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| Contents | |
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What's The
Keepmoat Stadium Like? |
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| After 84
years of playing football at their old Belle
Vue ground, the Club moved to the
Keepmoat stadium, which was opened on January
1st 2007. The Keepmoat stadium cost £21m to
build and is also home to Doncaster Lakers
Rugby League team as well as ladies
football team Doncaster Belles. The stadium
complex was built by, and is owned by, Doncaster
Council. To be honest the Keepmoat Stadium, in common with a number of new stadiums, looks far more interesting from the outside that it does on the inside. The stadium is situated next to a lake (which I believe makes Doncaster the only league ground to do so) and looks smart with four interesting looking floodlights, protruding at an angle from the stadium roof. However, on the inside the stadium is rather non-descript. Yes it looks tidy, the stadium is completely enclosed, and all the stands, which are of the same height and all seated are covered. But it lacks character and it is rather similar to other new stadiums that have been built, except that it is on a smaller scale. On one side is the West Stand, containing the teams' dressing rooms and tunnel, from which the teams emerge onto the pitch. The primary television gantry is also housed on this side, along with press facilities, as well as the main areas that house disabled supporters. Opposite is the Doncaster Success Stand which contains a row of 16 executive boxes, outside which patrons can sit. Both ends are identical, with the North End of the ground being allocated to away fans. Unusually the stadium has large access points in 3 corners of the ground, which can be used if need be, by emergency services. There are two small electric scoreboards situated in the North East & South West corners of the stadium. |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| Away fans
are located in the Case Construction North Stand at
one end of the stadium, where around 3,344 fans can
be accommodated. Clubs with a smaller following will
be allocated around a third to two thirds of that
number meaning that on those occasions the end is
shared with home supporters. The view of the playing
action, leg room, and facilities in this stand are
all good, although fans are set well back from the
pitch as there is a substantial tarmac looking track
which surrounds it. The concourses are a good size and there are a number of televisions on view to keep supporters entertained. Food included a selection of pies (including the Chicken Balti pie) and pasties at £3 each, plus burgers and hot dogs. I found the stadium to be more atmospheric than the Belle Vue ground which was largely open to the elements. This is a bit unusual as most clubs that move to new grounds usually complain that the atmosphere suffers in the new arena, however at the Keepmoat this is not the case. The stewarding was relaxed on my visit and no problems were experienced. The pitch also looked in top condition, although you could still see the lines of a previous rugby league game. The club have their own troupe of cheerleaders called the Vikettes, who provide entertainment before the game and half time. Mark Chatterton a visiting Southend United supporter adds; 'It poured down with rain at our last match and it was noticeable around the stadium that those people sitting in the front rows of the stands, got particularly wet'. Please note that cash is not accepted at the turnstiles, they are ticket only. Tickets can be purchased from the South Stand ticket office. |
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| Where To Drink? | |
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As the stadium is on
the outskirts of town, then there is not much choice
in the way of pubs. There is though the Lakeside, a
Beefeater outlet near Stadium Way (you should catch
sight of it, if you drive towards the stadium from
Junction 3 of the M18). Chris Parkes a visiting
Nottingham Forest supporter informs me; 'I had no
problems with getting a drink in the Lakeside
Beefeater, in fact there were more Forest fans in
there than home fans before the game. We were also
allowed in after the game for a pint or two while
the traffic cleared.' The pub also has a separate
restaurant section. Whilst David Rose adds; 'There
is a bar in the bowling alley next to the Vue Cinema, which is situated on the
other side of the lake'. Dave a
Norwich City fan tells me; 'There is a bar at the
stadium itself, which we were allowed to go
into. It does get very busy in the hour up to kick
off but if you get in early, as we did, you
should be okay. The bar has plenty of
seating, as well as an organised queuing
system to avoid the normal bustle at the bar.
There was no food available though.' Alcohol
is also available inside the stadium, including
Carlsberg at £3 a bottle. |
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| How To Get There And Where To Park | |
| From the
A1(M)
join M18 Eastbound at
Junction 35 (signposted Hull) or from the M1 and join the M18 Eastbound at Junction
32. Once on the M18, leave at Junction 3 and take the A6182 towards Doncaster (the stadium is well signposted from Junction 3 and is about one and a half miles away). You will pass a retail park on your left and then at the next island (which has the Lakeside Pub visible behind it) turn left onto White Rose Way. The Lakeside Shopping Centre is now on your right (the stadium is located directly behind the shopping centre). At the next island turn right onto the industrial estate and after passing the Tesco distribution centre on your right, turn right at the bottom of the road and the stadium is further down on your left. There
are just 1,000 car parking spaces at the stadium,
which will mean that for the bigger games, parking
will be at a premium. There are 60 parking spaces
reserved for disabled fans, which must be booked
prior to matchday. The stadium management are also
giving preference for parking to those cars
carrying more than one passenger, but apparently
this won't be enforced. The cost of parking at the
stadium is £5. Alan Wilson adds; 'Having
parked at the stadium it took me nearly an hour to
get out of the car and back onto the main road
after the game had ended'. Alternatively, a
number of firms on the nearby industrial park,
offer matchday parking at around £3-£4
per vehicle. If you happen to arrive a couple of
hours before kick off then there is also some free
street parking to be had in this area. Map showing the location of the Keepmoat Stadium (at the bottom of this page). |
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| By Train | |
| Doncaster Station is just under two miles away so you
are probably best taking a
taxi to the ground. If you do have time on your
hands and you fancy the long walk
(around 25-30 minutes) then as you come
out of the station turn right and then keep straight
on this road (the A 6182 Trafford Way) and you will
eventually reach the stadium complex on your left.
Colin Barrett informs me; 'The bus service has been improved for matchdays. From around two hours before kick off there is a dedicated shuttle service from the Doncaster Interchange bus station, which is adjacent the train station and under the Frenchgate Shopping Centre. This is Route 75X and runs every 10 minutes direct to the Stadium. It leaves Stand C6 and the journey takes less than 10 minutes depending on traffic. The bus stops in a lay-by at the Ground close to the Ticket Office and after the match leaves for Doncaster Interchange from the same place. Cost is presently £1.10 each way'. |
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Case Construction North Stand |
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| Admission Prices For Visiting Supporters | |
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Case
Construction North Stand: Concessions apply to Over 60's & Under 20's. |
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| Programme Price | |
| Official Programme £3. | |
| Local Rivals | |
| Rotherham, Barnsley, Scunthorpe United & Hull City. | |
| 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 2010-2011 | |
| Doncaster Rovers FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website) | |
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| Record & Average Attendance | |
| Record
Attendance: At the Keepmoat Stadium: 15,001 v Leeds United League One, April 1st 2008 At Belle Vue: 37,149 v Hull City Third Division North, October 2nd 1948 Average Attendance: At the Keepmoat: 2009-2010: 10,992 (Championship League) 2008-2009: 11,964 (Championship League) 2007-2008: 7,978 (League One) |
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| Fans Reviews Of The Keepmoat Stadium | |
| Steven
Mills (Notts County) 7/1/12 Conor Askins (Middlesbrough) 1/11/11 Adam Tibbs (Cardiff City) 9/04/11 James Cole (Barnsley) 25/01/11 Thomas Barks (Doncaster Rovers) 20/10/09 Tim Key (Norwich City) 30/01/09 Stuart Ottery (Cardiff City) 22/08/08 Dave Beal (Neutral) 27/01/07 |
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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. Access their Doncaster Hotels and Guest Houses page. | |
| Map Showing The Location Of The Keepmoat Stadium, Railway Station 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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