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Middlesbrough Ground Name:
Riverside Stadium |
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| Contents | |
| What's The Ground
Like? Riverside Stadium (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? Where To Drink? Riverside Stadium (photo) How To Get There By Car & Where To Park By Train By Air North & East Stands Local Rivals Admission Prices Fixtures 2007-2008 Ground Layout Programme & Fanzine Stadium Tours Disabled Facilities Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Ayresome Park Hotel Accommodation Feedback Return To The Main Menu |
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
| The stadium was opened in August 1995 after the Club left its former home of Ayresome Park where it had played since 1903. The new stadium has further been improved with the 'filling in' of the corners on either side of the West Stand, adding another 5,000 seats to the overall capacity. These extensions mean that the Riverside is now totally enclosed, vastly improving its overall feel. The West Stand is slightly larger than the other three sides, which makes the appearance somewhat imbalanced. Although it looks great from the outside (especially so at night, when illuminated and visible from miles around), inside it is somewhat bland. It seems to lack character, but I'm sure this will develop in time. There is an electric scoreboard at each end of the stadium, whilst outside the main entrance you will find a pair of statues dedicated to two former Boro greats; George Hardwick & Wilf Mannion. In-between the statues are the old entrance gates to Ayresome Park, which is a nice link with the Club's history. | |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| Away supporters are housed in the South Stand at one end of the stadium, which is shared with home supporters (with the obligatory 'no-mans' land in between). Up to 3,450 fans can be accommodated in this area. I was quite impressed with the facilities inside the ground and the view from the away section is excellent. One thing to point out is that there is very little in the way of pubs or eating establishments nearby, so you will need to head into the town centre for these (see recommendations below). Please also note that the whole stadium has now been made a no smoking one, this includes the concourses as well as the seating areas. Normally a friendly day out. | |
| Where To Drink? | |
| Chris Taylor, recommends Doctor Browns, a ten minute walk away from the ground at the bottom of Corporation Road, in the city centre. This pub serves real ale, has SKY TV and on my last visit had a good mix of home and away fans, both inside and outside of the pub. On the corner opposite the pub, is also a sandwich bar, which was doing a brisk trade in amongst other things, trays of roast potatoes and gravy. To find this pub; If you were standing outside the stadium with the main entrance behind you, head over to your left and turn right down the road, going under a bridge. A little way down this road on your left, there is an underpass (there is usually some programme & fanzine sellers standing by its entrance). Go down through the underpass and as you emerge on the other side turn right and go down the road and through another underpass. You will emerge in a small retail park (there is a McDonalds over on your right), which you walk through unto you come to a main road. Turn right along this road and you will see the Doctor Browns pub over on your left. Otherwise, there is a bar at the back of the away stand within the ground (£2.50 per pint). | |
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| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
| It is quite easy to find. Just follow the A66
(signposted Teeside from the A1) past Darlington's new ground and on into
Middlesbrough. Carry on up the A66, through the centre of Middlesbrough and
you will pick up signs for the Riverside Stadium. Although there is no
parking available directly at the stadium itself, there are a number of
private parks (mostly on waste land) nearby. Jerry Hill adds; 'I would suggest that away fans should follow the route marked "away coaches" from the A66, as this passes many private car parks along the river, all priced at £4'. Bear in mind though that if you do park at one of these car parks, then it may take 45 minutes or so after the game, before you can exit them. Otherwise, as the stadium is about one mile from the town centre you could also consider parking in a long stay car park in the town centre (about a 15-20 minute walk away from the ground). For a map showing the location of the ground click here (to take you to the Street Map website). To go to a simplified page, containing the directions and pub info, which you can print out click here. |
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| By Train | |
| The ground is walkable from Middlesbrough train station which
is on Albert Road. Although there is a direct train
service from the North West, fans travelling from other parts of the
country, will most likely find themselves changing at Darlington,
for Middlesbrough. If you come out of the main entrance, turn left onto Zetland Road. Then left again into Albert Road and proceed under the railway bridge. Turn immediately right into Bridge Street East, going past the Bridge pub (not recommended for away fans) and then take the next right into Wynward Way. The stadium is down this road. If you come out of the rear station entrance, turn right onto Bridge Street East. Go Straight past the Bridge pub and then take the next right into Wynward Way for the ground. Thanks to Glenn Brunskill for providing the directions. |
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| By Air | |
| The nearest airport is Teeside which is located just under 13 miles away, just outside Darlington. Bus Service number 20 runs between the Airport and Middlesbrough, but the service is infrequent. It may be an idea instead to head into Darlington and take a train to Middlesbrough, or to get a taxi from to airport to Middlesbrough which would cost around £17. | |
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| Local Rivals | |
| Sunderland, Newcastle United. | |
| Admission Prices | |
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Like a number of other clubs a category scheme
for ticket prices is in operation (Premium & Normal), whereby the most popular games
cost more to watch. Normal category match prices are shown in brackets below: Home Fans West Stand Upper Tier: Adults £40 (£31), Concessions £25 (£22) West Stand Lower Tier: Adults £35 (£26), Concessions £18 (£15) East Stand Upper Tier: Adults £38 (£30), Concessions £22 (£19) East Stand Lower Tier: Adults £35 (£27), Concessions £18 (£15) North Stand: Adults £31 (£24), Concessions £18 (£15) South Stand: Adults £31 (£24), Concessions £18 (£15) Away Fans: South Stand: Adults £31 (£24), Concessions £18 (£15) Concessions apply to Over 65's and Under 16's. |
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| Fixtures 2007-2008 | |
| For the Middlesbrough fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website). | |
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| Programme & Fanzine | |
| Official Programme: £3. Fly Me To The Moon Fanzine: £1 |
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| Stadium Tours | |
| The Club conduct tours of the stadium on weekdays plus Sundays. The tours cost £5 for adults and £2 for senior citizens and children. Tours must be booked in advance on 0844-499-6789. | |
| Disabled Facilities | |
| For details of disabled facilities at the ground please visit the relevant page on the National Association Of Disabled Supporters (NADS) website. | |
| Record & Average Attendance | |
| At The Riverside: 35,000 England v Slovakia Euro 2004 Qualifier, June 11th 2003. At the Riverside (For A Middlesbrough Game): 34,836 v Norwich City, Premier League, December 28th 2004. At Ayresome Park: 53,536 v Newcastle United, Division One, December 27th, 1949. Average Attendance: 2006-2007: 27,730 (Premier League) 2005-2006: 28,463 (Premier League) 2004-2005: 32,012 (Premier League) |
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| Fans Reviews Of The Riverside | |
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Debbie Smaje
(Everton) 16/01/05 Douglas Mulliner (Bolton Wanderers) 5/10/02 |
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| Ayresome Park | |
| To see some photos of Middlesbrough's previous ground Ayresome Park then click here to take you to the Old Grounds & Stands Section of the Guide. | |
| 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 Middlesbrough 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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