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Plymouth Argyle
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What's The Ground Like? |
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
| During 2001 Home
Park was transformed, with three sides of the ground being
completely re-built. Both the ends and one side of the ground has
been replaced, by single tiered, covered all
seated stands. Most impressively the corners between these stands
have been filled so that the ground is totally enclosed on those
sides. This just leaves just the Grandstand at one side of the
pitch, as the only remnant of the old Home Park. This classic
looking stand dates back to the late 1940's and
is partly covered to the rear. In front
is an original Mayflower terrace that for a couple of seasons
in the Championship League was filled with temporary seating to
comply with government & league regulations. However with
relegation to League One the seating has been removed and the
terrace is no longer used. In keeping with the naval tradition of the area the teams emerge to the Marines tune of Semper Fidelis. Home Park is the most westerly and southerly League Ground in England. | |
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The club have announced plans to re-develop the Grandstand side of the stadium, which will increase the capacity of Home Park to 27,000. However it is unclear as to when this will eventually take place. | |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| Away fans are housed in the Barn Park End, which is now all seated and covered. As you would expect from a new stand the facilities and views of the playing action are both good. The normal allocation for this end is 1,300 seats, although this can be increased to 2,022, if demand requires it. The atmosphere is normally good and even though I have received a number of reports of the stewarding being somewhat over zealous in the away end, on my last visit it was fine. No problems were encountered outside the ground and on the whole it was a good day out. The only down side was that the concourse was a bit cramped and with a sell out away end it was rather crowded. The Shire Foods Chicken Balti Pie' (£2.40), is available inside the ground, along with other Pies and Pasties (£2.40), Sausage Rolls (£2.20), Burgers (£2.90) and Cheeseburgers (£3). | |
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Lyndhurst Stand & Barn Park End | |
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| Where To Drink? | |
| Probably the best bet is the Britannia which is a sizeable Wetherspoons outlet and around a 10 minute walk away from the ground (from the car park outside the football ground, turn left and the pub is down the road on the right hand corner). For most matches the pub which is busy normally, has a queue of fans waiting to get in outside, but this is controlled by the security staff, so you don't normally have to wait too long to gain entrance. Although away fan friendly, the pub doesn't tolerate away supporters singing their clubs songs and any who do are quickly ejected from the premises, so you have been warned. Near to the pub is normally a van selling pasties, which looked to be doing a roaring trade on my last visit. Opposite the Britannia is the Embassy Club which is best avoided by away fans. Otherwise alcohol is available within the ground. | |
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The Grandstand & Devonport End | |
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Since this photo was taken, the temporary seating located in front of the Grandstand has been removed. | |
| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
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Take the M5 to the South West and at
the end of the motorway continue onto the A38 (The ground is well
signposted from the outskirts of Plymouth on the A38). On entering
Plymouth, turn left onto the A386 (towards Plymouth). When this road
splits into two, keep on the left hand side (again
sign posted Plymouth) and after about a mile you will see the
ground on your left. The ground is well signposted 'Plymouth Argyle
Home Park' on the way into Plymouth. | |
| By Train | |
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Plymouth railway station is about one and a half miles away, so either grab a cab (£3) or embark on the 20 minute walk. As you come out of the station turn right and down the hill and under the railway bridge. Just keep walking straight along this road and you will eventually reach the ground on your right. Alternatively (except for night games)
then Andrew Chapman suggests a more picturesque route: 'Finally I
would recommend turning right into Ford Park Road, at the closed
Pennycomequick pub/roundabout just downhill from the station and
then take the 2nd left into Holdsworth Street, which will
lead you up a steep hill into Central Park, where you'll see the
ground as soon as you reach the top of the hill. It is a lot nicer
route than following the roads - after all (apart from Aldershot)
there are no other league clubs situated in a public park!' Chris
Bennett adds; ' It's a much nicer walk than going up Alma Road and
quicker as well'. | |
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| Admission Prices | |
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All
areas of the stadium: | |
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| Fixtures 2011-2012 | |
| Plymouth Argyle FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website). | |
| Local Rivals | |
| Exeter City & Torquay United. And from a little further a field Bristol City. | |
| Programme & Fanzine | |
| Official
Programme: £3. Rub Of The Greens Fanzine: £1. | |
| Disabled Facilities | |
| For details of disabled facilities and club contact at the ground please visit the relevant page on the Level Playing Field website. | |
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| Record & Average Attendance | |
| 43,596 v Aston
Villa, Division Two, October 10th, 1936. Modern All Seated Attendance Record: 17,511 v Watford, Championship League, March 22nd 2008. Average Attendance: 2010-2011: 8,613 (League One) 2009-2010: 10,316 (Championship League) 2008-2009: 11,427 (Championship League) | |
| Fans Reviews Of Home Park | |
| Paul Bartlett
(Southampton) 2/5/11 Gary Parker (Exeter City) 11/12/10 Joel Eccles (Middlesbrough) 5/4/10 David Beresford (Doncaster Rovers) 7/11/09 Phillip Evans (Wolverhampton Wanderers) 5/8/06 | |
| 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 Plymouth Hotels and Guest Houses page. | |
| Other Places Of Interest | |
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Considering you will have probably spent hours getting there, I suggest you make a weekend of it in Devon. If you go into the centre of Plymouth, make sure you walk down the front to the 'Hoe' (where Drake was playing bowls when he heard about the arrival of the Spanish Armada). The views of Plymouth Sound from here are superb. Andrew Chapman adds; 'As well as the Hoe, I would recommend the historic Barbican, which includes the Mayflower Steps (where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail for America) and the many lovely old pubs, many of which sell real ale and are listed in the Good Beer Guide, including The Dolphin, The Admiral MacBride, and The Commerical Inn. Also on the Barbican is the National Marine Aquarium which is well worth a visit'. | |
| Map showing the location of Home Park, railway station and listed pub | |
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Instructions for using the map: | |
| Feedback | |
| If anything is
incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail duncan@footballgrounds.net
and I'll update the guide. * The ground was originally built in 1893, the Club took it over in 1901. | |
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