| Contents |
What's The
Britannia Stadium Like?
Future
Developments
Britannia Stadium (photo)
What Is
It Like For Away Supporters?
The Seddon
And Marstons Pedigree Stand (photo)
Where To Drink?
The
Boothen End And Seddon Stand (photo)
How To
Get There By Car And Where To Park
Q-railing Stand
(photo)
By
Train
A Closer Look At
The Marstons Pedigree Stand (photo)
Local Rivals
Admission
Prices
Ground
Layout
Fixtures 2012-2013
Programme & Fanzines
Disabled Facilities
Record & Average Attendance
Fans Ground Reviews
Britannia
Stadium Tours
Victoria Ground
Photos
Hotel Accommodation
Britannia
Stadium Location Map
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| What's
The Britannia Stadium Like? |
The Club moved to the
Britannia Stadium 1997, after playing for 119
years at their old Victoria Ground. The stadium
looks imposing from afar, as it is perched upon
a hill with hardly any buildings around it. It
especially looks good at night when it is lit
up. The ground is of a fair size. One large
single stand, incorporating the Boothen End and
Seddon Stand, completely surrounds half the
pitch as it extends around one corner. Whilst
the other two stands on the other sides are
‘free standing’ having open corners to either
side.
The largest of these is the Q-railing (West)
Stand, which is the tallest at the Britannia.
This imposing stand has a large lower tier of
seating with a smaller tier above. Situated
between the tiers is a row of Executive Boxes.
There are quite large open areas to each side of
this stand, which detracts from the overall look
of the stadium. If these could be filled at some
point, then the ground would benefit greatly.
The Marstons Pedigree (South) Stand at one end
of the stadium is partly given to away
supporters. This simple looking stand is like
the rest of the stadium, all seated and covered,
with windshields to either side. It is though
quite steep, meaning that fans are kept close to
the playing action. Unusually the teams come
onto the pitch from one corner of the ground,
between the Marstons Pedigree (South) Stand and
the Q-railing (West) Stand. In the corner on the
other side of the Marstons Pedigree (South)
Stand is a large video screen.
Tim Green adds; 'Behind
the Boothen End there are three statues of the
legendary former player Sir
Stanley Matthews, which were originally
unveiled by Kevin Keegan'. The club also have a couple of unusual looking mascots, with a blue coloured hippo called 'Pottermus' and his white girlfriend 'Pottermiss',
obviously this is what happens to hippos when they
visit the Potteries!
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Future
Developments
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The Club have announced that they are
going to put in a planning application to seek
permission to 'fill-in' the corner between the
Seddon and Marstons Pedigree (South) Stands. This
part of the ground currently houses a large video
screen. It is hoped that around 2,000 seats could be
installed in this area, increasing the capacity of
the Britannia Stadium to over 30,000.
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Britannia Stadium
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| What
Is It Like For Away Supporters? |
Away fans are
housed on one side (towards the Players
Tunnel and Main Stand) of the Marstons
Pedigree (South) Stand
at one end of the ground, where around 2,800
supporters can be accommodated. This stand
is shared with home fans
on the other side. At first I was quite
perturbed by a large sign advising fans
that persistent standing would result in
ejection from the ground, however the
facilities and view of the action from this
stand are good. The
concourse is adequate and there is a large
choice of refreshments available such as
Wrights pies, sausage rolls,
cheeseburgers, rollover hot dogs and
chips. Alcohol is also available in the
form of Carlsberg lager (pint),
Bitter (pint), Strongbow cider (can) and
Smirnoff Ice (bottle).
The stadium is quite high up in an exposed
position and the open corners can mean
that a cold wind can whip through the
stadium, so bear this in mind, especially
in the winter months. I thought the inside of the
stadium was quite disappointing being rather bland and
lacking character, although I'm sure that
this can be developed in time. Listen out
though for the Stoke anthem 'Delilah'
being sung by the home fans, they can
still give a great rendition of that Tom
Jones classic song.
It is also worth bearing mind though that the Stoke
fans are passionate about their club and
this can make for an intimidating
atmosphere, so it is best to keep colours
covered around the ground. Don't be surprised if you are
kept in after the game, in a fenced off
compound to the rear of the away stand,
whilst the Stoke fans are allowed to
disperse.
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The
Seddon And Marstons Pedigree Stand
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| Where To
Drink? |
Next to
the stadium is a Holiday Inn and a Harvester
Pub/Restaurant that do allow in away fans. You
can also park at the Harvester itself for a cost
of £3. A bit further away on Dennis Viollett
Road (off Sir Stanley Matthews Way) is a Power
League complex that also has a bar, which also
allows in away supporters, shows SKY television
and you can even park in their car park for
£4.50. Otherwise alcohol is available on the
concourses at the back of the away end, but
queues can be lengthy, especially if there is a
big support.
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The
Boothen End And Seddon Stand
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| How To
Get There By Car And Where To Park |
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Leave the M6 at
Junction 15 and then go straight
across the roundabout onto the A500
towards Stoke. Continue along the
A500 passing the junction with the A34. Leave the
A500 at the slip road following signs for the A50
towards Derby. At the top of the slip road turn
right at the roundabout (still A50) and then move
into the second from left lane (signposted
Britannia Stadium). You can see the stadium over
on your right. Turn right at the top of the slip
road and then right at the next roundabout for the
stadium. The Britannia is quite well signposted.
Car parking at the stadium costs £5.
Matt
Goldstraw adds; 'If you have a ticket for
the official south car
park, then after going onto the
A500 towards Stoke from junction 15 of the M6,
leave the A500 at the first junction and turn
right at the large roundabout and onto the A34
towards Stafford. Go
past the Bengal Indian Restaurant and after about a mile you
will reach a small roundabout
that on the right has the entrance to
Trentham Awakes (previously known as Trentham
Gardens). Turn left at the island
and then continue straight up this road for
about three miles. You will pass
a golf club, a
Toby Carvery, go over a railway
bridge, over the canal
and past an Esso garage.
Then at a set of
traffic lights where there is an obvious industrial
estate to the right, turn left on to Stanley
Matthews Way for the stadium'.
Alternatively there
are still some parking spaces at various commercial
sites between the old Michelin Car park and the
site of the old Victoria
Ground. Bear in mind though
that if you do park in this
area then allow a good 20 minutes to walk
(mostly uphill) to the stadium. If you are
intending parking in
this area then from Junction 15 proceed along the
A500, passing the junction with the A34. The
stadium will appear over on the right and then leave the A500 at the
next junction and turn left to go down to this
area.
Justin Herriman informs me; 'There are 300
parking spaces available (weekend matches
only) at the Screwfix direct site on Stanley
Matthews Way. The Screwfix direct site is based 1
mile from the ground and allows quicker access
back onto the A50 after the game has
ended. The cost for parking is £4 per car (no
mini buses). If arriving from the
M6, follow signs to the Britannia Stadium on
the A50. Continue past the stadium for
approx 1 mile and the Screwfix site is on the
left. The post code for SatNav's is ST4
8GR.' Whilst Andrew Catmur adds; 'There is also
car parking south of the stadium on Stanley
Matthews Way between Screwfix and the Stadium
opposite Pets at Home (Sat Nav ST4 8GR ). It costs
£5 and you can get to this car park via Stanley
Mathews Way from the A50 or Trentham Road. After
the match all traffic goes south which means you
avoid all the congestion by the stadium. See www.parkbythebritannia.co.uk
for more details.
Andy Fenwick a visiting
Sunderland fan adds; 'Don't be tempted to park
on wasteland around the stadium, you may well
end up as I did with a parking ticket waiting
for you on your return'.
Map showing the location of the
Britannia Stadium (at the bottom of this
page).
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Q-railing
(West) Stand
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| By
Train |
Stoke station is just
over two miles away from the stadium, so
unless you are feeling fit, it maybe best to
hire a taxi. Tim Rigby a visiting
Wolves fan adds 'there are some shuttle buses
than run from Glebe Street in Stoke up to the
Britannia Stadium, which depart every 15 minutes
before kick off. There are return buses after
the game back to Glebe Street from behind the
Sentinel (East) Stand'.
Björn Sandström adds; 'To
catch this bus, turn right from the station and
head down Station Road. At the
bottom of Station Road at the traffic lights,
turn right to go along Leek Road (A52). Then go
straight across the A500 dual carriageway and
into Glebe Street which is straight across in
front of you. You should then see the line of
buses that will take you to the stadium. It is
only about a five minute walk from the station'.
The shuttle bus costs for a return ticket £3
Adults, £2 Concessions.
Colin Bell adds; 'It took us less than 30
minutes to walk to the stadium from the station,
using this route: Turn right from the
station and head down Station Road. At the
lights, turn right along Leek Road (A52), under
the railway line and then left down on to the
tow path of the Trent & Mersey Canal. Follow
the tow path all the way until you are level
with the stadium, where two footbridges
take you over the canal and then the railway
line, straight into the ground near the South
Stand away end.'
Remember if travelling by train then
you can normally save on the cost of fares by booking in
advance. Visit the thetrainline
website to see how much you can save.
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A
Closer Look At The Marstons Pedigree (South) Stand
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| Local Rivals |
| Port
Vale & Crewe Alexandra.
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| Admission
Prices |
Stoke operate a three category system of ticket
pricing (A*, A & B) whereby the most popular
matches will cost more to watch than the least popular
ones. A & B category prices are shown below in
brackets:
Home Fans:
Q-railing West Stand (Upper Tier Centre): Adults £50
(A £40) (B £35), Over 65's £35 (A £29)
(B £27), Under 17's £27 (A £21) (B £19), Under 11's
£24 (A £18) (B £16)
Q-railing West Stand (Upper Tier Wings):
Adults £47 (A £37) (B £32), Over 65's £32 (A £26)
(B £24), Under 17's £26 (A £20) (B £18), Under 11's
£23 (A £17) (B £15)
Q-railing West Stand (Lower Tier
Centre): Adults £47 (A £37) (B £32), Over 65's £33 (A
£27)
(B £25), Under 17's £27 (A £21) (B £19), Under 11's
£21 (A £15) (B £13)
Q-railing West Stand (Lower Tier Centre
Wings): Adults £44 (A £34) (B £29), Over 65's £30
(A £24) (B £22), Under 17's £26 (A £20) (B £18), Under
11's £20 (A £14) (B £12)
Seddon Stand (Centre): Adults £45 (A £35) (B £30),
Over 65's £31 (A £25) (B £23), Under 17's £24 (A £18)
(B £16), Under 11's £21 (A £15) (B £13)
Seddon Stand (Wings): Adults £42 (A £32) (B £27), Over
65's £28 (A £22) (B £20),
Under 17's £23 (A £17) (B £15), Under 11's £20 (A £14)
(B £12)
Boothen End: Adults £40 (A £30) (B £25), Over 65's £27
(A £21) (B £19), Under 17's £23 (A £17) (B £15), Under
11's £20 (A £14) (B £12)
Marstons Pedigree (South) Stand: Adults £40 (A £30) (B £25), Over 65's £27
(A £21) (B £19), Under 17's £23 (A £17) (B £15),
Under 11's £20 (A £14) (B £12)
Potteries Shopping Centre
Family Area: Adults £40 (A £30) (B £25), Over 65's £27
(A £21) (B £19), Under 17's £23 (A £17) (B £15), Under
14's £20 (A £14) (B £12), Under 11's £16 (A £10) (B
£8)
Away Fans:
Marstons Pedigree South Stand: Adults £40 (A £30) (B £25),
Over 65's £27 (A £21) (B £19), Under 17's £23 (A
£17) (B £15), Under 11's £20 (A £14) (B £12)
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| Stadium
Layout |
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| Fixtures 2012-2013 |
| Stoke
City FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website).
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| Programme and Fanzines |
Official Programme: £3.
The
Oatcake Fanzine: £1.20.
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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.
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| Record
& Average Attendance |
At
the Britannia Stadium:
28,218 v Everton, FA Cup 3rd Round, January 5th 2002.
At the Victoria Ground:
51,380 v Arsenal
Division 1, March 29th, 1937.
Average Attendance:
2011-2012: 27,226 (Premier League)
2010-2011: 26,858 (Premier League)
2009-2010: 27,162 (Premier League)
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| Fans Reviews Of The Britannia Stadium |
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Patrick
Bird (West Bromwich Albion) 16/03/13
Philip
Peagram (West Ham United) 2/03/13
Ben
Buckingham (Queens Park Rangers) 19/11/11
Jack McLellan
(Manchester City) 26/01/10
Kevin Griggs
(Portsmouth) 21/02/09
James Burgess (Stoke
City) 23/02/08
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| Britannia Stadium Tours |
Tours of the stadium are
available by request. The cost of the tours are: Five
people or less £25, 6-10 people £35, 11-20 people £45.
Tours must be booked in advance by calling 01782
592252.
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| Victoria Ground Photos |
To see some photos of
Stoke's previous ground the Victoria Ground then visit the Old Grounds & Stands
Section of the Guide.
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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 includes details of how far they are away
from the ground.
Access their Stoke
Hotels and Guest Houses page.
Remember that you
can also use the above link or the 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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Of Page
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| Map
showing the location of the Britannia
Stadium, 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 arrow
- 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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