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Doncaster Rovers Ground Name:
Keepmoat Stadium |
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| Contents | |
| What's
The Ground Like? External View (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? Where To Drink? Looking Towards The North Stand (photo) How To Get There And Where To Park By Train South Stand (photo) Admission Prices Programme Price West Stand (photo) Local Rivals Disabled Facilities Fixtures 2007-2008 Ground Layout Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Hotel Accommodation Feedback Return To The Main Menu |
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
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After 84 years of playing football at their
old
Belle Vue ground, the Club have now moved to a new purpose built
stadium, which was opened on January 1st 2007. The Keepmoat stadium
cost £21m to build and is also home to
Doncaster Lakers Rugby League team
as well as ladies football team Doncaster Belles. The stadium complex
was built by, and is owned by, Doncaster Council. To be honest the Keepmoat Stadium, in common with a number of new stadiums, looks far more interesting from the outside that it does on the inside. The stadium is situated next to a lake (which I believe makes Doncaster the only league ground to do so) and looks smart with four interesting looking floodlights, protruding at an angle from the stadium roof. However, on the inside the stadium is rather non-descript. Yes it looks tidy, the stadium is completely enclosed, and all the stands, which are of the same height and all seated are covered. But it lacks character and it is rather similar to other new stadiums that have been built, except that it is on a smaller scale. On one side is the West Stand, containing the teams' dressing rooms and tunnel, from which the teams emerge onto the pitch. The primary television gantry is also housed on this side, along with press facilities, as well as the main areas that house disabled supporters. Opposite is the East Stand which contains a row of 16 executive boxes, outside which patrons can sit. Both ends are identical, with the North End of the ground being allocated to away fans. Unusually the stadium has large access points in 3 corners of the ground, which can be used if need be, by emergency services. In the North East corner of the stadium is a small electric scoreboard. |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
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Away fans are located in the North Stand at one end of the stadium, where
around 3,344 fans can be accommodated. Clubs with a smaller following will
be allocated around a third to two thirds of that number meaning that on those occasions the end
is shared with home supporters. The view of the playing action, leg room,
and facilities in this stand are all good, although fans are set well back
from the pitch as there is a substantial tarmac looking track which
surrounds it. The concourses are a good size and there are a number of televisions on view to keep supporters entertained. Pies (including the Chicken Balti pie), pasties and vegetarian 'Pizza Pods are supplied by Shire Foods and cost £2.30 each. Burgers and Hot Dogs are also available as well as alcohol. I found the stadium to be more atmospheric than the Belle Vue ground which was largely open to the elements. This is a bit unusual as most clubs that move to new grounds usually complain that the atmosphere suffers in the new arena, however at the Keepmoat this is not the case. The stewarding was relaxed on my visit and no problems were experienced. The pitch also looked in top condition, although you could still see the lines of a previous rugby league game. The club have their own troupe of cheerleaders called the Vikettes, who provide entertainment before the game and half time. Please note that cash is not accepted at the turnstiles, they are ticket only. Tickets can be purchased from the South Stand ticket office. |
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| Where To Drink? | |
| The Stadium has
its own Sports bar on the outside of the West Stand. Away fans are admitted to the bar (unless there is an objection to this for
some games by the local Police), however the bar soon
fills up prior to the match and so can be difficult to get in. Inside the
stadium John Smith's bitter and
Fosters lager are
available at a cost of £2.70 a
pint. David Rose adds; 'There is a
bar in the bowling alley next to the Vue Cinema, which
is situated on the
other side of the lake'. Otherwise there is not much near to the stadium (the nearest pub that I could find the Lakeside, Beefeater outlet near Stadium Way is for home fans only), so it may be best to stop for a drink on the way. |
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Thanks to Owen Pavey for supplying the photos for this page. |
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| How To Get There And Where To Park | |
| From the
A1(M) join M18 Eastbound at Junction
35 (signposted Hull) or from the M1 and join the M18 Eastbound at Junction 32.
Once on the M18, leave at Junction 3 and take the A6182 towards Doncaster (the stadium is well signposted from Junction 3 and is about one and a half miles away). You will pass a retail park on your left and then at the next island (which has the Lakeside Pub visible behind it) turn left onto White Rose Way. The Lakeside Shopping Centre is now on your right (the stadium is located directly behind the shopping centre). At the next island turn right onto the industrial estate and after passing the Tesco distribution centre on your right, turn right at the bottom of the road and the stadium is further down on your left.
There are just 1,000 car
parking spaces at the stadium, which will mean that for the bigger games, parking
will be
at a premium. There are 60 parking spaces reserved for disabled fans, which
must be booked prior to matchday. The stadium management are also giving preference for parking to those cars
carrying more than one passenger, but apparently this won't be
enforced. The cost of parking at the stadium is £5. A number of firms
on the nearby industrial park, offer matchday parking at around £3-£4 per
vehicle. If you happen to arrive a couple of hours before kick off then
there is also some free street parking to be had in this area.
For a map showing the location of the ground
click
here
(to take you to the Street Map website). |
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| By Train | |
| Doncaster Station is
around two miles away so you are probably best taking a taxi to
the ground. If you do have time on your hands and you fancy the long
walk (around 25-30 minutes) then the route from the railway station
is as follows: On coming out of the railway station, walk to the dual carriageway across the car parking area and turn to face to your right (i.e. away from the road tunnel under the Frenchgate shopping centre). You are now looking down a more or less straight line to the stadium. Provided you then use the appropriate places to cross roads as necessary you just follow the line of the dual carriageway to the roundabout adjacent to Vardy's Renault dealership. Then turn left into Middle Bank and follow the road round to the stadium.Thanks to John Molloy for providing the train information. Colin Barrett informs me; 'The bus service has been improved for matchdays. From around two hours before kick off there is a dedicated shuttle service from the Doncaster Interchange bus station, which is adjacent the train station and under the Frenchgate Shopping Centre. This is Route 75X and runs every 10 minutes direct to the Stadium. It leaves Stand C6 and the journey takes less than 10 minutes depending on traffic. The bus stops in a lay-by at the Ground close to the Ticket Office and after the match leaves for Doncaster Interchange from the same place. Cost is presently £1.10 each way'. |
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| Admission Prices | |
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Home Fans: West Stand (Centre): Adults £21, Concessions £15, Under 11's £15 East Stand (Centre): Adults £21, Concessions £15, Under 11's £15 West Stand (Wings): Adults £18, Concessions £12, Under 11's £5 East Stand (Wings): Adults £18, Concessions £12, Under 11's £5 North & South Stands: Adults £18, Concessions £12, Under 11's £5 All corners of the stadium: Adults £15, Concessions £8, Under 11's £5 Away Fans: North Stand: Adults £18, Concessions £12, Under 11's £5 |
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| Programme Price | |
| Official Programme £2.50. | |
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| Local Rivals | |
| Rotherham, Barnsley, Scunthorpe United & Hull City. | |
| 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 Doncaster fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website) | |
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| Record & Average Attendance | |
| Record Attendance: At the Keepmoat Stadium: 15,001 v Leeds United League One, April 1st 2008 At Belle Vue: 37,149 v Hull City Third Division North, October 2nd 1948 Average Attendance: At Belle Vue 2006-2007: 7,746 (League One) 2005-2006: 6,139 (League One) 2004-2005: 6,886 (League One) |
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| Fans Reviews Of The Keepmoat Stadium | |
| Visited the Keepmoat recently as an away fan or general football supporter? Then submit your own review of the ground and general day out click here. | |
| 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 Doncaster 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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