Rotherham United

by **NIGHTMARE** Sat 3 Apr - 1:21:25

How To Get There By Car & Where To Park
Leave the M1 at Junction 34 and take the A6178 towards Sheffield City Centre. Keep straight on the A6178 (Attercliffe Road) and you will reach the stadium (you can see the floodlights in the distance) on your left. After passing the stadium turn left at the next traffic lights into Worksop Road and then left again for the stadium entrance. There is matchday car parking available at Pic Toys, which is on Worksop Road. The car park which costs £3 per car is sign posted. Otherwise there is plenty of street parking to be had on the right hand side of the Attercliffe Road, opposite the stadium.

By Train/Tram
The nearest railway station is Meadowhall which is slightly closer than Sheffield Station which is around two and a half miles away. It is then four stops on the Supertram to Don Valley from Meadowhall.

However most fans are likely to end up at Sheffield Station. Again its probably easiest to take the 15 minute journey on the Supertram from the station to the stadium.

Where To Drink?
Just outside the main stadium entrance are two pubs more or less opposite other, one called the Cocked Hat and the other called Faras'. However the Cocked Hat is for home supporters only, whilst Faras does allow in away fans. 'Also close to the stadium is the Britannia on Worksop Road, which runs up to the back of the Stadiums Main Stand. Its a fairly average pub. If fans travelling on the tram from the city centre, stay on the tram for one more stop past the stadium, or for those driving in from Meadowhall and the M1, then there are few more family orientated pubs, including one with a Wacky Warehouse'.

What's The Ground Like?
After 101 years after playing at their Millmoor ground, the club have moved to the neighbouring city of Sheffield. The club who were tenants at Millmoor, were unable to agree acceptable future rental terms from their landlords and so have moved to the Don Valley Stadium. It is a brave move, but obviously one that had to be done to keep the club in existence in the Football League. The club have agreed to play at the Don Valley for the next four years. In fact the Football League have stipulated that they must return to Rotherham, at the end of that period, if not before. Hopefully by then, the Club will have made progress to making the dream happen of building a new stadium for the football team in Rotherham.
The Don Valley stadium, is primarily an athletics stadium that was built to host the World Student Games 1991. It is mostly an open bowl type stadium, with a large covered Main Stand on one side. This Main Stand has a capacity of 10,000 and it is unusual in two respects; firstly it has a unique looking roof, that resembles more of a material canopy that than a hard standing roof. Secondly, the Main Stand has a separate block of covered seating on each side of the main section, which almost look as a bit of an afterthought (although I am sure not) by the stadium designers. The rest of the stadium is comprised of open blocks of seating on all sides, with large access aisles (apparently these were incorporated for large concert crowds as the stadium is also used from time to time as a music venue). The playing area is surrounded by an athletics track and becomes only the second stadium in the Football League, after Brighton to feature one. The team dugouts are located on the opposite side of the pitch to the Main Stand, which results in quite a procession at half and full time. At one end there is a huge electric scoreboard but alas it was not in operation for the game. The stadium which is shared with Sheffield Eagles Rugby League Club, also features an unsual set of very tall, large floodlights.

What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters?
Away fans are housed in a separate block of seating to one side the Main Stand. Away fans on arriving at the stadium main entrance, are directed to a walkway that goes along the back of the Main Stand car park, to the other end of the Main Stand, where there is a block of turnstiles. After the game away fans do not exit by the same route, but are directed around the inside of the stadium and leave via an exit gate across the end from where the away fans are located, bringing you back down onto the main Attercliffe Road