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Middlesbrough Ground Name: Riverside
Stadium
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| Contents | |
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What's The Ground Like? |
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
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The stadium was opened in August 1995 after the Club left its former home ofAyresome Park where it had played since 1903.The new stadium has further been improved with the 'filling in' of the corners on either side of the West Stand, adding another 5,000 seats to the overall capacity. These extensionsmean that the Riverside is now totally enclosed, vastly improving its overall feel. The West Stand is slightly larger than the other three sides, which makes the appearance somewhat imbalanced. Although it looks great from the outside (especially so at night, when illuminated and visible from miles around), inside it is somewhat bland. It seems to lack character, but I'm sure this will develop in time. There is an electric scoreboard at each end of the stadium, whilst o utside the main entrance you will find a pair of statues dedicated to two former Boro greats; George Hardwick & Wilf Mannion . Inbetween the statues are the old entrance gates to Ayresome Park, which is a nice link with the Club's history. | |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
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Away supporters
are housed in the South Stand at one end of the stadium. Up to 4,500
fans can be accommodated in this area. The
turnstiles are electronic which means that you have to insert your
ticket in a reader, to gain entry. Once inside then the leg room is
okay and the view from the away section is excellent. However, the
concourse running behind the stand is quite narrow, meaning that it
can get quite crowded at half time and before kick off. There is a
Ladbrokes betting outlet available and there are a number of flat
screen televisions, showing Sky Sports (and the match itself once it
has kicked off). The catering had a fair choice of grub on offer in
the form of balti pies (£1.80), minced beef pies (£1.80), rollover
sausages (£2.40), cheeseburgers (£2.40), pizza (£2.30), chips
(£1.50) and curry sauce (£0.50). On my last visit they were also
offering a 'pie and a pint' for £4.10. Atmosphere on my visits has
not been that great, but on the plus side I have not recently
experienced any hassle there (well at least not for some years
now...) | |
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| Where To Drink? | |
| Chris Taylor,
recommends Doctor Browns, a ten minute walk away from the ground at
the bottom of Corporation Road, in the city centre. This pub serves
real ale, has SKY TV and on my last visit had a good mix of home and
away fans, both inside and outside of the pub. On the corner
opposite the pub, is also a sandwich bar, which was doing a brisk
trade in amongst other things, trays of roast potatoes and gravy. To
find this pub; If you were standing outside the stadium with the
main entrance behind you, head over to your left and turn right down
the road, going under a bridge. A little way down this road on your
left, there is an underpass (there is usually some programme &
fanzine sellers standing by its entrance). Go down through the
underpass and as you emerge on the other side turn right and go down
the road and through another underpass. You will emerge in a small
retail park (there is a McDonalds over on your right), which you
walk through unto you come to a main road. Turn right along this
road and you will see the Doctor Browns pub over on your left. Otherwise, there is a bar at the back of the
away stand within the ground (Tetleys £2.40 per pint, Carlsberg
£2.60 per pint). Simon Lorch a visiting Chelsea fans adds; 'We went into the Bridge Inn, which is next door to the railway station on Bridge street...the road that leads to the ground. It was mainly locals but we had no colours on and went in. The people and staff were very friendly and the beer in there was very cheap. It was a very hospitable place and we will definitely see them next year!' | |
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| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
| It is quite easy
to find. Just follow the A66 (signposted Teesside from the A1) past
Darlington's new ground and on into Middlesbrough. Carry on up the
A66, through the centre of Middlesbrough and you will pick up signs
for the Riverside Stadium. Although there is no parking available
directly at the stadium itself, there are a number of private parks
(mostly on waste land)nearby. Also when
you reach the turn off the A66 (as signposted) for the stadium, then
rather than at the top of the slip road turning left towards the
stadium, then instead if your turn right to go back across the A66,
then there is plenty of street parking available in this area. It is
then about a 15-20 minute walk to the away turnstiles. Jerry Hill adds; 'I would suggest that away fans should follow the route marked "away coaches" from the A66, as this passes many private car parks along the river, all priced at £4'. Bear in mind though that if you do park at one of these car parks, then it may take 45 minutes or so after the game, before you can exit them. Otherwise, as the stadium is about one mile from the town centre you could also consider parking in a long stay car park in the town centre (about a 15-20 minute walk away from the ground). 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 | |
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The ground is walkable
from Middlesbrough train station which is on Albert Road. Although there is a direct train service from the North
West, fans travelling from other parts of the country, will most
likely find themselves changing at Darlington , for Middlesbrough. | |
| By Air | |
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The nearest airport is Teeside which is located just under 13 miles away, just outside Darlington. Bus Service number 20 runs between the Airport and Middlesbrough, but the service is infrequent. It may be an idea instead to head into Darlington and take a train to Middlesbrough, or to get a taxi from to airport to Middlesbrough which would cost around £20. | |
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| Local Rivals | |
| Sunderland, Newcastle United. | |
| Admission Prices | |
| Like a number
of other clubs a category scheme for ticket prices is in operation
(A & B), whereby the most popular games cost more to
watch. Category B match prices are shown in brackets
below: Home Fans West Stand Upper Tier: Adults £34 (£30), Over 65's £24 (£22), Under 18's £15 (£13) West Stand Lower Tier: Adults £29 (£26), Over 65's £17 (£16), Under 18's £15 (£13) East Stand Upper Tier: Adults £31 (£28), Over 65's £21 (£20), Under 18's £15 (£13) East Stand Lower Tier: Adults £29 (£26), Over 65's £17 (£16), Under 18's £15 (£13), Family (1 Adult + 1 Child): £38 (£34) North Stand: Adults £29 (£26), Over 65's £17 (£16), Under 18's £15 (£13) Stadium Corners: Adults £26 (£23), Over 65's £17 (£16), Under 18's £15 (£13) Away Fans: South Stand: Adults £29 (£26), Over 65's £17 (£16), Under 18's £15 (£13) | |
| Fixtures 2009-2010 | |
| For the Middlesbrough fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website). | |
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For a stadium plan showing
the individual block numbers | |
| Programme & Fanzine | |
| Official
Programme: £3. Fly Me To The Moon Fanzine: £1 | |
| Stadium Tours | |
| The Club conduct tours of the stadium on weekdays plus Sundays. The tours cost £5 for adults and £2 for senior citizens and children. Tours must be booked in advance on 0844 499 6789. | |
| Disabled Facilities | |
| For details of disabled facilities at the ground please visit the relevant page on the National Association Of Disabled Supporters (NADS) website. | |
| Record & Average Attendance | |
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At The Riverside: | |
| Fans Reviews Of The Riverside | |
| Paul Simpson (Liverpool)
28/02/09 Matthew Richards (Aston Villa) 14/04/07 Debbie Smaje (Everton) 16/01/05 Douglas Mulliner (Bolton Wanderers) 5/10/02 | |
| Ayresome Park | |
| To see some photos of Middlesbrough's previous ground Ayresome Park then click here to take you to the Old Grounds & Stands Section of the Guide. | |
| 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 Middlesbrough page click here. | |
| Google Map | |
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Map showing the location of the stadium, railway stations and listed pubs. Instructions for using the map: | |
| Feedback | |
| If anything
is incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail
me and I'll update the guide. | |
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