|
|
| |
|
| ||
|
Ground Name:
Bloomfield Road |
 | |
| Contents | |
| What's The Ground Like? Future Developments West & North Stands (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? A Closer Look At The North Stand (photo) Where To Drink? East Stand (photo) How To Get There By Car & Where To Park By Train Stan Mortensen Statue (photo) Local Rivals Admission Prices Programme Price Disabled Facilities Fixtures 2009-2010 Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Other Places Of Interest Hotel Accommodation Car Hire Feedback |
|
| What's The Ground Like? | |
| The single tiered Stanley Matthews West Stand (sponsored by Blackpool International Airport) & North (also know as the Spion Kop) Stands are located at one side and at one end of the ground. Both opened in February 2002, they are impressive looking and the North West corner between them has also been filled with seating, so that this area of the ground is enclosed. Behind the main seating in the West Stand and the North West corner, is a hospitality balcony with executive boxes at the rear from the south end to the Directors' Box at the halfway line, from which point to the north-west corner is the Sir Stanley Matthews Hospitality Suite. On the East side of the ground an open temporary 'golf style' seated stand has been erected to house away supporters, whilst the South end of the ground is currently being re-developed with a new stand. Outside the stadium, behind the North Stand is a statue of the former Blackpool legend Stan Mortensen. | |
| Future Developments | |
| At long last the
Club have embarked on the building of the new South Stand,
some six years after the original was demolished. The new stand
which will wrap around the South West corner of the stadium to join
the West Stand will have a capacity of 3,600. It is hoped that the
stand will be open before the end of 2009. It is believed that the
new stand will be made available to home supporters, with away fans
being moved into part of the North Stand. The stand which is costing
in the region of £8.5m to build, is going to be named the Jimmy
Armfield Stand. You can follow the progress of the building of the
new stand, looking at the South Stand
Stadium Cam, that the Club have installed. | |
|
| |
| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| With delays to the opening of the new South Stand, away fans will once again for most of this season find themselves being housed in a temporary stand on the Eastern side of the ground. The stand is more reminiscent of the type found at the 18th hole of the British Open Golf Championships, rather than at a football ground and has a capacity of 1,750. As you would expect from a temporary stand the facilities are basic and the stand has no roof, leaving fans exposed to the elements. The stand has been nicknamed the 'GK Stand' by the Blackpool fans, as if the weather is not good then you may well find yourself 'singing in the rain'. However the leg room is adequate and you do get a good view of the playing action as you are situated fairly close to the pitch. Remember though to wrap up well in winter, as the wind that comes off the Irish Sea can go right through you! On the whole though I found the ground to be a welcoming one, I just hope they build that new South Stand soon! | |
|
| |
| Where To Drink? | |
|
Nigel Richardson a visiting Hull City fan
recommends the 'No 1 Bar, which is a Working Mens Club, that is adjacent to the away supporters entrance
to the ground on Bloomfield Road. It was
very welcoming and admits away
fans for a small fee'.
Steve Gardner a visiting Gillingham fan informs me; 'A good
family pub close to the ground is the Waterloo in Waterloo Road
- genuinely family friendly except in the
games area. Clean, comfortable and friendly;
Sky TV on large screens and reasonable, inexpensive food'. Whilst Paul Hunt a visiting Bristol City
supporter adds; 'On our last two visits we have been to the 'Swift
Hound' pub which is less than half a mile to the north of the ground
in Festival Park, where there is is also an Odeon cinema and a
Frankie and Bennys restaurant. The pub is of a fair size and is
pleasant inside, with home and away fans mixing without problems. It
also offers food. There are doormen but they are friendly enough. I
wouldn't recommend parking there though as the car park is for
cinema goers only'.
A short walk away (walk down Bloomfield Road towards the sea front and then turn right into Lytham Road and the pub is down on the right) is the CAMRA Good Beer Guide listed Old Bridge House. Steve Lumb adds; 'Another good pub is the Wetherspoons pub called the Auctioneer on Lytham Road, near Blackpool South Station. Its about 10 minutes walk to the ground and serves cheap beer and brilliant grub.' Otherwise there are plenty of pubs in Blackpool town centre to choose from. | |
|
Thanks to Tim Rigby for supplying the above photo. | |
| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
| Leave the M6 at
Junction 32. Follow the M55 into the outskirts of Blackpool and
continue straight along this road until you see the ground on your
right. The ground is roughly located about half way between the
Pleasure Beach and the Tower and is about a 1/4 of a mile inland
from the south shore. Large pay and display car parks are located
just across the road from the ground (£1). Damian Feeney adds; 'It's worth bearing in mind
that the car parking does increase during the holiday season to
£3.20 for the required period. It runs from the Spring Bank Holiday
until the end of the Illuminations. The canny can find on street
parking instead.' Matthew Stimpson a visiting Halifax
Town fan informs me; 'Please note that unlike
most towns and cities in England
the pay and display car parks
near to the ground still charge after 6pm. Some visiting fans on my
visit assumed that they would be free after 6pm and ended up with a
parking ticket'. For a map showing the location of the ground click here (to take you to the Street Map website). To go to a simplified page, containing the directions and pub info, which you can print out click here. | |
| By Train | |
| The
closest railway station to the ground is Blackpool South and is
around a ten minute walk away. However fewer trains stop at this
station with most calling at Blackpool North. Blackpool North
station is around two miles away and therefore you may wish to jump
in a cab to the ground. Mark Gillatt adds; 'For anyone arriving by train at Blackpool North a cheaper alternative than a taxi may be the number 11 bus from the bus station across the road. Buses to Lytham St Annes pass the end of Bloomfield Road and run every eight minutes. Fans should alight at the Bridge House pub (okay for a pint) and walk down Lonsdale Road to the ground'. | |
|
Thanks to Ansgar Spiertz
for supplying the above photo. | |
| Local Rivals | |
| Preston North End & Burnley. | |
| Admission Prices | |
| Home
Fans*:
West Stand Block M
Adults £26, Over 60's
£21, Under 19's £19, Under 16's
£17
West Stand (Blocks K, L, N & P) Adults £25, Over 60's £20, Under 19's
£17, Under 16's £15
West Stand Wing section (Blocks J, Q & R) Adults £25, Over 60's £20, Under 19's
£17, Under 16's £15 North West Stand (Blocks F, G & H) Adults £25, Over 60's £20, Under 19's
£16, Under 16's £13, Under
11's (Tangerine Gang
Members) £11
Family Stand (rear of
Blocks D & E)
Adults £25, Over 60's £20, Under 19's £16, Under 1 6's
£13, Under 11's (Tangerine Gang
Members) £11
North Stand (Blocks A, B,C,
D & E)
Adults £25, Over 60's £20, Under 19's
£17, Under 16's
£15
* Fans who become members of the
Club can qualify for a £5 discount on the above prices (Except
Tangerine Gang prices). Membership costs £20 or is free with
membership of Blackpool Supporters Association (BSA) which
costs £5 per annum. Also, Season Ticket Holders can
buy additional tickets at the Members rate.
Away
Fans: | |
|
| |
| Programme | |
| 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. | |
| Fixtures 2009-2010 | |
| For the Blackpool fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website) | |
| Record & Average Attendance | |
| 38,098
v Wolverhampton Wanderers, Division One, September 19th, 1955. Modern All Seated Attendance Record: 9,643 v Preston North End Championship League, November 16th, 2009. Average Attendance: 2008-2009: 7,843 (Championship League) 2007-2008: 8,861 (Championship League) 2006-2007: 6,877 (League One) | |
| Fans Reviews Of Bloomfield Road | |
| Scott Bowman (West Ham United)
6/12/08 Sam Allward (Bristol City) 13/4/02 Lee Roberts (Doing The 92) 26/12/01 | |
| Other Places Of Interest | |
| Blackpool is not Britain's premier seaside resort for nothing, so why not make a weekend of it? If you're feeling brave try the UK's largest and fastest roller coaster, 'The Big One' at the Pleasure Beach. I braved it, but 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 on the same day in Manchester/Bolton/Preston etc.. as your game, because other away supporters attending these games will also be probably be heading to Blackpool after the game. So if there is a particular group of supporters from another club who you would rather avoid, my advice is to stay away. | |
| 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 Blackpool page click here. | |
| Feedback | |
| If anything is
incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail
me and I'll update the guide. | |
|
| |
| Return To The Main Menu | |
