiro 2014

Bahia play at the utterly charmless FIFA World Cup 2014 venue, Arena Fonte Nova.



Arena Fonte Nova replaced the old Estadio Fonte Nova, which had a great deal more character and, during the 1980's and 90's a tremendous set of A-frames at either end of the field.




Further back in Bahia's History of Goal Nets, native Brazilian L-supports were the method of choice for supporting the nets at Fonte Nova.

A-list A-frames - Huddersfield Town FC

Huddersfield Town boasted a proud history of on-field hardware at their old Leeds Road ground.

In 1971 they welcomed the Manchester United of Best, Law and Charlton with black stanchions (and perhaps the "double-netting" seen at Colchester about the same time?)




Ten years later the Leeds Road hardware was white and slightly off the shoulder.



Later that decade, by the time the Terriers hosted Manchester's other club, the stanchions have made way for Continental D's.

A-list A-frames - Hibernian FC

On the other side of Edinburgh, Hibs' recent history offers up not one but two great examples of A-frame architecture.

(It's worth noting that the goals in both clips below were scored into the same goal at the same end of the stadium. The shifting viewpoint is caused by Easter Road stadium reconstruction, which moved the TV gantry from the old East terrace to the Main Stand).

The stanchions George Best scores into are as languid and laid back as the terrace behind the goals.

 

While 10 years later the A-frames in the 80's are more upright, like the stand which has replaced the terrace.

UEFA European Championships - West Germany 1988

After the second Mexico World Cup and FIFA decreeing goal nets everywhere would look the same, where better to hold the next major finals than West Germany, the home of the original Terminator?

The 1988 finals featured eight stadia, 15 games and Ronald Koeman wiping his arse with a German football shirt...

But the goal nets all looked the same.