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Ground Name: Deepdale
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| Contents | |
| What's The Ground
Like? Looking Towards The Football Museum (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? Where To Drink? Tom Finney & Bill Shankly Stands (photo) How To Get There By Car & Where To Park By Train Alan Kelly & Tom Finney Stands (photo) Local Rivals Admission Prices Ground Layout Fixtures 2007-2008 Programme Price Disabled Facilities Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Hotel Accommodation Other Places Of Interest Own A Share In Preston North End Feedback Return To The Main Menu |
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
| Three quarters of the ground have now been redeveloped in recent years,
with three new stands being put in place. Work has now
begun in re-developing the final stand the Pavilion side. The Pavilion Stand
that has stood since 1935 has now been demolished to make way for a new
4,500 capacity stand. The single tiered stand which will cost in the region
of £6m to build, will include 21 executive boxes and a new Police Control
Box. It is hoped that the new stand will be open in early 2008 and will
increase the overall capacity of Deepdale to around 24,000.
The new stand will really boost the overall look and feel of the stadium and
will be a welcome addition. The three existing stands are excellent looking all seater stands, complete with some spectacular looking floodlights. They are of the same height and style and are all large, covered, single tiered stands. Each has a likeness of a past player outlined on the seats and is named after that player. Tom Finney, Bill Shankly and goalkeeping legend Alan Kelly, are all honoured and this makes a welcome change from the boring letters outlined on most new stands. I wonder which past player will feature with the new stand? Outside the stadium near to the entrance to the National Museum of Football is a statue of former Preston legend Tom Finney. |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| Away fans are housed in the modern Bill
Shankly Stand at one end of the pitch. Normally the allocation for away
fans is approximately half of this stand (3,000 seats) and it is shared
with home supporters. However for teams with a large away support, then
the whole end can be allocated, raising the allocation to 6,000. The views of the playing action and facilities within this stand are excellent. The stand is particularly steep, meaning that fans are kept relatively close to the pitch. On the concourse there are TV's by the refreshment serving areas showing the game live and with the bars being open during the game, this is too much of a temptation for some. There is a wide range of food available including bacon rolls, roll over hot dogs, burgers and even vegetarian 'butter' pies. I particularly enjoyed my last visit as the fans, stewards and even police all seemed to be fairly friendly and there was a good atmosphere being generated within the ground. |
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| Where To Drink? | |
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The favoured pub for away fans, the 'Toy Soldier' on the
nearby Deepdale retail park, has now been closed
for sometime. The closest pubs to the ground are 'Sumners' and 'The
Garrison' both up Tom Finney Way (used to be called Deepdale Road) from the ground. The pubs sit opposite one another and are both okay for away fans, although the Garrison, seems to be the preferred choice with away supporters. The atmosphere in Sumners is friendly, with both home and away supporters mixing freely (although note that away fans are not admitted when there is a local derby). There is a good sized beer garden & car park at the pub. Sometimes the pub does charge for parking but this can be redeemed against a purchase at the bar. Good food is available and children are allowed in. James Pritchett adds to get to the Sumners; 'Make sure you go towards Sainsburys and away from the Town Centre and it should take five minutes. As you go past Sainsburys turn right at the lights and it is half way up the hill, opposite another pub called the Garrison. It should be full, but friendly. The Garrison is on the opposite side of the road and has recently been refurbished. The pub welcome a mix of away and home support and are friendly towards families. It serves Theakstons on draught.' Paul Billington adds; 'In all honesty visiting fans should avoid town centre pubs simply because the police will move you on quickly if they see you and most pubs will refuse to serve away fans. If you arrive by train I would recommend the Vic and Station not for the decor but simply convenience. Another pub worth considering is The White Hart on Watling Road (approx. 500 yards east of Sumner's and the Garrison, up past Fulwood Barracks). It is another Scottish & Newcastle pub with "Sizzling Platters" and other such delights of an inexpensive and good quality menu. A good alternative if the others prove too busy. Ample car parking and children welcome'. Otherwise alcohol is served within the ground. |
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| Tom Finney & Bill Shankly Stands | |
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| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
| Leave M6 at Junction 31 and follow signs Left for Preston.
Go up a steep hill (often a police speed trap on the hill, so stick to 30) and
follow the road down to a mini roundabout (speed camera by the BP garage on the left). At
the roundabout with the Hesketh Arms turn
right into Blackpool Road.
Go straight on over three sets of lights and just before a fourth set, the
ground appears set slightly back on the left. Parking is mainly in the
streets surrounding the ground. Mike Holroyd adds; 'as you turn right at the Hesketh Arms roundabout into Blackpool Road and then pass a park on the left there is now another speed camera to watch out for. The Police also sometimes set up another mobile speed trap on the forecourt of the fire station on the left, so watch your speed. Plus as you near the ground don't be tempted to park up on the grass verges, you are likely to find after the game that you have been given a ticket for it!' Steve Thornley informs me; 'Parking for cars is available for £3 a car at Moorfields Special School. The car park is manned by volunteers from the school and all proceeds go into school funds. Just follow the directions above and at the last set of traffic lights continue straight on for about 200 yards, and you will see the school on the left near Moor Park'. For a map showing the location of the ground click here (to take you to the Street Map website). Kate Abbatt suggests; 'If you want to avoid the pre and post-match traffic, here's a handy tip to avoid it. Instead of leaving the M6 at Junction 31, carry on to Junction 31a signposted, Preston East and Longridge. (This is a limited junction as you can only leave northbound and join southbound.) Keep in the right hand lane and go across the roundabout signposted Preston east, football ground and museum. Across the next roundabout (Anderton Arms on your right) and then left at the next one. At the next lights, go right onto Watling Street. You will go past the White Hart and a row of shops. At next lights by Fulwood Barracks, keep in the left hand lane. You can either park in Sumners, (turn left straight after the lights) or follow the road up to the big junction at Blackpool Road and the ground is on your left and take your chances with on-street parking. Sumners is better as you are the right side of the ground to get away quick after the game. Blackpool Road gets badly snarled up after games and the lights don't help it'. 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 | |
| Preston station is around a mile and a
half from the ground and takes around twenty five minutes to walk,
although you will pass some good pubs on the way. Leave
the Preston railway station via the main entrance, and head right at the top
of the drive. This is the main High
Street. Continue along the High
Street, passing all the regular
big name shops. Some
good pubs and eateries can be found down side streets off the
High Street, so if you
have time, take a look. Try the Old
Black Bull, and
Academy, the later being about the last place on
the High Street that will allow away supporters before you get to
Deepdale. Colours are not recommended around town.
The High Street (or
Church Street/Fishergate as it's known) is about a mile long, and you will
pass a church and a bike shop as you come to its end. Simply
carry on walking along this street, and when you reach the ring road, you
head straight over the large traffic lights, heading towards a pub called
the County Arms opposite
the prison. Turn left along the road here passing the
County Arms (which is not recommended for away supporters) and
continue along Deepdale road. On the left is Tom Finney sports bar, a home
fans only pub, but if you have no colours you may get in.
The ground is now another half mile in a straight line along this road.
Thanks to Kevin Wrenn for
supplying the directions and general information. |
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| Local Rivals | |
| Blackpool, Burnley & Blackburn Rovers. | |
| Admission Prices | |
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Home Fans*: Sir Tom Finney Stand (Premium Area): Adults £25, No Concessions Sir Tom Finney Stand: Adults £23, Students/OAP's £14, Under 16's £8 Sir Tom Finney Stand (Family Area): Adults £23, OAP's £14, Under 16's £6 Alan Kelly Town End: Adults £22, OAP's £14, Under 16's £8 Bill Shankly Stand: Adults £22, OAP's £14, Under 16's £8 Away Fans*: Bill Shankly Stand: Adults £22, OAP's £14, Under 16's £8 * The prices shown are the matchday admission prices. Discounts of up to £2 are available on these prices if the ticket is purchased prior to matchday. |
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| Fixtures 2007-2008 | |
| For the Preston North End fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website). | |
| Programme Price | |
| Official Programme £3. | |
| 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 | |
| Record Attendance: 42,684 v Arsenal, Division One, April 23rd, 1938. Modern Attendance Record: 20,383 v Leeds United Championship League Play Off Semi Final, May 8th, 2006. Average Attendance: 2006-2007: 13,862 (Championship League) 2005-2006: 14,619 (Championship League) 2004-2005: 13,889 (Championship League) |
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| National Museum Of Football | |
| John Messner informs me; 'The Museum is located within the two new stands of Deepdale. The exhibits include a
gallery on the history and development of the game in England, along with
how it has played a role in the social history of the nation over the
years. This gallery runs the length of the Tom Finney Stand. The Museum
also features an interactive gallery, where visitors can explore elements
of the game, including tactics, rules, equipment, and grounds. There is an
Special Exhibitions Gallery, whose first exhibition will be on Wembley
Stadium. A gallery charting the history of Deepdale, and a gallery to
feature art and other visual items from the Museum's vast collection'.
For visiting supporters attending a
match, then please note that the Museum will be open until 2.30pm on
Saturday matchdays and 7.30pm on evening matchdays. The museum is free to
enter. To check out other
opening times and gain more information about the museum, then please
visit their website. |
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| Fans Reviews Of Deepdale | |
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Andrew Fleet (Portsmouth) 17/02/08 Steven Hunt (West Bromwich Albion) 29/01/08 Andrew Luscombe (Derby County) 27/11/04 Liam Somerset (Derby County) 27/11/04 Lee Roberts (Doing The 92) 24/11/01 |
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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 Preston page click here. | |
| Other Places Of Interest | |
| You are only 20 minutes or so by car from Blackpool, which is Britain's premier seaside resort, so why not make a weekend of it? If you're feeling brave then try the UK's largest and fastest roller coaster, 'The Big One' at the Pleasure Beach. I braved it, but I think I was in shock afterwards! So much so that I had to seek out the Pleasure Beach bar for medicinal purposes. Only one word of caution, look at the other fixtures being played the same day in Manchester/Bolton/Blackpool etc... as your game. Simply because other away supporters attending these games will also be probably be heading to Blackpool after the game as well. So if there is a particular group of supporters from a club who you would rather avoid, then don't say I didn't warn you to check first. | |
| Own A Share In Preston North End | |
| Framed Share allow you to buy a genuine share for you or someone else, which you can then either receive unframed, or in a frame of your choice. The recipients name will be on the share certificate, which shows that the person is now a shareholder in Preston North End plc. As a shareholder that person will receive the annual accounts of Preston North End plc and allow them to attend the Annual General Meeting of shareholders of the Club, where the Clubs senior officials attend and take questions. To find out more on how to purchase a share in Preston North End for yourself or someone else 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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