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Ground Name: Britannia Stadium |
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| Contents | |
| What's The Ground
Like? Future Developments The Boothen End & Sentinel Stand (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? Where To Drink? John Smith's Stand (photo) How To Get There And Where To Park Sentinel & Big AM Stand (photo) Admission Prices Ground Layout Local Rivals Programme & Fanzines Fixtures 2007-2008 Disabled Facilities Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Hotel Accommodation Feedback Return To The Main Menu |
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
| The stadium opened in 1997, looks imposing from afar, as it
is perched on a hill with hardly any buildings around it. It
does look good though
especially when
lit up at
night. It is a vast improvement on the old
Victoria Ground which has now sadly
been demolished. It is a fair sized stadium comprising three separate stands.
One of these the Boothen End and Sentinel East Stand, extends around one
corner of the ground, enclosing the stadium in that area. On the other side
of the ground is the John Smith's Stand, which is the tallest at the
Britannia. This imposing stand has a large lower tier of seating with a
smaller tier above. Situated between the tiers is a row of Executive Boxes.
There are quite large open areas to each side of this stand, which detracts
from the overall look of the stadium. If these could be filled at some
point, then the ground would benefit greatly. The Big AM South Stand at one
end of the stadium is allocated to away supporters. This simple looking
stand is like the rest of the stadium, all seated and covered, with
windshields to either side. It is though quite steep, meaning that fans are
kept close to the playing action. Unusually the
teams come onto the pitch from one corner of the ground, between the Big AM
South Stand and the John Smth's Stand. In the corner on the other side of
the Big AM South Stand is a large electric
scoreboard. Tim Green adds; 'Behind the Boothen End there are three statues of the legendary former player Sir Stanley Matthews, which were originally unveiled by Kevin Keegan'. The club also have a couple of unusual looking mascots, with a blue coloured hippo called 'Pottermus' and his white girlfriend 'Pottermiss', obviously this is what happens to hippos when they visit the Potteries! |
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| Future Developments | |
| Stephen Armstrong informs me; 'If Stoke City gain promotion to the Premier League, then the ground capacity would probably be increased by filling in the gap between the Boothen End and the John Smiths Stand. This would take the capacity to over 30,000'. | |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| Away fans are housed in the separate Big
AM (South) Stand
at one end of the ground, where up to 4,800 supporters can be accommodated.
At first I was quite perturbed by a large sign advising
fans that persistent standing would result in ejection from the ground,
however the facilities
and view of the action from this stand are good. The
concourse is adequate and there is a large choice of refreshments available
such as Wrights pies at £2 each, sausage rolls (£1.50), cheeseburgers
(£2.40), rollover hot dogs (£2.60) and chips (£1.30). Alcohol is also
available in the form of Carlsberg lager (bottles £3), Bitter (pint £2.50),
Strongbow cider (can £2.50) and Smirnoff Ice (bottle £2.60). The stadium is quite high up in an exposed position and the open corners can mean that a cold wind can whip through the stadium, so bear this in mind, especially in the winter months. I thought the inside of the stadium was quite disappointing being rather bland and lacking character, although I'm sure that this can be developed in time. Listen out though for the Stoke anthem 'Delilah' being sung by the home fans, they can still give a great rendition of that Tom Jones classic song. It is worth bearing mind though that the Stoke fans are passionate about their club and this can make for an intimidating atmosphere, so it is best to keep colours covered around the ground. Outside at the back of the away stand there is an enclosed fenced off area, to keep away and home supporters apart, especially after the game has finished. |
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| Where To Drink? | |
| There are a
distinct lack of pubs near to the ground as it is built away from other
buildings. Therefore I would recommend that you grab a drink on the way into
Stoke. James Diamond informs me 'There is a
Holiday Inn and Harvester Pub next to the
ground. Car parking in the Harvester car park costs
£3'. Also close to the stadium is a Power League complex
that also has a bar, which also allows in away fans, shows SKY television
and you can even park in their car park for £4.50. Otherwise
alcohol is available at the back of the away end, but
queues can be lengthy, especially if there is a big
support.. Whilst Kevin McPadden the landlord of the Potters Bar adds; 'We are prepared to offer our hospitality to all visiting teams en-route to the Britannia Stadium. We have a full menu of food and drinks available all day, children are welcome in a designated area, coaches welcome by appointment. The pub in Meir Park is approximately six minutes drive from the Britannia Stadium and is located on the A50 Uttoxeter/Stoke road. For further details please telephone 01782 395649 ask for Kevin or Pat'. |
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| How To Get There And Where To Park | |
| Leave the M6 at Junction 15 and
then go straight across the roundabout onto the A500 towards
Stoke. As you see the stadium over on your right and
some wasteland over on your left (where the old Victoria Ground used to be)
turn right onto the A50 towards Uttoxeter. You will then pass the stadium on
your right and then at the next island go around and comeback on yourself
for the stadium entrance. Roger Davis informs me 'Visitors can purchase car park tickets
for the stadium car parks from their own club at a cost of £4 per car'.
Please note though that these tickets must be purchased in advance.
Matt Goldstraw adds; 'If
you have a ticket for the official south car
park, then after going onto the A500 towards Stoke from
junction 15 of the M6, leave the A500 at the first junction and turn right
at the large roundabout and onto the A34 towards Stafford. Go past
a red petrol station and the Staffordshire Knot pub and
after about a mile you will reach a small
roundabout that on the right has the entrance to Trentham Awakes
(previously known as Trentham Gardens). Turn left at
the island and then continue straight up this road for about three
miles. You will pass a golf club,
a Toby Carvery, go
over a railway bridge,
over the canal and past an Esso
garage. Then at a set of traffic lights
where there is an obvious industrial estate to the right, turn left on to
Stanley Matthews Way for the stadium'.
Alternatively there are still some parking spaces at
various commercial sites between the old Michelin Car park and the site
of the
old
Victoria Ground. Bear in mind though that if you do
park by the Victoria ground, allow a good 20 minutes to walk (mostly uphill) to the stadium.
If you are intending parking in this area then from Junction 15 proceed
along the A500, passing the junction with the A34. The stadium will appear
over on the right and the open site of the demolished Victoria
ground will appear on your left. Leave the A500 at the next junction and
turn left to go down to this area. |
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| By Train | |
| Stoke station is just under three miles from the stadium and really is too far to walk, so it is probably best to hire a taxi. Tim Rigby a visiting Wolves fan adds 'there are some shuttle buses than run from Glebe Street in Stoke up to the Britannia Stadium, which depart every 15 minutes before kick off. There are return buses after the game back to Glebe Street from behind the Sentinel (East) Stand'. Björn Sandström adds; 'To catch this bus, turn right from the station and head down Station Road. At the bottom of Station Road at the traffic lights by the Roebuck Hotel, turn right to go along Leek Road (A52). Then go straight across the A500 dual carriageway and into Glebe Street which is straight across in front of you. You should then see the line of buses that will take you to the stadium. It is only about a five minute walk from the station'. The shuttle bus costs for a return ticket £3 Adults, £2 Children and £1.50 OAP's. | |
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| Admission Prices | |
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Home
Fans*: |
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| Local Rivals | |
| Port Vale & Crewe Alexandra. | |
| Programme & Fanzines | |
| Official Programme: £3. The Oatcake Fanzine: £1.20. |
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| Fixtures 2007-2008 | |
| For the Stoke fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website). | |
| 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 Britannia Stadium: 28,218 v Everton, FA Cup 3rd Round, January 5th 2002. At the Victoria Ground: |
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| Fans Reviews Of The Britannia Stadium | |
|
Chris
Stribling (QPR) 2/10/04 Adam New (Derby County) 10/01/04 Tim Rigby (Doing The 92) 16/05/04 |
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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 Stoke 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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