[/center]Southampton -St Mary's Stadium
Website -
www.saintsfc.co.ukUnofficial Sites:
The Ugly InsideSaints WebSquad Profile & Fixtures
Address: Britannia Rd, Southampton, SO14 5FPTelephone: 0845 688 9448Fax: 0845 688 9445Ticket Office Enquiries: 0800 280 050
Capacity: 32,689
Away end: 3,200 (4,750 Cup games)
DIRECTIONS & PARKING
For a street map of the area & the ground click hereBy RoadThere is extremely limited car parking in the close proximity of the Stadium particularly for Away Supporters.Parking on a match by match basis, costs £6.50 or £4.50.
There are a number of City Council and NCP Car Parks in and around the City, 20 to 30 minutes walk from the Stadium. Depending on what time you arrive and where you park, be prepared to pay in the region of £5 for 4 hours up to £12 if in excess of 6 hours.
The area around the Stadium and City Centre can become almost gridlocked particularly after matches. Factors that can affect this include the size of the attendance, time of year (i.e. Christmas Shopping) and even whether a cruise liner has arrived or is departing the Docks that day.
With this in mind, it may pay to consider Car Parks a little away from the Centre, such as the Central Rail Station or even parking at Southampton Airport Parkway Rail Station and get the train in. Alternatively, there are Park and Ride Schemes available to both Home and Visiting Supporters operating two hours prior to kick-off.
Away Supporters can make use of the Away Park and Ride, which is signposted from junction 8 of the M27. Details are advised of the facility on their match ticket and must pay £3 on arrival. It is a 25 minute bus ride to the Stadium.
By RailSouthampton Central Station is on the London to Weymouth main line and networks with other regions. The Stadium is approximately one and a quarter miles from Southampton Central Station, which should take up to 30 minutes to walk. If you want to go straight to the ground there is a free Shuttle Bus service on presentation of your match ticket or appropriate Season Ticket travel voucher, operating from Blechynden Terrace (About 150 yards turning right from the Platform 1 exit).
The route by foot is signposted by the City Council to an extent.
On exiting Platform 1 entrance, turn right into Blechynden Terrace and walk up the pedestrianised Kingsbridge Lane (behind NCP Car Park and BBC South Broadcasting Centre). There are also Bank Cash Machines outside of this entrance.
On exiting Platform 4 entrance, turn left and walk up Western Esplanade.
Both routes will take you into Civic Centre Road.
Walking with the Civic Centre on your left-hand side, you will reach a crossroads, which bisects Above Bar Street (the main shopping area will be to your right). Continue straight ahead into New Road walking with Parks either side of you. Stay on this road across the next junction past the Solent University Buildings on your left-hand side. You will reach a complex road junction known locally as Six Dials. There are underpasses adjacent to the Premier Travel Inn, which will take you under Kingsway St. Marys into Northam Road. Follow this road for quarter of a mile until you reach the ground on your right.
Thoughts:The stadium has four stands, named after the areas of Southampton they back onto. The main (east) stand is the Itchen Stand (after the River Itchen). Opposite is the Kingsland Stand with the Chapel Stand behind the south goal and the Northam Stand at the other end. Designed as an enclosed bowl on a single level deck with 37 rows of seats, all spectators are under cover with unrestricted sightlines. There is a large screen attached to the roof behind each goal.
Away fans are located in the Northam Stand at one end of the stadium, where normally up to 3,200 fans can sit. For cup games this allocation can be increased to 4,750. The view of the playing action and the facilities within this stand are excellent. Leg room is good, although the width of the seating seemed to be a bit narrower than other grounds. The sizeable concourse behind the stand features a Ladbrokes, has TV's which show the game as it is played and a number of eating and drinking outlets. There are plenty of staff and the queues never seemed to get particularly long. There is also a 'Pie & Pint' outlet, that as the name suggests, only serves beer and pies.Pub Guide and extrasAlcohol is served within the ground. There are plenty of pubs and bars to choose from in the vicinity of the Stadium. In the City Centre (Above Bar Street and High Street), there are the usual Yates, Hogshead and Weatherspoon outlets, as well as a Walkabout, which normally attract a mixture of home and away fans.
You will also find a selection of bars, restaurants and food outlets (Burger King and KFC), which should cater for most peoples tastes. There is the odd establishment, which is either football free or does not allow sportswear. It should be noted that a lot of the bars in the City Centre which would normally welcome accompanied children in dedicated areas do not do so on match days.
To the north of the City Centre, London Road, Bedford Place and their side streets contain a range of Pubs, Bars and restaurants reflecting to a degree the demands of the local student population. There is also a Weatherspoons (The Giddy Bridge) in London Road, which is popular on match days. Allow at least 20 minutes to walk from this area.
To the south of the Stadium and City Centre are Ocean Village and Town Quay. Both of these areas contain a selection of bars and restaurants to suit a range of tastes and budgets.
Close to the Stadium in Northam Road (walk away from the Stadium up Britannia Road past the Gas Tanks and turn left), you will find the King Alfred, which has an upstairs area for away fans (home fans downstairs). Walking in the other direction down Britannia Road past the Stadium and into Albert Road North, you will find the Chapel Arms. A predominantly home supporters pub, away fans are welcomed if arriving early.
Real ale connoisseurs, need look no further than the Bevois Valley area, where you will find the Bevois Castle, which serves a fantastic full breakfast. Off of Bevois Valley, in Earls Road, you will find the Guide Dog, which is arguably the best Real Ale Pub in Southampton. A small single room pub serving seven real ales, as well as breakfast baps and rolls - get there early on match days as it will fill up. Both are friendly pubs who welcome away fans.
If travelling by train, you may want to consider alighting at St Denys Station, visit the South Western Arms (next to the station) and then the Guide Dog, which is a 15 minutes walk away. The Stadium is then a further 15 minutes or so on from there.
Away Fans:Adult -
Over 65s -
U16s -
Wheelchair & PA -
9 upper tier wheelchair / enabler places
14 lower tier wheelchair / enabler places
6 seats for the ambulant disabled
14 seats for the visually impaired
All disabled supporters enter via ground level. Upper levels are accessible by lift. Specific disabled area stewards are on hand to assist with accessibility.
Five parking spaces are provided to disabled visiting supporters, which are available to the away club to allocate.
Disabled car parking enquiries - Tel: 0238 071 1966
Stadium Plan