|
|
|
||
|
|
|||
|
Ground Name:
New Stadium (also known to the fans as Oteley Road) |
 |
|
| Contents | |
| What's The Ground
Like? Future Developments The New Meadow (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? North Stand (photo) Where To Drink? West Stand (photo) How To Get There By Car & Where To Park South Stand (photo) By Train Admission Prices Ground Layout Programme Price Local Rivals Disabled Facilities Fixtures 2008-2009 Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Hotel Accommodation Feedback |
|
| What's The Ground Like? | |
|
After 97 years at playing at their Gay Meadow
ground, the Shrews have moved to a new stadium on the outskirts of the town.
The New Meadow as it is currently called, has a capacity of 9,875 seats. It
is comprised of four separate stands and at first glance looks similar in
design to some other new stadiums that have been recently built. Yes it is
smart looking, functional and tidy, but lacks that certain something to make
it stand out from the others. Each of the stands are simple single tiered stands, that are covered. Below the roof at the back of the stands is a sizeable strip of perspex that runs along the length of the stands. This is to allow more light into the stadium to facilitate pitch growth. Each of the stands are 18 rows high, with the Roland Wycherley Stand (named after the Club Chairman) on one side, being the 'Main Stand'. This stand has a slightly different layout to the others with a press area and eight corporate boxes at its rear, the type of which that you can sit outside of. The North Stand at one end of the stadium where the away fans are located also houses a prominent looking Police Control Box. Four small floodlights pylons are present on the roofs of the side stands. An unusual feature of the stadium is that the areas for disabled fans are high up at the very back of the stands and are accessed by lifts. There is also a small electric scoreboard next to the away end. |
|
|
The stadium has been built in such a way that the corners of the stadium can later be filled with seating. Danny Davies adds; 'The Club have announced that work on the corners of the stadium is likely to commence in the Summer of 2009. This will raise the capacity to around 12,500.' |
|
| The New Meadow | |
|
|
| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
|
Away fans are located in the North Stand at
one end of the ground. Leg room is good and the stands are
quite steep keeping the fans close to the action and there is good height
between rows. The concourses are quite well laid out, although the
swing doors at the entrances to the toilets were met with a bit of
trepidation. Although they were clearly marked one for entrance and one for
exit, the inevitable occurs with fans piling out of each. The catering is
provided by a local company called Jennys and includes amongst other things; Burgers (£3), Cottage Pie(£2.50), Steak Pie (£2.50), Balti
Pie (£2.50), Pasties (£2) and Sausage Rolls. Plus the club provide handy
plastic forks to tackle those hot pies and I have to say that my steak pie
was very tasty, one of the better that I have had on my recent travels. Alcohol was also available in the
form of Lager (£2.90) and Bitter (£2.70). There are also
large plasma screens on the
concourses showing Sky Sports throughout the afternoon. I had a pleasant visit to the New Stadium as was surprised by the reasonable atmosphere inside. This is boosted by a drummer in the home end, whilst most of the Shrewsbury singers tend to congregate close to the right of the away supporters in the West Stand. Even though I was at a local derby, the atmosphere was not hostile and I encountered no problems around the stadium. Still, the main drawback with the new stadium is its location. Literally built on a field on the very edge of town, there is little in the way of facilities around it. There is a Retail Park nearby, which has some eating outlets such as a McDonalds, Pizza Hut and a supermarket cafe, but there seems to be little else. |
|
|
Thanks to Tim Rigby for providing photos for this page. |
|
| Where To Drink? | |
|
David Matthias informs me; 'There are a couple
of pubs within walking distance of the new stadium. Firstly there is the
'Brooklands Hotel', just
off Meole Brace Island - about 5 minutes walk away and an official "park and
walk" pub with about 100 spaces costing £5 each. Big screens & catering on matchdays. There is also the
Charles Darwin Pub - 10 minutes walk away from new Meadow with 70
free parking spaces & a good chippy opposite'. The Brooklands Hotel is situated on Mill Street. From the stadium turn left along the B4380 Oteley Road. Head around the large roundabout towards Shrewsbury Town Centre. Then turn left into Roman Road and then left again into Mill Street. The hotel is down on the right. The Charles Darwin Pub is in the opposite direction. From the stadium turn right along the B4380 Oteley Road. Take the second left into Sutton Road and the pub is down on the right. Danny Davies adds; 'There
is a Power League 5 a side complex, situated next
to the stadium, behind the away end. This has its own bar
for which you can gain entrance at a cost of £2.
The bar serves has screens showing both Sky Sports and Setanta
and serve hot pork and beef rolls'. |
|
|
|
|
| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
| At the end of the M54 continue onto the A5.
After about seven miles, there is a traffic island which is at the junction
with the A49. Bear left at this island still following the A5.
At the next roundabout take the 3rd exit onto the B4380 (Thieves
Lane). Continue along Thieves
Lane going straight over
two roundabouts and this will lead you into Oteley Road. You will reach the
stadium down further down Oteley Road on the left. There is a large car park at the stadium, holding almost 700 cars, however, this is for permit holders only (although I have received reports of fans turning up early and being admitted for £7). Parking is prohibited in the nearby Retail Park but restrictions on street parking in nearby residential streets have now been lifted. In fact if you go along Oteley Road passing the stadium on your right, then you will reach a residential area on your left where you can street park. It is then around a 15 minute walk to the away turnstiles. Alternatively you can
use
the Park & Ride scheme
operated by the Club. This costs £2 per person and commences at 12.30pm on Saturdays & 5.30pm
for evening matches. It operates from Shire
Hall (but not the nearby Meole Brace which is a park & ride for the town
centre). It is located off the A5 (just take the A5064 towards the town
centre) and at the roundabout with Lord Hill's Column, take the 3rd exit and
then first right into the car park. I have heard though of delays in getting
back to you car after the match (in some cases up to 40 minutes) so bear
this in mind. For a map
showing the location of the ground
click here
(to take you to the Street Map website). |
|
|
|
|
| By Train | |
| Shrewsbury train station is around two miles away from the stadium. So it should take around 40 minutes to walk. Otherwise you can grab a taxi up to the ground, or take a bus from the town centre bus station (service numbers 8, 16, 23, 25 & 544/546 all stop near to the stadium). There are also plans to introduce a dedicated bus service on matchdays. Shrewsbury train station is served by trains from Birmingham New Street, Manchester Piccadilly & Crewe. | |
| Admission Prices | |
Home Fans*: |
|
|
|
|
| Programme Price | |
| Official Programme £2.50 | |
| Local Rivals | |
| Hereford United, Wrexham, Walsall, Wolverhampton Wanderers and AFC Telford. | |
| 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 2008-2009 | |
| For the Shrewsbury fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website) | |
| Record & Average Attendance | |
|
At the New Stadium: 8,753 England v Spain (Women's International) European Championship Qualifier, November 25th 2007. For a Shrewsbury game: 7,707 v Stockport County League Two, December 26th, 2007 At The Gay Meadow Ground: 18,917 v Walsall, Division 3, April 26th, 1961. Average Attendance: 2007-2008: 5,659 (League Two) 2006-2007: 4,730 (League Two) 2005-2006: 3,997 (League Two) |
|
| Fans Reviews Of The New Meadow | |
|
Rob Haynes (Doing The 92) 11/3/08 Roddy Hankins (Hereford United) 23/2/08 Tim Robinson (Neutral) 26/12/07 Glyn Berrington (TNS) 14/8/07 |
|
| 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 Shrewsbury page click here. | |
| Feedback | |
| If anything is incorrect or you have something to add,
please e-mail me and I'll
update
the guide. |
|
|
|
|
