Lisburn Distillery
New Grosvenor Stadium

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By day the ground is called the New Grosvenor Stadium for football, but by night becomes Drumbo Park for greyhound racing. It is located in a rural setting two miles north-east of the city of Lisburn on the edge of the village Ballyskeagh. The ground is entered by a long narrow driveway which leads out onto the car park, football club social building and offices on the west side of the ground. Looking at the ground from this west side, the New Grosvenor Stadium, which was opened in 1980, owes its oval shape to greyhound racing.

Looking directly across the pitch to the east side of the ground two stands occupy the space either side of the pitch centre line, with the newest structure sitting to the left, built in 1994. This stand has a shallow seating deck for around 1,500 spectators, with a tall glazed viewing lounge at the rear. Although the stand has a cantilever roof the steelwork does not extend far enough to provide the seated spectators with sufficient cover in the rain. However this stand is not used for football matches but only for greyhound meetings.  To the right of this structure is a narrow covered terrace with a number of columns along its front.

Looking behind both goals at the north and south end, the ground suffers the  most from its oval shape. Although the game can be viewed from the curved boundary behind both goals the standing areas are flat and offer only a distant view, even if the Antrim Mountains and the outskirts of Belfast do offer an inspiring backdrop at the north end. Finally turning back to the west side of the ground, this side also has two structures sitting either side of the pitch centre line. Looking to the left the narrow Morton McKnight stand was opened in 1981 and has around 1,000  dark seats with "Whites" picked out in white seats. The seating deck sits beneath a low roof with glazed screen ends. Although there is greyhound lighting poles around the perimeter on the west side, the stand is steep enough to offer an unobstructed view over the top. The stand also benefits from having two of the pitchside floodlight poles placed at either side rather than directly in front, so the view around the corner flag may be obstructed but the penalty area is fully visible. To the right side of the stand leading back to the south end is the two storey club offices, which has the players dressing room on the ground floor, and a viewing balcony on the second floor. There is an uncovered flat standing area in front of this building, however the view of the pitch is obstructed by a number of floodlight poles. The tall fencing on the east and west side of the ground (as shown on the photos below) were removed for the start of the 2009/2010 season.

Steve adds; 'A small club museum and club shop is situated in the main building block. The museum is small but also free to enter and contains interesting items of the club's history. This room also doubles up as the club shop selling a small range of club items such as hats, badges and jackets, though curiously no scarves or shirts. A visiting journalist associated with another club has hailed Lisburn Distillery's 50p mix ups [sweets] as among the ten best things in the Irish league in 2010!'.

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New Grosvenor Stadium

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Away supporters are allocated the covered terrace next to the new stand on the east side of the ground. Since the fencing has been removed the view of the pitch has improved considerably. The low roof offers good protection from the rain although, bearing in mind the position of the terrace towards the south goal, the view to the north goal and nearside corner flag is a little restricted by the greyhound racing floodlights. Refreshments are provided by a burger van, selling hot dogs, burgers and chips, whilst four portaloos are situated at the back of the away fans terrace.

Steve adds; 'If you wish to stay around after the game to watch the greyhound racing, then you will need to leave the stadium and then re-enter on the other side, paying a separate admission charge. However, please note that no football colours (even Lisburn Distillery) are allowed to be worn. Drumbo Park opens around a hour and half after the football has finished on a Saturday, so you may want to kill time in the Social Club before heading over. Drumbo Park has an a la carte restaurant and booking is advisable for this.'

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Morton McKnight Stand

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From Belfast (around a six mile journey):
Take the A1 road from Belfast along Kings Way and then Queens Way. On arriving in Lambeg, take a left turn under the railway bridge, opposite the Spar Shop, just past Lambeg Railway Station. Follow the B103 for a mile and just past the golf club and bridge the ground appears on the left hand side, in the village of Ballyskeagh.
 
From Dungannon, Lurgan & Portadown:
Exit the M1 at Junction 6,take the A49 towards Lisburn. At the A3 Junction turn right into the A1 Queens Road and folow Belfast Road till you reach Lambeg. Take a right turn opposite the Spar shop, under the railway bridge and follow the B103 for a mile. Just past the golf club and bridge the ground appears on the left hand side, in the village of Ballyskeagh.
 
Car Parking
There is a good sized car park at the ground, though as there is only one entrance and exit gate getting away after a game is time consuming.

For a map showing the location of the ground see the Google map below, at the bottom of this page.

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East Side

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South End

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Adults £10
OAPS/Under 18s £6

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Ground Map

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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 Lisburn 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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The Ulster Groundhopper provides us with this excellent video about the New Grosvenor Park on YouTube, which also includes some history and background about the area.

Northern Ireland Premier Ground Guide Index