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Ground Name: Bloomfield Road |
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| Contents | |
| What's The Ground
Like? Future Developments West & North Stands (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? Where To Drink? East Stand (photo) How To Get There By Car & Where To Park By Train Local Rivals Admission Prices Programme Price Disabled Facilities Fixtures 2008-2009 Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Other Places Of Interest Hotel Accommodation Car Hire Feedback |
Lawro makes a disastrous move into |
| What's The Ground Like? | |
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The Club announced in 2000 their intention to
totally redevelop Bloomfield Road,
into
a
new 16,000 all seated stadium. Phase one of the project was completed in
February 2002, with the opening of the new North & West Stands.
Phase
two, the rebuilding of
the South & East Stands, is yet to commence. The single tiered Blackpool Airport West & North Stands are located at one side and at one end of the ground. They are impressive looking and the North West corner between them has also been filled with seating, so that this area of the ground is enclosed. At the back of the West Stand is a row of executive boxes. Both the other sides of the ground have now been demolished. On the East side of the ground an open temporary 'golf style' seated stand has been erected to house away supporters, whilst at the South end of the ground still awaits a new stand to be constructed. Outside the North Stand of the ground is a statue of the former Blackpool legend Stan Mortensen. |
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| Future Developments | |
| Well five years after demolishing the old South Stand, the Club have finally announced that they are to start the construction of a new replacement. The new 3,500 capacity stand will extend around the South eastern corner of the ground and should be completed in May 2009. | |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| With delays to the
building of the new South Stand, away fans will once again for this season
find themselves being housed in a temporary stand on the Eastern side of the
ground. The stand is more reminiscent of the type found at the 18th hole of
the British Open Golf Championships, rather than at a football ground
and has
a capacity of 1,700. As you would expect from a
temporary stand the facilities are basic and the stand has no roof, leaving
fans exposed to the elements.
So if the weather is not good then you may well find
yourself 'singing in the rain'. Dave Croston a visiting Tranmere fan adds; 'it was raining on our visit and the walkway in front of the the away stand soon became a grey coloured quagmire, with large pools of water forming on it. I would suggest that heavy footwear is recommended on rainy days. Add to this the inadequate small portacabin toilets, the food facilities that were housed in a tiny wooden building with one narrow opening from which to gain your food or beverage, with only one person at a time being served, then it all added up to not a very pleasant experience'. However the leg room is adequate and you do get a good view of the playing action being housed close to the pitch. Remember to wrap up well in winter as the wind that comes off the Irish Sea can go right through you! On the whole though I found the ground to be a welcoming one, I just hope they build that new South Stand soon! |
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| Where To Drink? | |
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Nigel Richardson a visiting Hull City fan recommends
the 'No 1 Bar, which is a Working Mens Club,
that is adjacent to the away supporters entrance to the ground on
Bloomfield Road. It was very welcoming
and admits away
fans for a small fee'. Steve
Gardner a visiting Gillingham fan informs me; 'A good family pub
close to the ground is the Waterloo in Waterloo Road -
genuinely family friendly except in the games area. Clean,
comfortable and friendly; Sky TV on large
screens and reasonable, inexpensive food'.
There are plenty of pubs in Blackpool town centre to choose from. Mike Latham recommends the Dunes pub on Lytham Road (Airport End). In his words; 'it serves the best pint of Boddies in the world!'. Steve Lumb adds; 'Another good pub is the Wetherspoons pub called the Auctioneer on Lytham Road, near Blackpool South Station. Its about 10 minutes walk to the ground and serves cheap beer and brilliant grub.' |
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Thanks to Tim Rigby for supplying the above photo. |
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| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
| Leave the M6 at Junction 32. Follow the M55 into the
outskirts of Blackpool and continue straight along this road until you see the ground on
your right. The ground is roughly located about half way between the Pleasure Beach and
the Tower and is about a 1/4 of a mile inland from the south shore. Large
pay and display car parks are
located just across the road from the ground (£1). Damian
Feeney adds; 'It's worth bearing in mind that the car parking does
increase during the holiday season to £3.20 for the required period. It
runs from the Spring Bank Holiday until the end of the Illuminations. The
canny can find on street parking instead.'
Matthew Stimpson
a visiting Halifax Town fan informs me; 'Please
note that unlike most towns and cities in England
the pay and display car parks near
to the ground still charge after 6pm. Some visiting fans on my visit assumed
that they would be free after 6pm and ended up with a parking ticket'. For a map showing the location of the ground click here (to take you to the Street Map website). 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 | |
| The closest railway station to the ground
is Blackpool South and is around a ten minute walk away.
However fewer trains stop at this station with most calling at Blackpool
North. Blackpool North station is around two miles away
and therefore you may wish to jump in a cab to the ground. Mark Gillatt adds; 'For anyone arriving by train at Blackpool North a cheaper alternative than a taxi may be the number 11 bus from the bus station across the road. Buses to Lytham St Annes pass the end of Bloomfield Road and run every eight minutes. Fans should alight at the Bridge House pub (okay for a pint) and walk down Lonsdale Road to the ground'. |
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| Local Rivals | |
| Preston North End & Burnley. | |
| Admission Prices | |
| Home Fans*: Blackpool Airport Stand (Centre): Adults £30, OAP's £24, Under19's £21, Under 16's £19 Blackpool Airport Stand (Wings): Adults £28, OAP's £23, Under19's £18, Under 16's £16 Blackpool Airport Stand Stand (Outer Wings): Adults £28, OAP's £23, Under19's £18, Under 16's £17 North West Stand: Adults £28, OAP's £22, Under19's £16, Under 16's £13, Under 11's £11 All In Property Services Family Area: Adults £28, OAP's £23, Under19's £16, Under 16's £13, Under 11's £11 Blackpool Leisure North Stand: Adults £28, OAP's £23 Away Fans*: Adults £28, OAP's £23, Under19's £16, Under 16's £13 * A £1 discount on these prices per ticket is available if the ticket is purchased prior to matchday. Home fans can gain a further discount on the ticket price if they become Club members. |
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| Programme | |
| Official Programme: £3.50. | |
| 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 Blackpool fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website) | |
| Record & Average Attendance | |
| 38,098 v Wolverhampton Wanderers, Division One, September 19th, 1955. Modern All Seated Attendance Record: 9,640 v Watford Championship League, May 4th, 2008. Average Attendance: 2007-2008: 8,861 (Championship League) 2006-2007: 6,877 (League One) 2005-2006: 5,820 (League One) |
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| Fans Reviews Of Bloomfield Road | |
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Sam
Allward (Bristol City) 13/4/02 Lee Roberts (Doing The 92) 26/12/01 |
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| Other Places Of Interest | |
| Blackpool is not Britain's premier seaside resort for nothing, so why not make a weekend of it? If you're feeling brave try the UK's largest and fastest roller coaster, 'The Big One' at the Pleasure Beach. I braved it, but was in shock afterwards! So much so that I had to seek out the Pleasure Beach bar for medicinal purposes. Only one word of caution, look at the other fixtures on the same day in Manchester/Bolton/Preston etc.. as your game, because other away supporters attending these games will also be probably be heading to Blackpool after the game. So if there is a particular group of supporters from another club who you would rather avoid, my advice is to stay away. | |
| 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 Blackpool page click here. | |
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| 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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