SOME people collect stamps, others beer mats - but soccer-crazy Peter and Christine Marsden collect football grounds.

They have already visited nearly every every league ground and many non-league grounds in England and nearly every ground in Scotland.

They are now booking their tickets for Europe. On average the couple visit about 120 grounds a yea, but this year's Euro '96 games are helping to swell the total to 140. Easter provided the devout Burnley supporters with the chance to watch games in Belgium and Holland and they have already visited Poland.

The Burnley couple were first bitten by the bug when they were in primary school.

Christine, 43, a teacher at Ivy Bank High School, Burnley, said: "I was taken to Turf Moor by my dad when I was nine and I got my first season ticket for my 11th birthday.

"Peter was taken when he was six, got his first season ticket at eight and has kept every book of season ticket stubs since that date."

Since 1969, 42-year-old Peter, a joiner, has not missed any Clarets home or away games. Christine only misses a few each year because of work commitments. If Burnley does not have a home or away match then the couple will look to see who else is playing and have no qualms about driving to the Midlands or the North East for a game.

If they are on holiday they think nothing about travelling to Plymouth, Torquay or London.

The couple are definitely football crazy, with a Claret and Blue downstairs loo and a back bedroom full of photographs and pennants.

Christine has more than 60 pictures detailing the demolition and redevelopment of Longside and 10 to 15 shots of each ground she has visited, making more than 2,000 photographs in total.

They even got married on a Friday so they would not miss Burnley's away match at Preston North End. Christine used to teach physical education but now teaches special needs children and finds being a football fan helps in her work by breaking the ice and earning her respect from the pupils who are also keen supporters.

And when the season is over Christine walks the dogs and Peter switches allegiance to watching cricket.

She said: "We don't think we're puddled.

"We just love watching people play football and love going to the different grounds. It is an expensive hobby, but it is all that we do."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.