Stoke City

by **NIGHTMARE** Fri 2 Apr - 20:34:02

Directions & Car Parking

Leave the M6 at Junction 15 and then go straight across the roundabout onto the A500 towards Stoke. Continue along the A500 passing over the junction with the A34. Leave the A500 at the next slip road following signs for the A50 towards Derby. Turn right at the next roundabout and then move into the left hand lane and then onto the slip road. 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.

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.'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'

Where To Drink

There are a distinct lack of pubs near to the ground as it is built away from other buildings. Therefore I would recommend that you grab a drink on the way into Stoke. 'There is a Holiday Inn and Harvester Pub next to the ground. Car parking in the Harvester car park costs £3'. Also close to the stadium is a Power League complex that also has a bar, which also allows in away fans, shows SKY television and you can even park in their car park for £4.50. Otherwise alcohol is available at the back of the away end, but queues can be lengthy, especially if there is a big support.

The Ground

The stadium opened in 1997, looks imposing from afar, as it is perched on a hill with hardly any buildings around it. It does look good though especially when lit up at night. It is a vast improvement on the old Victoria Ground which has now sadly been demolished. It is a fair sized stadium comprising three separate stands. One of these the Signal Boothen End and Seddon Stand, extends around one corner of the ground, enclosing the stadium in that area. On the other side of the ground is the 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 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 South Stand and the West Stand. In the corner on the other side of the South Stand is a large electric scoreboard.

Away Fans

Away fans are housed on one side (towards the Players Tunnel and Main Stand) of the 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. 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 at £2 each, sausage rolls (£1.50), cheeseburgers (£2.40), rollover hot dogs (£2.60) and chips (£1.30). Alcohol is also available in the form of Carlsberg lager (bottles £3), Bitter (pint £2.50), Strongbow cider (can £2.50) and Smirnoff Ice (bottle £2.60).

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.