Ryan McBride Stadium

Derry City and its supporters are mostly welcoming of away fans, who are situated in Blocks K, L and M of the Southend Stand. A good atmosphere can be generated on matchdays, with chants going back and forth, especially when rivals such as Finn Harps pay a visit.

The Ryan McBride Stadium is located close to the Bogside area, to the South-West of Derry city centre. The ground shares its surroundings with County Derry’s Celtic Park Stadium, and for those who are sightseeing, both stadiums are visible from the Grand Parade side of the City’s ancient walls.

The vast hillside City Cemetery looms over both grounds and dwarfing the surrounding housing estates. Derry City themselves are a Northern Ireland club who were accepted into the League of Ireland in 1985. The stadium itself – which is owned by the local council and leased to the club – is distinctive, with its shape being formed by a history of hosting greyhound races.

The Main Stand has a capacity of 955 seats and runs for around half the length of the pitch, sitting astride the halfway line. It has a tall cantilevered roof, meaning that there are no supports to hinder your view of the playing action.

The East Stand opposite was opened in 1991 and it contains around 2,700 seats. Despite being set back from the pitch the stand still feels well connected to the action. The stadium is complete with a set of four tall floodlights.

In 2018, Brandywell Stadium was renamed the Ryan McBride after a former player and captain of the team.

If anyone can provide me with photos of the Ryan McBride Stadium for use on this website then please email [email protected]. Please note that I can only accept photos that have been taken by yourself or where you have the permission of the photographer for them to appear in this Guide.

New pitch to be installed at Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium

Proposals to replace the eight-year-old 3G artificial playing surface at Derry City’s home ground are expected to get underway in April. A state-of-the-art hybrid grass pitch will be installed, with the redevelopment costing approximately £1.4m.

The work was considered necessary because while UEFA matches were allowed to be held at the stadium in 2025/26, the club were warned that the existing pitch would be unlikely to pass the governing body’s inspection ahead of 2026/27.

There is a social club at the ground but this is for members only. It is best therefore to drink in the vibrant city centre or en route to the stadium.

Some places to grab a drink include:

• WG’s Bar – 1 Society Street, Derry BT48 6PJ Northern Ireland
• Rocking Chair Bar – 15 Waterloo Street Derry, Derry BT48 6HA Northern Ireland
• Mary B’s – 42 Elmwood Terrace, Derry BT48 9JQ Northern Ireland

Directions and Car Parking

From the South
Follow the A5 from Strabane alongside the River Foyle, turn left and cross the River Foyle on the A2   Craigavon Bridge. You will then come to a roundabout with the “hands across the divide” statue. Turn the left turn into Abercorn Road and follow the road as it kinks to the right and becomes Barrack Street. You will then see the floodlights of Celtic Park GAA Stadium direct ahead of you with the floodlights of Brandywell just visible to the left. As the road starts to slope down turn left into Windmill Terrace and follow the road as it snakes downhill and joins Lecky Road. Take the second right turn into Brandywell Road.

From the East
Follow the A6 from Dungiven into the outskirts of Derry,passing Institute fc, Altnagelvin Hospital then Londonderry Railway Station. Following the city centre signs, turn right and cross the River Foyle on the A2 Craigavon Bridge. Then as ‘From the South’ above.

From the West
Follow the R236 from Ballybofey / R265 from Lifford merging into the A40 on the south suburbs of Derry. On the approach to the City Centre turn left into Lone Moor Road. The main entrance gate leading to the stadium, Sports Centre, training ground and football club car park is on the right.

Car Parking
There is a car park at the stadium which is accessed from Lone Moor Road, using the main entrance gate to the Sports Centre and training ground. The club car park is on the left hand side beyond the rear of the old Main Stand. Otherwise it is case of street parking in the local area.

By Train

Londonderry Railway Station is located just over a mile away from the stadium. Londonderry is linked to the whole of Northern Ireland by the Translink and Northern Ireland Railways Network.

The quickest route from Belfast would be to take the Londonderry Railway Line service from Great Victoria Street via Antrim, Ballymena and Coleraine. Journey time is around 2 hours 15 minutes with 8 services throughout the day.

The trains terminate at Londonderry. There are no direct services that operate from Dublin, passengers would need to first travel to Belfast Central.

The stadium is around a 15 minute walk away; When you come out of the railway station booking office, turn right and walk along the riverside. Cross the River Foyle on the nearby Craigavon Bridge. You will then come to a roundabout with the “hands across the divide” statue.

Turn left into Abercorn Road and follow the road as it kinks to the right and becomes Barrack Street. You will then see the floodlights of Celtic Park GAA Stadium direct ahead of you with the floodlights of Brandywell just visible to the left.

As the road starts to slope down turn left into Windmill Terrace and follow the road as it snakes downhill and joins Lecky Road. Take the second right turn into Brandywell Road. Turnstiles for the New Stand on the East side of the stadium are on the left with turnstiles to the old West side terracing, with the open seating and Glentoran Stand further up the hill.

By Bus

There is a bus service which runs from Dublin Busaras to Derry Foyle Street. There is the Bus Eireann Expressway Service 033 from Dublin Busaras which then becomes the Translink NI Ulsterbus Service 274 to Londonderry Foyle Street. The service runs every day although there are only six services each day.

For those travelling from the Mid-West of the Irish Republic Bus Eireann Expressway Service 064 links Galway with Donegal, travelling via Knock Ireland West Airport, Sligo and Ballyshannon. The service then continues through to Donegal, Ballybofey and Letterkenny, terminating at Derry Foyle Street.

With all bus services arriving into Derry/Londonderry Foyle Street in the City Centre it will then take a 10 minute walk to locate Brandywell, which is located in Bogside, outside of the city walls.

When you come out of the bus station walk through the narrow exit next to the enquiries offices and turn right onto Foyle Street. You will then see the clock tower of the Guildhall direct ahead of you.

Turn left and walk under the Shipquay Gate arch in the City wall, then walk up the hill into the City Centre. At the Diamond War Memorial turn right into Butcher Street and exit the City Centre through the Butchers Gate. You will then see the floodlights of Celtic Park GAA Stadium direct ahead of you with the floodlights of Brandywell just visible beyond.

At the junction, turn left and follow Fahan Street downhill alongside the grass banking outside the city wall. At the crossroads turn left and follow Lecky Road past the Bogside Artists Studio.

Continue for 3 minutes then turn right into Brandywell Road. Turnstiles for the New Stand on the East side of the stadium are on the left hand, with turnstiles to the old West side terracing, open seating and Glentoran Stand further up the hill.

The stadium features accessible seating in the Mark Farren Stand and the North Stand.

Please note that most of the spaces for disabled fans in the Mark Farren Stand have been designated for season ticket holders, though the Southend Stand can accommodate additional supporters in need of accessbile seating if necessary.

Fans can purchase Derry City tickets online or via the club-selected ticket outlets listed on their website. Tickets are not always sold at the ground due to high demand, while some types of ticket are exclusively available via these outlets.

Match ticket prices for the 2026 season are as follows:

• Adult: £20
• Concession (OAP/Student): £17
• Child (5-15): £7
• Terrace (Outlets only): £15

Official Programme £2

Modern Record Attendance

9,800 v Finn Harps
FAI Cup 2nd Round, 23 February 1986

Average Attendance

2025: 3,453 (Premier Division)
2024: 2,871 (Premier Division)
2023: 3,228 (Premier Division)
2022: 3,233 (Premier Division)
2021: 2,400 (Premier Division)
2020 (nine matches): 2,554 (Premier Division)
2019: 2,663 (Premier Division)
2018: 2,061 (Premier Division)
2017: 1,393 (Premier Division)

Derry City contest the North-west Derby with rivals Finn Harps, a regular clash since the Candystripes joined the League of Ireland in 1985.

There is more than a mere footballing rivalry between the clubs, too, with City’s urban fanbase contrasting with the culturally rural support for the Harps.

However, the rivalry between these sides has been a healthy one overall, and the Harps were one of the biggest supporters of City joining the League of Ireland, and the verbals that fans give each other are taken in jest as banter.

If you require hotel accommodation in the area then first try a hotel booking service provided by Booking.com. 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 help towards the running costs of keeping this Guide going. .

Official Web Site: www.derrycityfc.net

Official Social Media
Facebook: www.facebook.com/derrycityfc
Twitter: @derrycityfc

Special thanks to Thomas McMillan for providing the photos of the Brandywell Stadium.

The ‘Back To Brandy’ video was produced by >Derry City FC Online and made publicly available via YouTube.