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Milton Keynes Dons Ground
Name:
stadium:mk |
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| Contents | |
| What's
The Ground Like? Future Developments External View (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? Looking Towards The South Stand (photo) Where To Drink? West Stand (photo) How To Get There By Car & Where To Park By Train The North & East Stands (photo) Admission Prices Programme Local Rivals Ground Layout Disabled Facilities Fixtures 2008-2009 Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Hotel Accommodation Feedback Return To The Main Menu |
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
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After four years at the National Hockey
Stadium, the Club have now moved to a new purpose built stadium on the
outskirts of Milton Keynes. At a cost of around £50m, the 22,000 all seated stadium, certainly looks a
quality one and one that does look a bit different to other new stadiums
that have been built. It was designed by HOK, the same firm of architects
responsible for the Emirates & Wembley stadiums. From the outside it has a modern look, with good use
of silver coloured cladding and a large amount of glass on view. The most
striking feature of the stadium is its roof, which sits high up above the
football ground with a large gap between in and the back roof of seating.
This allows more natural light to reach the pitch. The stadium is totally
enclosed and has a bowl like design. It is two tiered, with on three sides having a large lower tier being over hung by a smaller upper tier. The West side of the stadium is slightly different, with the seating areas in the upper tier being replaced by the Director's Box and executive and corporate hospitality areas. Unusually the concourse areas at the back of the lower tier see directly into the stadium, so there is what seems a noticeable gap between the lower and upper tiers, where the concourse is located. |
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| Future Developments | |
| At some point the upper tier of seating will be installed, which will raise the capacity to 30,000 and should have a big impact on the overall look of the stadium. Also as part of the development there will be attached to the south end of the stadium a 6,500 capacity indoor arena, in which the MK Lions basketball team will play and a hotel. | |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
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Away supporters are located in the North East
corner of the stadium where around 3,000 fans can be accommodated. On the
plus side the stadium is a quality one i.e. it has not been built on the
cheap. So the facilities are first class. The stadium has such creature
comforts as big 'Emirates Style' comfy seats and the ability to continue to
watch the game in progress, whilst eating a burger on the concourse. The
view of the playing action and leg room are both good and the atmosphere not
bad. The concourses are spacious and offer a good range of food including;
Cheeseburgers
(£3), Rollover Hotdogs
(£2.90), Shire Foods Pies
(Chicken & Mushroom, Steak & Kidney, Meat & Potato, Chicken Balti
all £2.40 each), Cornish Pasty
(£2.40), Mega Sausage
Roll (£2.40), Pizza Pod
(£2.40) and Spicy Potato
Wedges (£2). However,
with only the lower tier of seating so far being installed and with work
still to be done to the West Stand, then it may well have an odd unfinished look. Like a number of new
stadiums though, its main drawback is location, It is located adjacent to
the A5, but well away from the centre of Milton Keynes, so there is little
on offer in the way of pubs or eateries. This is though a cafe in the Asda
next door! The stadium also has electronic turnstiles, so no paying at the
gate here! Instead you gain entrance by putting your tickets into a bar code reader to gain entrance. In keeping with the infamous concrete cows of Milton Keynes, the Club have a mascot called Mooie, whilst the South Stand is called the 'cowshed'. No wonder that the locals have christened the new stadium 'The MooCamp!' |
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| Where To Drink? | |
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The nearest pub to the ground is the Beacon which is around a 10 minute walk away,
in the nearby Mount Farm area. With the stadium entrance in front of you and
Asda over to the right, then the pub is located on an industrial estate
behind the stadium. From the back of the the stadium cross
over the road and go down Dawson Road which is in front of you. At the
bottom of Dawson Road turn right into Bond Street and the pub is down on the
right, situated next to a small lake. Otherwise there doesn't appear to be much in the way of pubs in the vicinity of the stadium. If you have time on your hands then you can embark on the 20-25 minute walk into Bletchley, where there are a few pubs to be found, but none of which you would 'write home about'. The first that you will come to is probably the Enigma Tavern on Saxon Street. Just follow the signs for Bletchley by Asda and you will reach the pub on your left. Steve Mann a visiting Lincoln City supporter informs me; 'On our visit to the stadium we found that alcohol was not available to away supporters, which disappointed a number of our fans. I also noticed that for home fans there was also a sign saying that because of their licence they do not serve alcohol at evening games'. Can't say I enjoyed my visit to MK Dons, filling the ground with loads of school kids on a freebie does not make an atmosphere and I felt that the steward was way over the top. I could imagine a big club going there and it kicking off outside with the length of time it would take to get in and with the OTT stewarding. Guy Plumb adds; 'There is also Fenny Stratford which is located a mile south of the stadium along Watling Street. Fenny has seven pubs within a five minute walk of each other plus a fish and chip shop'. Alternatively, it may be an idea instead to drink on the way or in Milton Keynes itself. There are a number of bars located adjacent to the main shopping centre, or in walking distance of Milton Keynes Central station. If coming out of the station you go straight up Midsummer Boulevard in front of you, then after around five minutes walk you will find a Wetherspoons outlet located on the left. Further up Midsummer Boulevard on the right is another Wetherspoons outlet called the 'Secklow Hundred', plus a 'Bar Med' and 'All Bar One'. These latter three pubs are about a ten minute walk away. |
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| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
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The stadium is situated at Denbigh North, just off the A5, south of Central Milton Keynes and just north of Bletchley. It is adjacent to a Retail Park with ASDA and IKEA, so expect some traffic congestion. For those familiar with MK’s grid road system the ground is on V6 Grafton Street on the junction with H9 Groveway Official Club Route (this is signposted from Junction 14 of the M1):Leave the M1 at Junction 14 and head towards Milton Keynes. Go straight over the first roundabout and at the next (where there is a Total Garage on the corner) turn left onto the V11 Tongwell Street. Proceed across one roundabout and at the next turn right onto the H8 Standing Way (A421). Continue alone the Standing Way going across a number of roundabouts. On reaching the Bleak Hall Roundabout turn left into the V6 Grafton Street. At the next roundabout, turn right and the stadium entrance is further down on the left. Potential alternative/quicker routes
From the North:
From the South Alternative Parking
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| By Train | |
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The nearest station is Bletchley which is around about
two miles away from the stadium. There is a taxi rank outside otherwise you can embark on the 20-25minute walk to the
stadium. The station is served by trains from London Euston & Birmingham New
Street. Turn left immediately you come out of the station building and continue to and down the steps. At the bottom of the steps turn left go under the railway bridge. At the roundabout by the Park pub turn left onto Saxon Street. Keep straight on this road and you will eventually reach the stadium. However you will need to cross over to the other side, as there is only one path beside it. You will pass Bletchley Bus Station on your right and then the Enigma Pub. Go straight across the double mini roundabout following signs for the A5 and you will see the stadium over on your left. From Bletchley Station the MK Metro Routes 15 & 16 operate to ASDA adjacent to the Stadium every 30 mins. The bus stop at Bletchley station is situated on the main road that runs past the station - Sherwood Drive - come out of the station go straight ahead across the forecourt to the main road and the bus stop is just to the left More likely though you will end up at Milton Keynes Central which is around four miles away. There is a taxi rank outside the station, or there is a bus station located just across the plaza out front, where there are a number of services that pass near to the stadium. You can also of course get a train to Bletchley!
From Central Milton Keynes Station buses to
Stadium MK are very few and far between. However Bus Route Number 5 -
every 15 mins on Saturdays -- goes near the
Stadium stopping either near the Beacon Pub (see Where
To Drink) or on Saxon Street by Tesco's which is about a 5 minute
walk to the Stadium.
Bus 14A runs direct from Central Milton
Keynes Station to ASDA adjacent to the Stadium but is only every hour.
Bus 32 also operates hourly from the Central
Milton Keynes Station every hour to the Stadium (Saxon Street/Dawson Road)
but in one direction only (i.e you cant get the
32 back to the Station)
Allow around 30 - 35 mins for all the above
bus journeys.
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| Admission Prices | |
| Home Fans: West & East Stands (Centre): Adults £22, Concessions £18, Juniors £14 West & East Stands (Wings): Adults £19, Concessions £15, Juniors £11 Cowshed South Stand: Adults £17, Concessions £13, Juniors £9 Stadium Corners: Adults £15, Concessions £11, Juniors £7 West Stand Family Wing*: Adults £17, Concessions £13, Juniors £7 Family Corner*: Adults £15, Concessions £11, Juniors £5
Away Fans: Under 7's will be admitted free to all areas of the stadium (apart from the corporate executive areas) as long as they are accompanied by an adult and proof of age can be shown. * A minimum of one adult and one junior ticket must be purchased. Maximum of two adults/concessions tickets can be purchased per junior. |
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| Programme | |
| Official Programme £2.50 | |
| Local Rivals | |
| Wycombe Wanderers & Luton Town. | |
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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 MK Dons fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website) | |
| Record & Average Attendance | |
| Record Attendance: 20,222 England U21 v Bulgaria U21 16 November 2007 For an MK Dons game: 17,250 v Morecambe League Two, May 3rd 2008 Average Attendance: At stadium:mk: 2007-2008: 9,456 (League Two) At the National Hockey Stadium: 2006-2007: 6,034 (League Two) 2005-2006: 5,776 (League One) |
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| Fans Reviews | |
| Glyn Berrington (TNS) 7/9/07 | |
| 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 Milton Keynes 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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