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What's Vale Park Like?
Future Ground
Developments
Looking
Towards The Railway Stand (photo)
What Is It Like For
Visiting Supporters?
Phones 4U Stand (photo)
Where To Drink?
Big AM Stand (photo)
How To Get There And Where
To Park
By Train
Lorne Street Stand (photo)
Admission Prices
Ground Layout
Local Rivals
Programme & Fanzines
Disabled Facilities
Fixtures 2012-2013
Record & Average
Attendance
Fans Ground Reviews
Hotel
Accommodation
Vale Park
Location Map
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| What's Vale Park Like? |
The
ground has a good mixture of the old and the new, it
is just let down overall by the fact that the Lorne
Street Stand, which was partly opened in 1999, is
still yet to be fully completed. This stand which is
two-tiered has a row of executive boxes situated
between its large lower tier and much smaller upper
tier. With a planned capacity of 5,000 it is of a good
size and I’m sure it would look quite smart when
finished. However the outstanding works include half
the lower tier towards the Hamil Road End. This area
is currently empty of seating and is largely just a
concrete base. On a positive note the original clock
that was seen on the old stand has been incorporated
into the new construction, above the players tunnel
and Directors area in the centre of the stand.
On the opposite side is the Railway Stand which was
opened in 1954. It is a fair sized stand that is
covered to the rear. It has a number of supporting
pillars that run across the middle of the stand.
Originally it had a large paddock terrace in front,
but this was subsequently filled with seating in the
1990’s. At one end is the Hamil Road End, which is a
good sized single tiered stand. It also has an
electric scoreboard situated just below its roof.
Again it has a number of supporting pillars (although
fewer in number than the Railway Stand), plus it has
windshields to either side. Opposite is the Bycars
Road End, which although old looking was built in
1992. It also is partly covered to the rear and has
some supporting pillars to either side. Situated in
one corner, in-between the Bycars & Railway Stand
is an odd looking two-tiered structure that looks if
it has been ‘wedged’ into the stadium. In fact this
area is the only portion of the
old ground that still
remains from when the ground was
originally built in 1950. Rob from the One
Vale Fan website adds;
'Incidentally, the steelwork and roof of
this structure were brought
from the club's previous stadium
in Hanley, where it formed part of the "Swan Passage"
stand. So
the roof on that little corner of the ground is very old
indeed!' Filled with seating it is currently used as a
Family Stand. On one side of the Hamil Road Stand there
is a Police Control Box, which keeps a watchful eye over
the crowd. The pitch is also one of the widest in the
League. Outside the Lorne Street Stand is
a statue of former player and manager
Roy Sproson.
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Future Ground
Developments
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Adrian Gaffney
informs me; 'With new owners in place the Club now hope to finally
complete the Lorne Street Stand for the start
of the 2013/14 season.'
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| Looking
Towards The Railway Stand |
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| What Is
It Like For Visiting Supporters? |
Up
to 4,500 away supporters can be accommodated in the
Phones4U Stand, where the view and facilities located
on the concourse behind the stand are good. Even a
relatively small number of away fans can really make
some noise from this stand, as the acoustics are
excellent. However, the slope is quite shallow, which
might affect your view should a tall person be seated
in front. Normally though, you could still move to
another seat if necessary.
I've been to Port Vale on a number of occasions and
always found it be a good day out. However the
experience has sometimes been a little intimidating,
not due to the Port Vale supporters but more because
of the huge Police presence in and around the ground.
One Police Officer said to me as we left the ground
five minutes early, as my team were losing 4-0.
"Leaving already? there's still five minutes to go!".
Now who said that Police Officers don't have a sense
of humour? The P.A within the ground is quite
deafening at times and there is no escape, even in the
toilets, as it is piped through! The food available on
the concourse is the usual fayre of Rollover Hot Dogs
(£2.50), Steak Pies (£2.50), Meat & Potato Pies
(£2.50), Cheese & Onion Pasties (£2.10) and
Sausage Rolls (£1.50).
If you wonder at half time why the Port Vale fans seem
transfixed with staring at the away end, it is not
intimidation, but the electric scoreboard
perched on the roof of this stand! (which the away
fans can't see). Also at half time
the Vale fans in the Railway Stand tend to transfer
from one side to another so that can be nearer the
goalmouth that Port Vale are attacking. Vince
Smith a visiting Northampton Town fan adds; 'I must
say it was an enjoyable day out at Vale Park, with
very friendly stewards, turnstile operators and very
good food served by friendly staff. All in all a very
pleasant experience and far more enjoyable than a
visit to their near neighbours.'
And for a bit of trivia, Dave Seddon, a visiting
Brentford supporter informs me; 'the roof of the
Caudwell Stand was originally that of the Main Stand
at Chester City's old Sealand Road ground'. Stephen
Wood adds; 'The roof of the away end was indeed bought
by Bill Bell back in 1991-92 for £300,000
as Chester were moving grounds. It was installed
during the 1992-93 season and the first team we played
when the roof was fully constructed was, you guessed
it, Chester!'
Please note that cash is not accepted at the away
turnstiles, you have to buy a ticket from the
portacabin in the car park by the away end. This portakabin is 'cash only'. If you wish to
pay by credit or debit card you will need to purchase
tickets from the Main ticket office.
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Phones 4U Stand
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| Where To
Drink? |
Unfortunately the choice of pubs for
away supporters to drink in near to the ground or in
the town centre is very limited as Nick Williams a
visiting Plymouth Argyle fan informs me; 'Apart from
the Bulls Head, which was very welcoming, every
other pub in the town that we found had signs up
saying " Home fans only". This also included the
closest pub to the ground, the Vine.'
Luckily the Bull's Head which is
located in St John's Square, is a cracking pub. It
is the local outlet for the nearby Titanic Brewery
and is listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. It is
friendly for away fans. It has a BBQ on matchdays,
has up to nine real ales on offer as well as up to
10 traditional ciders and perries. To find this pub:
From the outside of the away end, turn right and go
down to the bottom of Hamil Road (passing the Vine
Pub on your left). Turn right at the t-junction and
then go straight across the traffic lights at the
crossroads. Proceed past KFC, Wades and the New Inn
on the right and then if you look over to your left,
you will see a square with the Bulls Head,
which is located on the right of this square.
Pete Gardner a visiting Oxford United fan informs
me; ‘Both the Leopard and Post Office Vaults, which
are both near to the Bulls Head were welcoming to
us.’ It is about a ten minute walk. In additional alcohol is
available in the form of bottles of Greene King IPA
(£2.70) & Carlsberg (£3.10).
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Big
AM Stand
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| How To
Get There And Where To Park |
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The ground is located
in the town of Burslem, one of the six towns comprising Stoke On Trent.
Leave the M6 at junction 15 or 16 and take the A500
towards Stoke on Trent. Follow A500 until the A527
Tunstall/Burslem exit, where you take the A527
towards Tunstall/Burslem. At the next island just
past the Price Kensington factory turn right for
Burslem town centre. Continue on this road up the
hill, crossing another island and into Burslem town
centre. Continue straight on over the traffic lights
at the cross roads and then take the first road on
the left which takes you down to the ground. There
is a large car park located outside a superstore
next to the ground which costs £4,
otherwise street parking.
Map
showing the location of Vale Park (at
the bottom of this page).
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| By
Train |
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Longport station is the
closest to the ground, but is a good 30 minute walk
away and is not well served by trains as Stoke On
Trent station is. Therefore most fans end up at
Stoke On Trent railway station, which is over four
miles away and take a taxi up to the ground.
Bus information
from Stoke station:
Stephen
Parr informs me; 'Come out of the main station
doors at Stoke-on-Trent. Turn
left past a bus stop and the taxi rank. Walk to the
end of this road, which only takes a couple of
minutes. Then on your left is a railway bridge, but
cross over the road and turn right. Up towards a bus
stop opposite Signal Radio.
Get the number 21, First is the bus company. Pay
upto Burslem. Get off the
bus outside a modern building called Ceramica, just
after a big crossroads. If you sit on the door side
of the bus, then you can see 'Ceramica' and 'Port
Vale F.C.' road signs. And on the drivers side is
'Burslem Methodist Church'. These are signs to stand
up to get off. Once off the bus outside Ceramica.
Cross over the road and turn left. Then an immediate
right at Jenkins Street. This road leads into Hamil
Road, which is then a 5 minute straight walk to Vale
Park'.
Dermot McKeown adds; 'I would advise travelling
supporters to get a taxi from Stoke station as
suggested and not to get the bus. We did this and it
took over an hour to reach Burslem (admittedly the
bus was 15 minutes late in picking us up at the
station) and we ended up missing the kick off.'
Directions
& information for Longport station:
John Midgley a visiting
Huddersfield Town fan informs me; 'Services run hourly from
Crewe, Stoke & Derby to Longport.
We managed to walk to the ground in around
25 minutes without too much trouble.
Cross over the line (if travelling from Stoke/Derby)
and walk along Station Street. At the
mini-roundabout follow the main road round to the
left going up the hill. After a couple of minutes
take the first major left onto Newcastle Street
(B5051). Enter Burslem. Pass the Bull's
Head pub at St. John's Square. Bear left onto
Market Place. Shortly after cross main road onto
Jenkins Street which becomes Hamil Road. The ground
will soon be visible on the left. Turn left into
Lorne Street'.
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Lorne Street Stand
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Thanks
to Tim Rigby for providing the photo above.
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| Admission
Prices |
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Home Fans:
Lorne Street Stand: Adults £21, Over 62's £16, Under
18's £10, Under 9's Free
All Other Areas Of The Ground:
Adults £20,
Over 62's £15, Under 18's £10, Under 9's Free
Away Fans:
Hamil Road Stand: Adults £20, Over 62's £15, Under
18's £10, Under 9's
Free
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Ground
Layout
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| Local Rivals |
| Stoke
City.
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| Programme & Fanzines |
Official
Programme £2.50 - Sold from
booths within the ground.
Vale Park
Beano Fanzine £1
Derek I'm Gutted Fanzine £1
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| Disabled
Facilities |
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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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| Fixtures 2012-2013 |
| Port Vale FC fixture list (takes
you to the BBC Sports
Website)
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| Record & Average
Attendance |
49,768
v Aston Villa,
FA Cup 5th Round, February 20th, 1960.
Modern All Seated Attendance
Record:
12,496 v Northampton
Town
League Two, April 20th 2013
Average Attendance:
2011-2012: 4,820 (League Two)
2010-2011: 5,533 (League Two)
2009-2010: 5,080 (League Two)
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| Fans
Reviews Of Vale Park |
Duane Mitchell
(Grimsby Town) 12/11/11
Myles Munsey
(Neutral) 26/3/11
Matt Harris
(Gillingham) 16/10/10
Leah Dunn (Leeds
United) 15/3/08
Jack Carnill
(Nottingham Forest) 15/9/07
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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. The Hotels listing also includes
details of how far away the accommodation is located
from the football ground.
Access their Port
Vale 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 Vale Park, railway station and listed
pubs |
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Instructions for using
the map:
- Use the bar on the left of the map to zoom in /
out using the + / - keys.
- Click and drag an area of the map to move around
or use the up/down, left/right arrows
- Click the Satellite button to see aerial view
photograph.
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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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