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Ground Name:
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| Contents | |
| What's The Ground
Like? Looking Towards The East Stand (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? The North & West Stands (photo) Where To Drink? The North & East Stands (photo) How To Get There By Car & Where To Park By Train A Closer Look At The West Stand (photo) Admission Prices Programme Price Local Rivals Ground Layout What Do The Darlington Fans Sing? Disabled Facilities Fixtures 2008-2009 Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Old Feethams Ground Hotel Accommodation Feedback |
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
| The stadium which was opened in 2003, is impressive looking and is of a good size. It is completely enclosed with all the corners filled with seating. All the stands are single tiered and of an equal height. There is a perspex strip that runs around the stadium, beneath the roof, to allow more light to reach the pitch. The stands look virtually identical apart from the South Stand, which has a row of executive boxes running across the back of it. In the South East corner of the stadium is a Police Control Box, whilst in the North East corner, there is a large video screen. | |
| Looking Towards The East Stand | |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| Away fans are housed in East Stand at one
end of the stadium, where around 3,000 supporters can be accommodated. Martin Redfern a visiting Scunthorpe fan informs me; 'It's
a nice stadium and there seems to be plenty of parking (although
I heard several grumbles about the
£5 charge!). The usual
food and drink are on offer
inside from well run & well staffed outlets and the view from the away end is very good. I hardly noticed the
stewards (which is good), but the atmosphere was a little subdued on my
visit. No surprise really with just over 3,600 fans sitting in a stadium
that can seat over 20,000'.
Peter Llewellyn adds; 'Although I'm not that tall at six foot, I found the
leg room to be one of the tightest that I have come across at a new stadium.
I was so uncomfortable that I seriously thought about leaving before the
end'. Although the stadium is conservative in its design and shows little character, the acoustics inside are very good as well as the facilities on offer. It also has the best display of pies that I have ever come across at a football ground. Like going into your local bakers, glass cabinets display the rows of different hot pies that are available. These included pork pies (served hot), minced beef & onion and steak and kidney all at £1.30 each, plus as Tim Porter informs me they also now offer 'a steak and gravy pie with mushy peas and mint sauce for £2'. This 'Aladdin's Cave' of pies certainly had the desired effect on myself and my colleagues as we promptly ate a pie before the game started and another (or two) at half time (it did help our appetite though, that it was bitterly cold day!). However the downside was that teas and coffees were only available from a vending machine (which also had soup, crisps & chocolate), which meant queuing for a second time. The atmosphere was boosted somewhat by the presence of a drummer in the home end. |
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| Where To Drink? | |
| The stadium is
located on the
outskirts of Darlington and there are not that many pubs in the vicinity.
Steve Duffy informs me; 'There is the Copper Beech Pub on Neasham Road,
a ten minute walk towards the town centre. Otherwise
there is the Tawny Owl Pub, a Vintage Inn which is about a quarter of a
mile the other side of the A66 roundabout. This though is more of a
restaurant than pub, but decent enough for lunch'. It may therefore be an idea to drink in the town centre, where there are plenty of pubs to be found. For the real ale buffs there is the Number Twenty 2, in Coniscliffe Road. A large spacious pub, that offers food as well as a good range of beers. Mick Hubbard a visiting Aston Villa fans adds; 'We ducked down a little side street called Mechanic's Yard (which is opposite the indoor market, near the big train sculpture) and discovered a gem of a pub called the 'Quaker House'. The small bar was an Aladdin's Cave of real ales, having ten on tap. It was a fantastic place and also has a separate cafe upstairs'. There is also a Wetherspoons outlet situated on Skinnersgate. At the stadium itself there are two bars; one called 'Bar 66' and the other called the 'Corner Bar'. Both admit away fans, however as you would expect they get very crowded. Otherwise alcohol is available on the concourses inside the stadium in the form of Fosters Lager & John Smiths Bitter. |
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| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
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From The South: To go to a simplified page, containing the directions and pub info, which you can print out click here. |
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| By Train | |
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Darlington train station is around one and a half miles away from the
stadium. Either get a taxi, a bus (see below) or walk it; leave the
station and turn right past the taxi rank and towards the car park. Cross
the covered footbridge back over the railway into Albert Road. Go right down
this road and then take a right into Neasham Road. The stadium is about a
mile further on down this road on your left. It should take about 25
minutes in total to walk it. Simon Brodie informs me; 'The Club now pay for a subsidised bus which runs every 15 minutes from Tubwell Row in the town centre to the ground. It costs just £1.50 for a return ticket. On Saturday afternoons the first bus departs at 1.15pm and the last at 2.30pm. The first bus back is at 4.45pm from outside the ground, with last leaving at 5.30pm. Away fans will be welcomed on this service as long as they are well behaved'. |
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| Admission Prices | |
| All areas of the stadium*: Adults: £18, Senior Citizens £12, Under 16's £7, Under 10's Free. Family Ticket (2 adults + 2 Under 16's) £43 * A £2 discount is available on these Adults & Senior Citizens ticket prices, providing that the ticket is purchased prior to matchday. (£1 Under 16's discount, £3 discount on family tickets). |
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| Programme | |
| Official Programme £2.50. | |
| Local Rivals | |
| Hartlepool United. | |
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| 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 Darlington fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website) | |
| Record & Average Attendance | |
| At The New Stadium: 11,600 v Kidderminster Harriers Division 3, August 16th 2003. At Feethams: 21,023 v Bolton Wanderers, League Cup 3rd Round, November 14th, 1960. Average Attendance: 2007-2008: 3,818 (League Two) 2006-2007: 3,819 (League Two) 2005-2006: 4,199 (League Two) |
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| Fans Reviews Of The Darlington Arena | |
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Dan Davies (Shrewsbury Town) 6/11/07 David Hammond (Swansea City) 22/02/05 |
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| Old Feethams Ground | |
| To see photos of Darlington's former Feethams ground then click here to take you to the Old Grounds & Stands Section of the Guide. | |
| 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 Darlington 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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