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Ground Name: Griffin Park |
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| Contents | |
| What's The Ground
Like? Brook Road & Bill Axbey Stands (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? Where To Drink? Looking Towards The Brook Road Stand (photo) How To Get There And Where To Park By Train/Tube The Refreshing Solutions Stand (photo) Admission Prices Ground Layout Programme & Fanzines Local Rivals Disabled Facilities Fixtures 2007-2008 Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Hotel Accommodation Feedback Return To The Main Menu |
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
| The
ground is rather compact and certainly has an individual feel. On one side
is the recently christened Bill Axbey Stand (formerly the New Road Stand),
which is named after a long time supporter who watched the Bees for an
incredible 89 years before passing away in 2007. This stand is a single
tiered, covered all seated stand, which has a number of supporting pillars
running across the front of it. The roof of the stand is painted with a
large advert, designed to catch the eye of passengers flying into Heathrow
Airport. Currently this is an advert for Qatar Airways, but in the past
amongst others, it has been for KLM and easyJet. Opposite is the Braemar
Road Stand that is now known as the 'The Refreshing Solutions Stand' under a
corporate sponsorship deal. Again this stand is single tiered, all seated
and has a number of supporting pillars. It has a very low roof, which makes
you wonder what the view would be like from the very back row of the stand.
At one end is the Ealing Road Terrace, which up to 2007, was an open terrace that was given to away supporters. However the Club have now erected a roof on this end and decided to give it back to the home fans. This should really help boost the atmosphere within the stadium. Opposite is the Brook Road Stand. This stand which was opened in 1986, is a strange affair; a small double decker stand that has seating on the first tier and terracing below. It is known affectionately by the Brentford fans as the 'Wendy House'. The ground is complete with a set of four imposing floodlights. |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| Away
fans are housed in the Brook Road Stand
at one end of the ground.
This covered two tiered stand has 600 seats in its upper tier and room for around 1,000 fans
below in the terrace. The upper tier has good unhindered views of the
playing area, whilst below in the lower terraced area there are a couple of
prominent supporting pillars, which may effect your view. There is a good selection of refreshments on offer including a
selection of Wright's Pies & Pasties (£2.20), Herta Hot Dogs (£2.60),
Cheeseburgers (£2.80), Chips (£1.20) and even Curry & Rice (£4). I had an enjoyable visit to the ground and didn't experience any
problems. Tim Porter a visiting Torquay United supporter adds; 'The home fans were the most friendly I've come across for a long time - before kick-off, the stadium announcer asked all the home fans to put their hands together for the Torquay fans who had made such a long journey. I expected indifferent silence or abuse, but there was almost universal clapping!' |
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| Where To Drink? | |
| Brentford is famous for being the only ground in
England that has a pub at every corner of the ground. The
surrounding land was
formerly owned by the Griffin Brewery, hence Griffin Park. If you are feeling thirsty, get
there early and have a pint in all four. They are the Royal Oak
(a small locals pub), The Griffin (serves Fullers
real ale), The Princess
Royal & The New Inn. The New Inn is the favoured pub for away supporters. Derek
Hall a visiting Hartlepool United fan adds; 'Probably the best pub out of
the four is the Griffin, with the New Inn a fairly close
second. On my visit the New Inn became so packed that we left in
search of another pub and found the Potters Arms, which is a nice quiet little place for a
beer, plus it has a
large screen showing SKY Sports. This pub was just a couple of minutes
walk away across the road from the New Inn'. Jim Prentice informs me; 'besides the corner pubs, another favourite is the Waggon and Horses. This pub is in easy reach of the ground, especially by alighting at Kew Bridge station, just before Brentford on the Waterloo - Reading line'. Whilst Roger Stamp adds; 'Probably the best real ale pub in Brentford is the 'Magpie & Crown' which is only five minutes walk away from the ground, on Brentford High Street. The pub has four real ales on tap and welcomes both home and away supporters'. Phil Hodgin adds; 'There is also a pub called Stripes, which although being predominantly a home fans pub, is probably worth a visit if only to check out the pictorial history on the walls and the "Bees Knees Ale" from Fullers. Fans not wearing colours should be okay there'. |
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| Looking Towards The Brook Road Stand | |
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| How To Get There And Where To Park | |
Leave
the M4 at junction 2 and take the A4, going around the
Chiswick Roundabout so that you end up
coming back on yourself. Continue along the A4 and at the
first roundabout take a left onto the B455
(Ealing Road). The
ground is located about half a mile down this road on your right.
Street Parking. |
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| By Train & Tube | |
| The nearest train station is Brentford,
which is around five minutes walk away from the ground. This station is on the London
Waterloo to Reading line, which normally run every 15 minutes on Saturday
afternoons. To get from the
station to the ground, exit onto Station Road. Take the first
right into Orchard Road, right again into Windmill Road and then first
left into Hamilton Road which leads into New Road and the ground. Caleb Johnstone-Cowan informs me; 'The nearest Underground Station to the ground is South Ealing, which is on the Piccadilly Line. This tube station is around a 15 minute walk from the ground, down Ealing Road'. Mick Hubbard adds; 'Finding the ground is easy enough though - you simply turn right out of the tube station and just go straight down Ealing Road, then taking your life in your hands to cross the A4 at the bottom! Otherwise as you come out of the station cross over to the other side of Ealing Road and catch a number 65 bus down to the ground'. |
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| Admission Prices | |
| Home Fans: Refreshing Solutions Stand: Adults £20, OAP's & Students £14, Juniors £5 Bill Axbey Stand: Adults £19, OAP's & Students £13, Juniors £5 Ealing Road Terrace - Adults £15, OAP's £8, Juniors £5 Away Fans: Brook Road Stand (Seating): Adults £19, OAP's & Students £13, Juniors £5 Brook Road Stand (Terrace): Adults £15, OAP's & Students £8, Juniors £5 * Students and the unemployed can buy adults tickets for the home areas at a discounted rate providing that they are purchased prior to matchday and that the necessary proof is shown (i.e current NUS card/UB40/photographic ID). This must be purchased in advance of matchday. |
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| Programme & Fanzines | |
| Official Programme £2.50 Thorne In The Side Fanzine £1 Hey Jude Fanzine £1 Beesotted £2 |
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| Local Rivals | |
| Queens Park Rangers & Fulham. | |
| Disabled Facilities | |
| For details of disabled facilities at the ground please visit the relevant page on the National Association Of Disabled Supporters (NADS) website. | |
| Fixtures 2007-2008 | |
| For the Brentford fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website) | |
| Record & Average Attendance | |
| 39,626 v Preston North End, FA Cup 6th Round, March 5th, 1938. Average Attendance: 2006-2007: 5,600 (League One) 2005-2006: 6,775 (League One) 2004-2005: 6,082 (League One) |
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| Fans Reviews Of Griffin Park | |
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Paul
Naylor (Bradford City) 20/11/04 Caroline Dunn (Neutral) 10/08/04 |
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| Hotel Accommodation | |
| If you require hotel accommodation in the area then first try a hotel booking service provided by Football Hotels who are powered by Activehotels, who specialise in locating accommodation near or within a short travelling distance of the football ground. They also have the added advantage over some other hotel booking services that you pay on departure. Yes this site will earn a small commission if you book through them, but it will go to help with the running costs of keeping the Guide going. To access their Brentford and general London page click here. | |
| Feedback | |
| If anything is incorrect or you have something to add,
please e-mail me and I'll
update
the guide. |
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