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| Contents | |
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What's Roots
Hall Like? |
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| What's Roots Hall Like? | |
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At one end of the ground is the relatively new South Stand. This stand replaced a former open terrace and greatly improved the overall look. It is a small 'double decker' type of stand, the upper tier hanging over the lower. It is all seated and covered, but unfortunately has a few supporting pillars. On its roof is a small clock, dedicated to former player, Director & Chairman, Frank Walton. There are a couple of blocks of flats that overlook the ground from behind this stand. Away fans are now housed in what was originally the home end, the North Stand, which is a covered seated stand at the other end of the ground. This stand, like the West Stand at one side of the pitch, are both single tiered and have old looking 'barrel' shaped roofs, with the West Stand having a unique double barrel roof. The West Stand extends around to the North Stand so that one corner is filled with seating. It has a number of supporting pillars right at the front, which may hinder your view of the action. It also has the most precarious looking TV gantry, that stands on stilts and is accessed by a long ladder. On the other side the East Stand is another single tiered, covered stand, that has a row of executive boxes running across the back of it. At the front are some strange looking dugouts, which has the management team standing at the front leaning on a wall, with the players sitting behind. The club have an unusual looking club mascot called 'Elvis J Eel', the 'J' standing for jellied! |
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| Future Developments | |
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After undertaking a public enquiry, full approval had been given for the Club to embark on building a new 22,000 seat stadium at Fossetts Farm, just behind the club’s training ground in Eastern Avenue. The scheme which also planned to feature a hotel, conference facilities, retail opportunities as well as residential accommodation, has been unable to raise the necessary financial backing, so it is unclear at the moment whether it will eventually materialise. Artists impressions of how the new stadium might look can be found on the Southend United website. |
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| The East & South Stands | |
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Thanks to Owen Pavey for providing the photos for this page. |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| Away
fans are housed in the North Stand, which is now all
seated after being a former terrace. Like most former
terraces that have had seats bolted onto them, the leg
room and height distance between each row is less than
desirable. The large number of supporting pillars will
probably also impede your view; although this does not
make for a great experience at least the Stand is
covered. Up to 2,000 away fans can be
accommodated in the North Stand, although the initial
allocation is 1,200. One good thing for away fans in the North
Stand, is that comparatively few numbers of fans can
really make some noise from it. On my last visit there
was quite a good atmosphere and I experienced no
problems around the ground. Refreshments within the away area are served from an 'Transport Cafe' type establishment, complete with tables and chairs. The usual range is available such as Pukka Pies (£2.20), cheeseburgers (£2.80) and hot dogs (£2.80). Bear in mind though, that getting your drinks in one piece back to your seat can be quite a challenge. The front of the stand is below pitch level, with stairs leading up to each pitch access point where the stewards stand. Going up and down these flights of stairs, with a cup of coffee in each hand, can present a problem. Even though Roots Hall is an older ground it has some rather modern electronic turnstiles. Each match ticket has a bar code printed onto it and fans insert their ticket into a bar code reader at the turnstile to gain entrance to the stadium. I did notice once inside the stadium, that the stewards were alerted when a concession or junior ticket was being used, so that they could check that it was for the appropriate person. |
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| Where To Drink? | |
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The
traditional haunt for away fans, the Golden
Lion, has now been closed for quite a while. With
the other nearby pubs; the Spread
Eagle and the Blue Boar, being for home fans,
then the choice is rather limited. David Wells
informs me; 'There is the Bar Victoria Court,
which is located further down the A127 from
Roots Hall towards Southend. It is not a
traditional football pub by any means but it
is okay for pre-match pint'. This Bar is
about a ten minute walk away from the ground. The 'Shrimpers Bar' at the ground itself, is now for members only. Please note that alcohol is not served to away fans within the stadium. There is also a good fish and chip shop located across the road from the Blue Boar by the traffic lights, called the 'Fish House', which I found to be excellent. Judging by the amount of fans standing outside eating fish and chips (there is some seating inside as well), then I'm not the only one that thinks it is good. |
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| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
| From
M25 take Junction 29 and follow the A127 to Southend.
Continue towards the town centre, through the lights
near to the Bell Pub. At the next roundabout turn
right (3rd turning), continuing on the A127. The
ground is on the right just past the next traffic
lights. If you turn right as you reach the
ground, this will put you behind the away end where
there is plenty of street parking to be found.
Otherwise there is a car park at the ground, behind
the Main Stand which costs £5,
or there is the Southend High School For Boys which
also offers car parking for £5 per car (the
school entrance is on Prittlewell Road). Bear in mind that in the fair weather months Aug/Sep/April/May, if the weather is at all sunny the whole of East London seems to head down the A127 on a Saturday afternoon, so allow an extra 30 mins if the temperature is above 65F. Map showing the location of the Roots Hall football ground (at the bottom of this page). |
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| By Train | |
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closest station to the ground is Prittlewell, about a
five minute walk away. It is served by trains from
London Liverpool Street. As you
exit the station turn right, you will then
come to a crossroads with traffic lights. On your
right is the 'Fish House', fish and chip shop. Pass this and turn right. Walk
about 100 yards and the ground is tucked away on your
left.
If you happen to end up at Southend Central station (served by trains from London Fenchurch Street), you're about a 25 minute walk from the ground. The main bus station is close to Southend Central, and therefore it may be an idea to get a bus up to the ground, rather than walking. |
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| Admission Prices | |
| Home Fans*: East Stand: Adults £19, Senior Citizens £13, Under 21's/Students £12, Under 16's £9, Under 8's £4 South Stand: Adults £19, Senior Citizens £13, Under 21's/Students £12, Under 16's £9, Under 8's £4 West Stand: Adults £19, Senior Citizens £13, Under 21's/Students £12, Under 16's £9, Under 8's £4 Family Enclosure: 1 Adult + 1 Child £19, Additional Adults £15 Additional Child £4 Away Fans*: North Stand: Adults £19, Senior Citizens £13, Under 21's/Students £12, Under 16's £9, Under 8's £4 * Please note that these prices are for tickets purchased prior to matchday. Tickets purchased on the matchday itself can cost up to £2 more per ticket. |
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| Local Rivals | |
| Colchester United, Leyton Orient & West Ham. | |
| Programme & Fanzine | |
| Official
Programme £3. All At Sea Fanzine £1. |
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| Disabled Facilities | |
| For details of disabled facilities and club contact at the ground please visit the relevant page on the Level Playing Field website. | |
| Fixtures 2011-2012 | |
| Southend United FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website) | |
| Record & Average Attendance | |
| 31,090
v Liverpool, FA Cup 3rd Round, January 10th, 1979. Modern All Seated Attendance Record: 11,735 v Yeovil Town League Two, April 30th, 2005. Average Attendance: 2010-2011: 5,274 (League Two) 2009-2010: 7,714 (League One) 2008-2009: 7,850 (League One) |
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| Fans Reviews Of Roots Hall | |
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Matt Stambach
(Stockport County) 7/08/10 |
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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 Southend Hotels and Guest Houses page. | |
| Map showing the location of Roots Hall, railway stations 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,
please e-mail me duncan@footballgrounds.net
and I'll update the guide.
*
Football had been played on the same site since
1906. The Club subsequently built a new ground at
Roots Hall in the 1950's. |
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