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| Contents | |||
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What's
The Riverside Stadium Like? |
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| What's The Riverside Stadium Like? | |||
| The Club moved to the
Riverside Stadium in 1995 after
leaving its former home of Ayresome
Park where it had played
since 1903. The stadium
is totally enclosed, after the previous open
corners to either side of the West Stand were
'filled in' with seating in 1998. All the stands
are two-tiered, although the West Stand is
slightly larger than the other three sides, which
makes the overall appearance
of the stadium look somewhat imbalanced. This stand
also has a row of executive boxes running across its
middle and has the players tunnel and team dugouts
in front. The roof around the stadium is raised up
above the seating areas to allow more light to get
to the pitch, through perspex panels located between
the roof and the back of the seating areas. There is also an electric scoreboard
mounted onto the roof at each end of the stadium. Although the stadium looks a little bland on the inside, externally it looks great. This is especially so at night, when the stadium is illuminated and is visible from some miles around. Outside the main entrance you will find a pair of statues dedicated to two former Boro greats; George Hardwick & Wilf Mannion. In between 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? | |||
| 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, minced beef
pies, rollover sausages hot dogs, cheeseburgers,
pizza, chips and curry sauce. On my last visit they
were also offering a 'pie and a pint deal'.
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...) One thing to point out is that there is very little in the way of pubs or eating establishments nearby, so you will need to head into the town centre for these. The Club have announced that for the 2013/14 season away fans will be relocated to the East Stand towards the South East corner. |
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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 which serves pints of Tetleys Bitter and
Carlsberg Lager. Dave Ellis a visiting Leicester City
fan informs me; 'We found a pub
called "The Lord Byron" on Dock
Street, which is only around a
five minute walk away from the ground.
It was reasonably priced i.e a pint
of Carling at £2.70 a pint or
£10 for a 4 pint jug. It had a very
friendly atmosphere and kids
were welcome too!' Simon 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!' |
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| How To Get There By Car And 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. There is a small amount of
parking available at the stadium itself (in Car Park
E). It costs £6 per car and spaces can be booked
through the ticket office. Otherwise there are a
number of private parks located (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). Map showing the location of the Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough (at the bottom of this page). |
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| By Train | |||
| The
ground is around a 15-20 minute walk from
Middlesbrough railway station which is located 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. If you come out of the main station entrance, turn left onto Zetland Road. Then left again into Albert Road and proceed under the railway bridge. Turn immediately right into Bridge Street East, going past the Bridge pub (not recommended for away fans) and then take the next right into Wynward Way. The stadium is down this road. If you come out of the rear station entrance, turn right onto Bridge Street East. Go straight past the Bridge pub and then take the next right into Wynward Way for the ground. The stadium is visible in the distance along most of this route. Thanks to Glenn Brunskill for providing the directions. |
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| By Air | |||
| 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 | |||
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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: * Fans who become members of the club can get
a discount of up to £2 on an adult or over 65's
ticket and up tp £4 on an Under 18 ticket. |
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| Fixtures 2012-2013 | |||
| Middlesbrough FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website). | |||
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For a
stadium plan showing the individual block numbers |
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| Programme & Fanzine | |||
| Official
Programme: £3. Fly Me To The Moon Fanzine: £1 |
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| Stadium Tours | |||
| The Club conduct tours of the stadium on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays plus Sundays. The tours cost £6 for adults and £3 for senior citizens and children. Tours must be booked in advance on 0844 499 6789. | |||
| Disabled Facilities | |||
| For details of disabled facilities and club contact at the ground please visit the relevant page on the Level Playing Field website. | |||
| Record & Average Attendance | |||
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At The
Riverside: |
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| Fans Reviews Of The Riverside | |||
| Steve Hartley
(Doing the 92) 22/08/10 Paul Simpson (Liverpool) 28/02/09 Matthew Richards (Aston Villa) 14/04/07 Debbie Smaje (Everton) 16/01/05 |
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| Ayresome Park | |||
| See some photos of Middlesbrough's previous ground Ayresome Park then visit the Old Grounds & Stands Section of the Guide. | |||
| Brian Clough Statue | |||
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The legendary Brian Clough spent the bulk of his playing career at the club. View a couple of photos of the Brian Clough Statue in Albert Park, Middlesbrough. |
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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 Middlesbrough 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 the Riverside 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, then please e-mail me:duncan@footballgrounds.net
and I'll update the guide. |
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