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| Contents |
What's St Andrews
Like?
Future Ground
Developments
Tilton Road & Spion Kop
Stands (photo)
What
Is It Like For Visiting Supporters?
Gil Merrick & Main
Stands (photo)
Where To Drink?
A Closer Look At The Tilton
Road Stand (photo)
How To Get
There And Where To Park
Gil
Merrick Stand (aka Railway End) (photo)
By Train
Spion Kop (photo)
Local Rivals
Admission Prices
Programme & Fanzines
Ground Layout
Fixtures 2011-2012
Disabled
Facilities
Record
& Average Attendance
Fans
Ground Reviews
Hotel Accommodation
Irwin Mitchell
Solicitors
St Andrews Location Map
Old
St Andrews
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| What's St Andrews
Like? |
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Approximately three quarters
of the ground have been rebuilt since the mid 90's. One large single
tiered stand, incorporating the Tilton Road
End and Spion Kop, completely surrounds half
the pitch and replaced a former huge terrace. The
new Tilton Road End was opened for the start of
the 1994-95 season, with the new Spion Kop
following in 1995. At the back of the Spion Kop
Stand, which runs along one side of the pitch, are
a row of executive boxes, as well as a central
seated executive area which also incorporates the
Directors 'box'. The other newish stand, the
recently renamed Gil Merrick Stand (previously
known as the Railway End) was opened in February
1999. It is a large two tiered stand and unusual
in having quite a small
top tier, which overhangs the lower area. Again
there is a row of executive boxes in this stand,
housed at the back of the lower section.
Only one 'old' stand, the former Main Stand, which
was opened in 1952, now remains of the former St
Andrews. This is a two tier stand running along
one side of the pitch and has a row of executive
boxes running across its middle. This stand is the
smallest at the stadium and is looking
particularly tired amongst its more modern
neighbours. This stand which is now known as the
Garrison Lane Stand also houses the press area,
television gantry and has the team dugouts located
in front of it. The team dressing rooms are
situated within the Gil Merrick Stand, which
results in the teams entering the field of play
from one corner of the stadium between this stand
and the Garrison Lane Stand. Also in
this area is a large video screen that was erected
at the start of the 2009/10 season.
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Future
Ground Developments
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The Club are still weighing up the options as to the
possibility of a moving to new stadium or
whether to further re-develop St Andrews. If the
latter option was chosen then this would involve
the re-building of the Main Stand. This would
increase the overall capacity of St
Andrews to around 36,500 at a
cost of around £12m.
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| Tilton
Road and Spion Kop Stands |
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| What
Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? |
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Away
supporters are housed on one side of the Gil
Merrick Stand, which is at one end of the
stadium in the lower tier. The normal allocation
is 3,000 tickets, but
this can be increased to around 4,500
for cup games (when
the whole of the lower tier is allocated). There
are Birmingham fans housed above the away
supporters, as well as to the other side of the
stand (fans are separated by plastic netting).
The facilities and the view from this stand are
pretty good. Pies are supplied by Peters Pies
and include; Chicken Balti, Steak and Kidney
plus Potato and Meat (all £2.70). Cornish
pasties (£2.70), Cheese and Onion Pasties
(£2.70), Burgers (£3.20) and
Rollover Hot Dogs (£3.20) are also
available. Alcohol in form of John
Smith's Bitter or Fosters Lager is
also served at £3.40 per pint, as well
as Smirnoff Ice (£3.50) and Wine
(£3.60).
John a visiting Burnley informs me; 'The beer
inside the ground was drinkable and the Balti
pies were delicious! On the downside, the seat I
had been allocated was in Row 21 seat 002 which
was right up against the wall. I've had more
legroom on a package tour flight to the
Canaries! What really annoyed me were a small
section of the City fans who spent the entire
game screaming abuse and gesturing to the away
fans'.
Alan Sexton a visiting West Ham supporter adds;
'The ground itself is three quarters of the way
to being a top class stadium but desperately
needs a new Main Stand. If this is built,
joining with the Tilton Road and Railway Stands
then St Andrews will be one of the best if not
the best ground in the Midlands.
Atmosphere wise it was the best ground I have
visited all season for sheer volume before and
during the game. As for the concourses they
left little to be desired and were extremely
crowded, the scrum to try and get a pie was not
for the faint hearted'.
It is worth bearing mind
though, that a certain section of Birmingham
fans are particularly passionate about their
club and this can make for an intimidating
atmosphere for away supporters. I would advise
as a precaution to keep your club colours
covered around the ground or in the city centre.'
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Gil
Merrick and Main Stands
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| Where To Drink? |
Most of the pubs near to
the ground can be quite intimidating for away
supporters and are not recommended. However there is
the Brighton pub on the Coventry Road which does
tolerate away fans in small numbers. This pub is about
a ten minute walk away, going past Woolworths &
Morrisons on your left. Simon a visiting Chelsea fan
adds; 'On our last visit to St Andrews, we managed to
find a friendly pub within proximity of the ground.
The pub is called The Cricketers Arms and is about 10
minutes walk, maybe less. To find the pub (with your
back to the away section) walk along the road ahead of
you going away from the ground (not the road going
right up by the stadium, but the road going towards
Woolworths), until you get to Morrisons on your left.
You can walk through Morrisons car park heading
towards the store then join the road next to it, which
is called Little Green Lane. The pub is 30 seconds
from there on the left. The pub itself is shared
between home and away fans but all the Birmingham fans
were very friendly. The pub is small but you can drink
outside where there are beer tables'.
It is best to drink in the
city centre and get a taxi to the ground (about
£6). If you are walking to the ground from
the city centre, then you may care to stop
at the Anchor Pub on Bradford Street, renowned
for its range of real ales on offer, and named
Birmingham 'CAMRA Pub Of The Year' on more than
one occasion. Although there are a number of
Blues fans that frequent the pub they tend to be
of the CAMRA bearded variety and therefore as
long as you don't turn up mobbed handed, you
should be okay. The pub is situated just behind
where the Digbeth coach station is being
rebuilt. Otherwise alcohol is served within the
stadium.
If you coming by
train, or decide to drink in the city centre
beforehand, then if you like your real ale, then
you can't do much better than visit the
Wellington Pub on Bennetts Hill. With 16 real
ales on tap, including 12 guest ales, this is
somewhat of a mecca for real ale drinkers. In
2008 alone, the pub served over 2,000 different
beers! To find this pub, then assuming that you
are coming into New Street Station by train,
then as you come onto the passenger concourse at
the station, so straight up the escalators in
front of you. At the top of the escalators turn
left and then proceed towards the 'Foot Locker'
outlet. Turn left at this store and then right
and proceed down the ramp past McDonalds. At the
bottom of the ramp turn left into New Street and
walk along the pedestrian area. Bennetts Hill is
the fourth turning on the right (there is a
Barclays Bank is on the corner). The Wellington
pub is about two thirds of the way up Bennetts
Hill on the right hand side. There is also a
handy Wetherspoons outlet called the Briar Rose
(which is no smoking) on Bennetts Hill as well.
The Wellington does not provide food, but has no
objections to you bringing in your own. There
are a couple of taxi ranks nearby that you can
use if you wish to get you to the
ground. You can get more info on the Wellington pub website ,
including a live 'beer board' showing which ales
they are currently serving.
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A
Closer Look At The Tilton Road Stand
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| How To Get
There And Where To Park |
Leave the M6 at
Junction 6 and take the A38(M) (known locally as the
Aston Expressway) for Birmingham City Centre.
Continue past the first turn off (Aston, Waterlinks)
and then take the next turn off, for the Inner Ring
Road.
Turn left at the
island at the top of the slip road and take the Ring
Road East, sign posted Coventry/Stratford. Continue
along the ring road for two miles, crossing straight
across three islands. At the fourth island (there is
a large McDonalds on the far left hand corner) turn
left into Coventry Road going towards Small Heath.
Birmingham City's ground is about a 1/4 of a mile up
this road on your left. The ground is well sign
posted on the Inner Ring Road.
There is a small
car park directly outside the entrance to the away
end, but availability of space for cars is
determined by how many away coaches are expected as
they park in the same car park, which may mean for
certain games that there is no space available for
cars at all. There is though plenty of street
parking off the left hand side of the ring road.
Either around the small park at the third island you
cross or along the road next to and behind the BP
garage before the fourth island. Bear in mind that
if you arrive after 1.30pm these areas are likely to
be already full. There are some local schools and
firms that offer parking facilities for around
£5.'
Location
map of the St Andrews football ground (at the
bottom of this page).
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Gil Merrick Stand
(aka Railway End)
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| By Train |
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The nearest station is Bordesley, which
is about a ten minute walk away from the ground,
but is only served by trains from Birmingham Snow
Hill and Birmingham Moor
Street. Normally scheduled trains do not stop at
Bordesley, so they don't show up
on national timetables searches. Please
download the local timetable from the London Midland website
for details.
If you arrive at New Street
Station in the city centre, either walk to Moor
Street station (five minutes) take a taxi
(about £6) or embark on the 20-25 minute
walk to the ground.
As you come onto the concourse of New St station,
bear to the left of the escalators and through the
glass doors. Walk down towards to the end of the
Station Service Road. Cross to the other side of
the road at the bottom (where there is a new
shopping centre) turn right and follow the purple
pedestrian signs for Digbeth Coach Station. These
will see you descending a flight of stairs at the
side of the shopping centre on your left and then
going down a road with the Markets on your right
and a large church on your left. Follow this road
around to the right and then take the next left to
take you up to the main dual carriage way. Turn
right along the dual carriageway, passing the
impressive looking Crown Pub on your left. Cross
over the dual carriageway to the Crown pub side of
the road and continue walking away from the City
Centre. You will come to a fork in the road where
you want to bear left going underneath a railway
bridge. Passing the Clements Arms on your left
just continue straight down this road, crossing a
large roundabout (with a McDonalds over on one
corner). The entrance to the away section is
further up the road on your left.
Otherwise you can take the following buses from
the city centre; 57A, 58 & 60. These can be caught near to Moor
Street Railway Station on Queensway. Look for
bus stop MF on this map on
the Network West Midlands website.
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Spion
Kop photo
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| Local Rivals |
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Aston Villa, West Bromwich
Albion & Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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| Admission Prices |
Like
a number of Clubs, Birmingham City
operate a match category policy (A, B C & D) whereby the
ticket prices cost more for the most popular games.
Home Fans:
Spion Kop Club Class: Adults £40 (B £35)
(C £30) (D £25), Concessions £30
(B £25) (C £20) (D £15)
Spion Kop: Adults £32 (B £28) (C
£25) (D £20), Senior
Citizens/Students £20 (B £18) (C
£16) (D £14), Under 18's £13 (B
£11) (C £9) (D £7), Under 13's
£7 (B £7) (C £5) (D £5)
Garrison Lane Stand (Upper Centre): Adults £32
(B £28) (C £25) (D
£20), Senior
Citizens/Students £20 (B £18) (C
£16) (D £14), Under 18's £13 (B
£11) (C £9) (D £7), Under 13's
£7 (B £7) (C £5) (D £5)
Spion Kop
Corner: Adults £30 (B £27) (C
£23) (D £18), Senior
Citizens/Students £18 (B £16)
(C £14) (D £12), Under
18's £13 (B £11) (C £9)
(D £7), Under 13's £7 (B
£7) (C £5) (D £5)
Garrison Lane Stand (Upper Wings): Adults
£30 (B £27) (C £23) (D
£18), Senior
Citizens/Students £18 (B £16)
(C £14) (D £12), Under
18's £13 (B £11) (C £9)
(D £7), Under 13's £7 (B
£7) (C £5) (D £5)
Tilton Road Stand: Adults £30 (B
£27) (C £23) (D
£18), Senior
Citizens/Students £18 (B £16)
(C £14) (D £12), Under
18's £13 (B £11) (C £9)
(D £7), Under 13's £7 (B
£7) (C £5) (D £5)
Gil Merrick Stand (Lower): Adults £30 (B
£27) (C £23) (D
£18), Senior
Citizens/Students £18 (B £16)
(C £14) (D £12), Under
18's £13 (B £11) (C £9)
(D £7), Under 13's £7 (B
£7) (C £5) (D £5)
Gil Merrick Stand (Upper): Adults £27
(£B 24), (C £20) (D
£16), Senior
Citizens/Students £16 (B £14)
(£12) (D £10), Under 18's
£13 (£8), Under 12's £11
(£6), Under 13's £7 (B £7) (C
£5) (D £5)
Garrison Lane Stand (Lower): Adults £27
(£B 24), (C £20) (D
£16), Senior
Citizens/Students £16 (B £14)
(£12) (D £10), Under 18's
£13 (£8), Under 12's £11
(£6), Under 13's £7 (B £7) (C
£5) (D £5)
Family
Area (Lower Gil Merrick): Adults £27
(£B 24), (C £20) (D
£16), Senior
Citizens/Students £16 (B £14)
(£12) (D £10), Under 16's
£13 (B £11) (C £9) (D
£7), Under 12's £11 (£6),
Under 8's £5 (all categories), 1 Adult + 1
Child £35 (B £30) (C £25) (D
£20), 2 Adults + 2 Children
£70 (B £60) (C £50) (D
£40),
Away
Fans:
Gil Merrick Stand
Lower Tier:
Adults £30 (B £27) (C
£23) (D £18), Senior
Citizens/Students £18 (B £16) (C
£14) (D £12), Under
18's £13 (B £11) (C £9) (D
£7), Under 13's £7 (B £7)
(C £5) (D £5)
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| Programme & Fanzines |
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Official Programme £3
Tired 'n' Weary
Fanzine £1
Made In Brum Fanzine £1
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Ground
Layout
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| Fixtures 2011-2012 |
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Birmingham
City fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website).
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| Disabled
Facilities |
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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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| Record
& Average Attendance |
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Record Attendance:
66,844 v Everton
FA Cup 5th Round, February 11th, 1939.
Modern All Seated Attendance Record:
29,958 v Chelsea
Premier League, December 26th, 2009.
Average Attendance:
2010-2011: 25,462 (Premier League)
2009-2010: 25,246 (Premier League)
2008-2009: 19,081
(Championship League)
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| Fans
Reviews Of St Andrews |
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Andrew van
den Bent-Kelly (Peterborough
United) 19/11/11
Peter Radford
(Doing the 92) 15/12/09
Lee Jones
(Swansea City) 28/12/08
Scott
Bowman (West Ham United) 18/8/07
Tim Joyner (West
Bromwich Albion) 11/11/06
Martin
Hart (Visiting
Scottish Fan) 02/04/05
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| Hotel
Accommodation |
| If you require hotel
accommodation in the area then first try a hotel
booking service provided by Late Rooms. They offer all
types of accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets
from; Budget Hotels, Traditional Bed & Breakfast
establishments to Five Star Hotels and Serviced
Apartments. Plus their booking system is
straightforward and easy 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. The Hotels listing also includes
details of how far away the accommodation is located
from the football ground. Access their Birmingham
Hotels and Guest Houses page.
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Irwin
Mitchell Solicitors Birmingham
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For all your legal
matters then talk to Irwin Mitchell solicitors
in Birmingham. With a city centre office, then
make Irwin
Mitchell your first port of call when legal
advice is required.
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Map showing the location of the St
Andrews football ground, railway stations and
listed pub
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Instructions for using the map:
- Use the bar
on the left of the map to zoom in / out using the
+ / - keys.
- Click and
drag an area of the map to move around or use the
up/down, left/right arrows
- Click the
Satellite button to see aerial view photograph.
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| Old
St Andrews |
| To see photos of St Andrews shortly
prior to its redevelopment then viist the Old
Grounds and Stands Section of the Guide.
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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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