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Ground Name: County
Ground |
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| Contents | |
| What's The Ground
Like? Looking Towards The Town End (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? Where To Drink? Don Rogers Stand (photo) Other Places Of Interest How To Get There By Car & Where To Park By Train The Stratton Bank (photo) Admission Prices Local Rivals Arkells Stand (photo) Programme & Fanzine Disabled Facilities Fixtures 2008-2009 Ground Layout Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Hotel Accommodation Feedback Return To The Main Menu |
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
| At one end is the Stratton Bank Stand,
a former terrace with rows of seats bolted
on to it. This area is uncovered and has a clock above it as well as a small
electric scoreboard. Opposite is the small, covered Town End, with several supporting pillars
across the front. An unusual
feature is that the supporting legs of one of the floodlight pylons are actually in one
side of the stand, there are even some seats situated behind them! The sides
are larger, two tiered covered stands towering above the two ends. The newest of these
is the attractive Don Rogers Stand, while on the other side is the older Arkells Stand.
The latter has windshields on
either side and a few supporting pillars. The ground also benefits by a striking set of four floodlight pylons. Once a feature across the country, floodlights are slowly but surely disappearing from the landscape, being replaced by rows of lights across the stand roofs. It's a shame really, if only because the floodlight pylons made it a lot easier to locate a ground in a town or city and were always synonymous with a football ground. |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| Away fans are located in the Arkells Stand at one side of the pitch,
where up to 1,200 fans can be housed. This is an older stand with
facilities to match, but at least you are under cover. If you are at the back of this stand there is one
supporting pillar which may impair your view
of the goal otherwise it is fine. You even get a view of some of the rolling Marlborough
Hills beyond one corner of the ground! There is a small
kiosk at the back of stand serving amongst other things
a range of Shires Pies (but alas no chicken balti pie), but be careful when taking them
back to your seat. The entrances to the seating areas are through large
solid doors, and to compound matters they open out towards you!
Teams with a larger away following can also be allocated the Stratton Bank End if required. A further 2,100 fans can be accommodated in this area, but the end has no cover and is open to the elements. Fine on a nice sunny day, but on a cold wet, winters day, it can be grim. I found Swindon to be a relaxed and fairly friendly day out, although the size of police presence on my last visit seemed excessive. On a previous visit I managed talk my way into the players lounge & bar after the game, quite an experience! |
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| Where To Drink? | |
| The County Hotel right by the ground, did not allow
entrance to away supporters on my last visit. Best to continue down County Road and seek
out the Cricket Club that sits behind the Arkells Stand. As Mark Osborne
from Swindon adds; 'On match days home and away fans can park on
the cricket ground (for a small fee) and then have access to a drink in the
cricket club. This is a very friendly (as well as cheap) club that always
welcomes away fans'. I would echo these comments but also add that you can
still get into the cricket club (there is no charge) even if you have not
parked there. Please note though that the Cricket Club
facilities are not available when the Cricket Club is playing a match. This
doesn't happen often but can do towards the beginning and end of the
football season, when fixtures overlap. Audrey MacDonald a visiting Hartlepool United fan, recommends 'The Merlin' on Drove Road, near to the magic roundabout. 'Away fans are welcome and they have Sky Sports showing on 12 television screens and even in the gents (according to my husband)'. Alcohol is available within the ground to away fans in the Arkells Stand (but not in the open Stratton Bank End), otherwise if you arrive early Swindon town centre is a 15 minute walk away. |
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| Other Places Of Interest | |
Located near one corner of the ground is the 'Magic Roundabout'. Whoever designed this must have been on something. It is a large island surrounded by five mini roundabouts, which effectively means that traffic can go round the main roundabout the wrong way! Confused? I was!
Thanks to Chris King for providing the image of the Magic Roundabout above and the directions below. Chris suggests that visiting supporters, with the aide of the diagram, can perhaps practice in their back garden prior to visiting Swindon! If you want further information then visit the Magic Roundabout page of the Swindon Web. |
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| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
| The ground is well signposted in and around Swindon town
centre. Just follow signs for 'The County Ground'.
From M4 Junc.15: Follow A345 (Queens Drive) to Drake's roundabout. Turn left towards the Magic Roundabout, The County Ground is on the corner of this roundabout. From the North A419 from Cricklade/Cirencester/M5:This must be the easiest route - follow Cricklade Road down the hill. It becomes Cirencester Way about halfway down. At Transfer Bridges roundabouts turn left at the first and then straight over the second. The County Ground is on the left after the mini-roundabout. If you survive the Magic Roundabout then
there is some street parking. Otherwise park at the cricket club (take
County Road off the Magic Roundabout, go past the County Hotel on your
right, you will see a small sign further down on your right for football
parking, just before the mini roundabout). There is
some parking available at the ground itself for a cost of £5. |
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| By Train | |
| The ground is walkable from Swindon train station and will take you around 10-15 minutes. Leave the station, cross the road and proceed up the road between the two pubs (Great Western and Queen's Tap), continue to end of road. Turn left, proceed along Manchester Road, through traffic lights as far as you can go. At the junction turn right. The County Ground is about 300 yards up this road on the left. Thanks to John Bishop for providing me with the directions. | |
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| Admission Prices | |
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Home Fans: |
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| Local Rivals | |
| Oxford United, Bristol Rovers & Bristol City and from further afield Gillingham. | |
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| Programme | |
| Official Programme: £2.50 | |
| 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 2008-2009 | |
| For the Swindon fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website) | |
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| Record & Average Attendance | |
| 32,000 v Arsenal FA Cup 3rd Round, January 15th, 1972. Modern All Seated Attendance Record: 14,731 v Walsall League Two, May 5th 2007 Average Attendance: 2007-2008: 7,170 (League One) 2006-2007: 7,419 (League Two) 2005-2006: 5,951 (League One) |
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| Fans Reviews Of The County Ground | |
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Matthew Day (Luton Town) 18/8/07 S Smale (Bristol City) 30/11/04 |
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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 Swindon 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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