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Bristol
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Bristol
City
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| Contents | |
| What's Ashton
Gate Like? Future Developments Atyeo & Dolman Stands (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? Williams Stand (photo) Where To Drink? Wedlock Stand (photo) How To Get There By Car & Where To Park By Train A Closer Look At The Atyeo Stand (photo) Programme & Fanzines Local Rivals Admission Prices Disabled Facilities Fixtures 2012-2013 Ground Layout Record & Average Attendance Other Places Of Interest Hotel Accommodation Ashton Gate Location Map |
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| What's Ashton Gate Ground Like? | |
| The Atyeo stand at one end of
the ground is a handsome, covered all seated single
tiered stand. It was opened in 1994, replacing a former
open terrace and has made a great difference to the
overall look of the ground. It is named after former
playing legend John Atyeo. At the other end is the
covered Wedlock Stand (also known as the East End), part
of which is given to away supporters. This stand which
was originally opened in 1928 as a covered terrace was
made all seated in the 1990’s. It has a row of
supporting pillars running across the front of it and
has a small electric scoreboard on its roof. On one side is the Dolman Stand which was opened in 1970. Originally it had an upper tier of seating with an open enclosure in front. But this was later built over with seating too. This area is used as a family area, although it is largely open to the elements. Opposite, the Williams Stand is an older looking single tiered stand, with several supporting pillars. This stand is the Main Stand at Ashton Gate, with the players tunnel and team dugouts in front. It also has a television gantry suspended below its roof. Unusually for an older ground it is devoid of floodlight pylons, having instead a row of small lights mounted on the roofs of the Williams and Dolman Stands. |
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| Future Developments | |
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The Club have announced that they are intending to move to a new purpose built stadium, based in Ashton Vale (near to the Park & Ride area just off the A370. This is around half a mile away from Ashton Gate). The Club have purchased the land and have received outline planning permission for a 30,000 all seated stadium, comprised of four separate stands. However, no firm timescales have been announced as to when this development can go ahead. The Club hope to sell the Ashton Gate site to a supermarket chain. A video showing an artists impression of the new stadium can be seen on the BBC Sports website. |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| Away fans are housed at one end of the
ground in part of the Wedlock Stand, which is shared
with home supporters. Around 2,800 away supporters can
be accommodated in this area. The acoustics
of this stand are excellent, so even a small number of
away fans can really generate some noise. The close
proximity of the home fans also helps boost the
atmosphere. The facilities are pretty standard, plus
there are a number of supporting pillars running
across the front, which could impair your view.
The rake of the stand which was a former terrace,
is pretty shallow, which means that there is not a
great height between rows. Also if you are
unfortunate enough to be sitting near to the back,
then you may find yourself watching the game through
the equivalent of a letter box, as the roof comes down
quite low to the front of the stand. In addition there
are a number of seats without backs, to further add to
your discomfort.
Entrance to the ground is gained through the use
of electronic turnstiles, whereby your ticket needs to be inserted into a
bar code reader.
Unless there is a large
following then the seats are unreserved, so if you
want a particular view then make sure you get into the
ground early. Refreshments available inside include; Cheeseburgers (£3), Burgers (£2.80), Various Pies & Pasties including the Chicken Balti Pie (£2.40), Pizza Pods (£2.40) and Jumbo Sausage Rolls (£2.20). There is also a KFC outlet located just outside the ground entrance. A day out at Bristol City, in line with the general improvement in football, is now far more enjoyable for away fans than it once was. |
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| Where To Drink? | |
| Alex
Webber recommends the Nova Scotia
for away supporters by the waterfront, but adds that
pubs nearer to the ground
such as the Hen & Chicken and the
BS3 Bar should be given a
wide berth. Chris Gill a visiting Leeds United fan
adds; 'Near Temple Meads station there is the Knights
Templar pub, a Wetherspoons outlet, that seems
friendly enough. It’s a two minute walk straight ahead
from the station into the Temple area and off to
the left in the square'. Scott Grimwood a visiting
Ipswich Town fan informs me; 'The Cottage in
Baltic Wharf, is a nice pub situated on the river
front and has good real ale (from the Butcombe Brewery).
On my visits both set's of fan's mixed pleasantly'. Domenic Brunetti a visiting Nottingham Forest fan informs me; 'Before kick off we were directed by a club steward to the 'Tobacco House' bar which is a five minute walk from the road behind the Atyeo stand next door to an Aldi store. On route we passed several pubs which clearly have signs saying Home Fans only. When we got in the Tobacco House we found the bar friendly and trouble free and the food was good too.' Matt Greenslade recommends; 'The Orchard pub is about a ten minute walk from the ground at Hanover Place on Harbourside. Voted Britain's top cider pub in 2009 with a huge sampling of local brews for anyone who wants to try the infamous cloudy stuff'. This pub is listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide and apart from having a number of ales on offer, it also has up to 24 different ciders available. The question is though, if you visit this pub before the game, will you still make the kick off? Please note that alcohol is not available to away fans inside the ground. |
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| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
| Leave
the M5 at Junction 18 and travel along the Portway (A4)
following signs for the Bristol Airport/Taunton (A38).
As you go over the swing bridge (Brunel Way), branch
left into Winterstoke Road, and you will see the ground
on your left. Parking at the ground is for permit holders only. Mitch Ford informs me; 'Parking around Ashton Gate has been severely hindered recently in that many streets now have double yellow lines. There is the Bedminster Cricket club on Clanage Road (A369) that offers parking at a cost of £5 per car. It is then around a 5-10 minute walk to the stadium'. Otherwise it is a case of finding some street parking. Map showing the location of the Ashton Gate football ground (at the bottom of this page). |
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| By Train | |
| The nearest
railway station is Parson Street
which is around a ten minute walk away from the
ground. However few trains stop at this station so you
are more likely to end up at Bristol Temple
Meads mainline station instead. This
station is at least two miles from the ground
and hence too far to walk, so best to jump in a taxi (around £6). Neil Le
Milliere a visiting Exeter City supporter adds '"don't
try and walk it from Temple Meads railway station unless you
really have to and then allow at least 3/4s of an hour
for the journey". Chris Davis says;
'there are buses which leave from behind the Atyeo Stand
at the end of the game which go to the centre of Bristol
and Temple Meads Station at a cost of £1. Although predominantly
for home fans, away fans could also use them'. Adam Hodson informs me; 'We arrived at Parson Street Railway Station after catching a train from Bristol Temple Meads. Trains are bound for Weston-Super-Mare and run every hour, coming back the train is bound for Bristol Parkway, again one train per hour. It's around a five minute train journey and around 10-15 Minute walk to the ground.' |
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| Programme & Fanzines | |
| Official Programme £3 One Team In Bristol Fanzine £1.20. Cider'ed Fanzine £1. |
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| Local Rivals | |
| Bristol Rovers, Cardiff City & some fans consider Swindon Town to be local rivals. | |
| Admission Prices For Away Fans | |
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The Club have a category
system (A & B) for the pricing of tickets, with
the most popular games costing more to watch. Category
A ticket prices are shown below with Category B prices
in brackets. In addition the prices shown below are
for tickets bought prior to matchday. Tickets bought
on the day of the game can cost up £3-£5
more. Away
Fans |
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| Disabled Facilities | |
| For
details of disabled facilities and club contact at the
ground please visit the relevant page on the Level
Playing Field website. Mike a visiting Swindon Town fan adds; 'The away coaches are parked about 300 yards away from the entrance, there are disabled car spaces closer. The stewards were very helpful in showing us to the wheelchair spaces close to the corner flag in the Wedlock Stand. There was a steward on hand all through the game and the disabled toilet was close to where we were seated. The only drawbacks were the disabled ramp was a little steep and view of the other end of the pitch was hampered by the safety rail. Also the seating arrangements could have been better spaced, as all the helpers seats were placed in one rather than one wheelchair one seat. |
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| Fixtures 2012-2013 | |
| Bristol City FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website) | |
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| Record & Average Attendance | |
| 43,335 v Preston North End, FA Cup 5th Round, 1935. Modern All Seated Attendance Record: 20,007 v Bristol Rovers Division Two, January 16th, 1996. Average Attendance: 2011-2012: 13,846 (Champiosnhip League) 2010-2011: 14,605 (Championship League) 2009-2010: 14,601 (Championship League) |
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| Fans Reviews Of Ashton Gate | |
| Callum
Smith (Neutral) 16/4/11 Jamie Collis (Reading) 19/12/09 Cobi Budge (Plymouth Argyle) 5/12/09 Daniel Peacock (Nottingham Forest) 4/3/06 James Falkingham (Southend United) 29/10/05 |
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| Other Places Of Interest | |
| If you're into historical ships then the first iron hulled, screw propeller-driven steamship, the SS Great Britain is moored at the historic docks. The area around the docks is quite pleasant with some good pubs. Pete Smith adds; 'The Clifton Suspension Bridge that overlooks Ashton Gate, is quite an amazing sight. It was originally designed by Brunel and it goes over the Avon Gorge. As it is very high up the views are superb' For further information on Bristol Tourist attractions then visit the At-Bristol website. Chris Gill a visiting Leeds United fan tells me; 'I walked from Temple Meads to the SS Great Britain and it’s not a bad walk if you’re not worried about a bit of exercise! That took about half an hour. From there it’s another 10-15 minutes to the ground'. | |
| 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 Ashton Gate
football ground. Access their Bristol Hotels and Guest Houses page. 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 Ashton Gate, Railway Stations And Listed Pubs | |
| 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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| 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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