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Ground Name:
New Stadium (also known to the fans as Oteley Road) |
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| Contents | |
| What's The Ground
Like? Future Developments The New Meadow (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? North Stand (photo) Where To Drink? West Stand (photo) How To Get There By Car & Where To Park South Stand (photo) By Train Admission Prices Ground Layout Programme Price Local Rivals Disabled Facilities Fixtures 2007-2008 Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Hotel Accommodation Feedback |
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
| After 97 years at playing at their Gay Meadow ground, the Shrews have moved to a new stadium on the outskirts of the town. The New Meadow as it is currently called, has a capacity of 10,000 seats. It is comprised of four separate stands and at first glance looks similar in design to some of the stands at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford. Each of the stands are simple single tiered stands, that are covered. Below the roof at the back of the stands is a sizeable strip of perspex that runs along the length of the stands. This is to allow more light into the stadium to facilitate pitch growth. Each of the stands are 18 rows high, with the Roland Wycherley Stand (named after the Club Chairman) on one side, being the 'Main Stand'. This stand has a slightly different layout to the others with a press area and eight corporate boxes at its rear. The North Stand at one end of the stadium where the away fans are located also houses a prominent looking Police Control Box. Four small floodlights pylons are present on the roofs of the side stands. | |
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The stadium has been built in such a way that the corners of the stadium could at a later stage be filled with seating. The areas to either side of the Roland Wycherley Stand would be the first to be developed if the Club decide to expand. |
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| The New Meadow | |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
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Away fans are located in the North Stand at
one end of the ground. Leg room is nothing special although the stands are
quite steep keeping the fans close to the action and there is good height
between rows. The concourses serve alcohol (although the bars close 15
minutes before kick off) as well as a range of pies and
burgers, including the Shire Foods Chicken Balti Pie. There are also
large plasma screens under the stands which
show Sky Sports throughout the afternoon. I have yet to visit the stadium to watch a game, but I'm sure that the atmosphere will be better at the new ground, as the old Gay Meadow ground was largely open and therefore not conducive for generating crowd noise. However, the main drawback with the new stadium is its location. Literally built on a field on the very edge of town, there is little in the way of facilities around it. There is a Retail Park nearby, which has some eating outlets such as a McDonalds, Pizza Hut and a supermarket cafe, but there seems to be little else. |
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Thanks to Tim Rigby for providing photos for this page. |
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| Where To Drink? | |
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David Matthias informs me; 'There are a couple
of pubs within walking distance of the new stadium. Firstly there is the
'Brooklands Hotel', just
off Meole Brace Island - about 5 minutes walk away and an official "park and
walk" pub with about 100 spaces costing £5 each. Big screens & catering on matchdays. There is also the
Charles Darwin Pub - 10 minutes walk away from new Meadow with 70
free parking spaces & a good chippy opposite'. The Brooklands Hotel is situated on Mill Street. From the stadium turn left along the B4380 Oteley Road. Head around the large roundabout towards Shrewsbury Town Centre. Then turn left into Roman Road and then left again into Mill Street. The hotel is down on the right. The Charles Darwin Pub is in the opposite direction. From the stadium turn right along the B4380 Oteley Road. Take the second left into Sutton Road and the pub is down on the right. Gareth Hopkins adds; 'There are some other pubs and some off street parking to be had along the Hereford Road (A5191) going towards Shrewsbury Town Centre'. Otherwise alcohol is available to away fans within the stadium before the game but bizarrely not at half time. |
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| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
| At the end of the M54 continue onto the A5.
After about seven miles, there is a traffic island which is at the junction
with the A49. Bear left at this island still following the A5.
At the next roundabout take the 3rd exit onto the B4380 (Thieves
Lane). Continue along Thieves
Lane going straight over
two roundabouts and this will lead you into Oteley Road. You will reach the
stadium down further down Oteley Road on the left. There is a large car park at the stadium, holding almost 700 cars, however, this is for permit holders only (although I have received reports of fans turning up early and being admitted for £7). Parking is prohibited in the nearby Retail Park but restrictions on street parking in nearby residential streets have now been lifted. Alternatively you can
use
the Park & Ride scheme
operated by the Club. This costs £2 per person and commences at 12.30pm on Saturdays & 5.30pm
for evening matches. It operates from Shire
Hall (but not the nearby Meole Brace which is a park & ride for the town
centre). It is located off the A5 (just take the A5064 towards the town
centre) and at the roundabout with Lord Hill's Column, take the 3rd exit and
then first right into the car park. I have heard though of delays in getting
back to you car after the match (in some cases up to 40 minutes) so bear
this in mind. For a map
showing the location of the ground
click here
(to take you to the Street Map website). |
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| By Train | |
| Shrewsbury train station is around two miles away from the stadium. So it should take around 40 minutes to walk. Otherwise you can grab a taxi up to the ground, or take a bus from the town centre bus station (service numbers 16, 23, 25 & 544/546 all stop near to the stadium). There are also plans to introduce a dedicated bus service on matchdays. Shrewsbury train station is served by trains from Birmingham New Street & Crewe. | |
| Admission Prices | |
Home Fans*: |
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| Programme Price | |
| Official Programme £2.50 | |
| Local Rivals | |
| Hereford United, Wrexham & Walsall. | |
| Disabled Facilities | |
| For details of disabled facilities at the ground please visit the relevant page on the National Association Of Disabled Supporters (NADS) website. | |
| Fixtures 2007-2008 | |
| For the Shrewsbury fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website) | |
| Record & Average Attendance | |
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At the New Stadium: 8,753 England v Spain (Women's International) European Championship Qualifier, November 25th 2007. For a Shrewsbury game: 7,707 v Stockport County League Two, December 26th, 2007 At The Gay Meadow Ground: 18,917 v Walsall, Division 3, April 26th, 1961. Average Attendance: 2006-2007: 4,730 (League Two) 2005-2006: 3,997 (League Two) 2004-2005: 4,251 (League Two) |
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| Fans Reviews Of The New Meadow | |
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Rob Haynes (Doing The 92) 11/3/08 Roddy Hankins (Hereford United) 23/2/08 Tim Robinson (Neutral) 26/12/07 Glyn Berrington (TNS) 14/8/07 |
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| 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 Shrewsbury page click here. | |
| 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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