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AFC Wimbledon (But known to many
fans as Kingsmeadow) |
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AFC Wimbledon (But known to many
fans as Kingsmeadow) |
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| Contents | |
| What's The Ground Like? Future Ground Developments Paul Strank Main Stand (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? John Smith's Terrace (photo) Where To Drink? Tempest End (photo) How To Get There By Car & Where To Park By Train Kingston Road End (photo) Admission Prices Programme & Fanzines Local Rivals Ground Layout Disabled Facilities Fixtures 2011-2012 Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Hotel Accommodation Location Map |
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
| Kingsmeadow is
a small but tidy stadium, that has seen investment in
recent years since AFC Wimbledon took over the lease
from Kingstonian FC, who still groundshare with the
Dons. Three sides of the stadium are comprised of
covered terracing, with only the Paul Strank Stand on
one side being comprised of seating. This covered, all
seated Main Stand, looks fairly modern, having recently
been extended. It accommodates 1,265 spectators and
although only eight rows high, it is free of supporting
pillars, resulting in uninterrupted views of the pitch.
Surprisingly the team dugouts are not located in front of the Main Stand, but on the other side in front of the John Smiths Terrace, which leads to a procession of players and club officials, at half and at full time. This terrace is partly covered to the rear and has open flanks to either side. At one end is the Tempest End Terrace (aka the Athletics End, from the Athletics Stadium that sits behind), where the majority of the home supporters stand. This newish looking covered terrace is located quite close to the edge of the playing area, giving a reasonable view of the game. Opposite is the Kingston Road End terrace, which is partly covered with a basic looking roof and open areas to each side. The stadium has a set of four rather plain looking floodlights. |
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| Future Ground Developments | |
| Michael Field informs
me; 'The Club are due to start work in April 2012, on
building a new 1,000 all seater stand to replace the
existing Kingston Road terrace. This should be
open in September/October of this year'. This is
mainly being undertaken to ensure that the ground
complies with League regulations. |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| Away
fans are housed in the John Smith's Terrace at one
side of the pitch. If the the away following
is expected to be less than 600, then one side (towards
the Kingston Road End) is allocated and hence the
terrace is shared with home supporters, although
adequately separated. For larger followings then more of
the terrace can be allocated, with the maximum
allocation being 700. This small shallow terrace is
partly covered to the rear, with open standing
areas on each side. On my visit the catering was a
bit disappointing with a hut just selling rather
expensive sandwiches and hot drinks. If this has now
changed in the away section then please let me know.
Only a small number seats (50) are made available
to visiting fans and these are reserved for
the old or infirm. Please note that the away terrace is not accessible by going through the main entrance into the stadium car park. Away fans should instead continue going along Kingston Road (keeping the main entrance on the right) and take the next right into Jack Goodchild Way. Outside the stadium near the main entrance is a handy chip shop whilst a bit further along is the amusingly named 'Fat Boys Cafe'. I also noticed outside the Main Stand a vendor displaying and selling the largest array of different football badges, that I think I have ever seen. |
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| Where To Drink? | |
| There are two large bars located inside the
main Paul Strank Stand. Away supporters are generally
welcome to frequent the bars, however for the bigger
games, and/or when it is all ticket, the bars are
reserved for home fans only. On my visit I felt that the
inside of the bar that I frequented, was a bit dim and
drab looking, but with a real ale on offer from a local
brewery and a barbecue selling burgers and hot dogs
outside, its plus points outweighed the negative ones! Nearby pubs include the Duke of Wellington and the ‘spit and sawdust’ Prince of Wales, both located on Kingston Road between New Malden and the ground. Otherwise, you can drink in Kingston or New Malden town centres and get a bus to the ground (or a long walk!). The 131 bus passes the ground and goes through both town centres. If in Kingston, catch a bus heading to Tooting Broadway; if in New Malden, catch a bus heading to Kingston. Also near to the ground on Cambridge Road going towards Kingston, is the Blue Bar at the Sir Robert Peel Pub. This pub features strippers of the '£1 coin in the glass variety.' |
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| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
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From Outside London: Map showing the location of the Kingsmeadow Stadium (at the bottom of this page). |
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| By Train | |
| The nearest station to the ground is
Norbiton, which is about a 15 minute walk away. The
station is served by trains from London Waterloo via
Clapham Junction and Wimbledon. Leave the station via the back exit (Westbound platform), and take the first left onto Norbiton Avenue. At the end of the avenue, turn right Gloucester Road, and at the end of Gloucester Road turn left into Cambridge Road. The main entrance to Kingsmeadow is 400 yards down on the right, with the away entrance a little further on past this on the right hand side and is well sign posted. Thanks to John Woodruff for providing the directions. Dave Nathan adds; 'New Malden station is also in walking distance of the ground. This may be a preferred route for away fans as there are better pubs in New Malden namely Bar Malden and the Glasshouse both outside New Malden station and The Fountain at the Fountain Roundabout. Come out of New Malden station and follow the High Street to the left, and proceed up to the Fountain Roundabout. At the roundabout turn right into Kingston Road towards Kingston ( or jump on a 131 bus) and the ground is a good mile on the left after passing under the railway bridge and Homebase on your right. This will take about 25 minutes to walk'. |
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| Admission Prices | |
| President’s
Lounge: £40 (not normally available to away fans) Main Stand: Adults £18, Concessions £9, Under 16's £4 Terrace: Adults £15, Concessions £9, Under 16's £2 Concessions are available to full-time students, over 65's and the unemployed on production of proof of status. Due to the large number of season ticket sales for the Main Stand, match tickets for this area will be very limited. |
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| Programme & Fanzines |
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| Official Programme £3 Wise Men Say Fanzine £1 WUP Fanzine £1 |
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| Local Rivals | |
| Aldershot Town, Barnet and Crawley Town. | |
| Disabled Facilities | |
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For details of disabled facilities and club contact at the ground please visit the relevant page on the Level Playing Field website. |
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| Fixtures 2011-2012 | |
| AFC Wimbledon fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website) | |
| Record & Average Attendance | |
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Record
attendance (For an AFC Wimbledon game): |
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| Fans Reviews | |
| Rob
Garforth (Neutral) 28/1/12 Paul Willott (Neutral) 10/12/11 Jack Jones (Crewe Alexandra) 15/10/11 Paul Dickinson (Doing The 92) 3/9/11 Myles Munsey (Doing The 92) 19/8/11 Steve Bailey (Luton Town) 8/8/09 |
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| Hotel Accommodation | |
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If you require
hotel accommodation in the area then
first try a hotel booking service
provided by Late Rooms. They
have a huge choice of places
to stay and their booking facility
is straightforward to use. 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. Remember that you can use
the above link or panel below to book any other
hotels that you may need for business or leisure,
either in the UK or abroad.
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| Map showing the location of the Kingsmeadow football ground, railway stations and listed pubs: | |
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Instructions
for using the map:
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| Feedback | |
| If anything is incorrect or you have
something to add, please e-mail me duncan@footballgrounds.net
and I'll update the guide. |
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