Natalie 
Groundhopping is proving a popular attraction for Irish League football clubs, with more people travelling from outside the UK to visit stadia.
Groundhopping involves attending football matches at as many different grounds as possible.
Football enthusiasts from the Netherlands and Germany are among those visiting Northern Ireland as football tourism extends to these shores.
Last Christmas, Dutch football groundhopper Mathijs Kros celebrated the festive season in Belfast, with four Irish League games in a row, including the Steel and Sons Cup Final on 25 December.
He is a big fan of Irish League football.
"I like the banter in the stands and the fact that there is a real connection between the players and the fans if you go to a game," he said.
'The grounds have a soul'
"The previous year, I was looking at my boring Christmas dinner in the Netherlands and thinking: 'Next year I will be in Belfast'," he added.
"This season, I was able to go to the Steel and Sons Cup Final on Christmas Day, the north Belfast derby between Crusaders and Cliftonville on Boxing Day, the east Belfast derby between Dundela and Harland and Wolff Welders on 27 December and a game involving Portstewart and Knockbreda Parish on 28 December.
"I had all my Christmases at once."
Mr Kros has supported Cliftonville FC in the Irish Premiership since 2013 and makes the trip to Northern Ireland four times a season to attend games.
Wouter Schollema, also from the Netherlands, has visited various stadia in Northern Ireland for more than a decade and is the author of a book about the history of football in Belfast.
"What I like most about the Irish league is that it is still the pure football, the grounds have a soul and stories attached to them," he said.
"The Premier League in England is expensive and it is plastic fantastic."
He has taken in a game in each of his 25 visits to Belfast.
"I went to Loughgall last year for their game against Crusaders, as it was the smallest settlement in Europe to have a top-flight club – it was a brilliant experience."
He also visited Belfast last year with 20 people and visited a number of grounds.
From Bologna to the Brandywell
Groundhopper Ross Lee, from Paisley in Scotland, has visited more than 700 stadia in 26 countries, with his partner Nicola Stevenson visiting more than 400.
Mr Lee said this had included trips to grounds in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
This Friday, the couple will be at the Brandywell in Londonderry to take in Derry City's League of Ireland Premier Division fixture against Galway United, fresh from a trip to Bologna FC in Italy's Serie A, last month.
"In the Irish League, I have been at Glentoran's ground, The Oval, which is a mecca for groundhoppers, as well as Linfield, Harland and Wolff Welders, Coleraine and Portstewart," he said.
"I have also been at the grounds of Bohemians and Sligo Rovers in the League of Ireland.
He believes the two leagues are "more authentic" than the likes of the Premier League in England and the Bundesliga in Germany.
"You get more craic and the grounds are more interesting."
Mr Lee said trips were also about exploring the history and culture of a place.
This is also highlighted by Chris Lee, the English author of a new book, Shades of Green, which saw him groundhopping across the island of Ireland while charting its "rich football history".
"I love [Glentoran's ground], the Oval, that's my favourite stadium in Europe," he said.
"It's a time capsule, so unique.
"Cliftonville's Solitude ground is special too, with that old stand.
"It's the oldest football ground on the island of Ireland and where the first international penalty was taken – and missed."
