Stoke City: The Britannia Stadium

Capacity: 28,838, all-seater stadium
Stadium Address: Stoke City FC, Stanley Matthews Way, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 4EG
Highest Attendance: 28,218 v Everton, FA Cup 3rd Round, January 5th 2002
Ticket Information: 01782 592 200
Official programme: £2.50

The Britannia Stadium sits in the ex-wasteland of the Trentham Lakes area of Stoke on Trent, and can be seen from miles around, with only the incredibly ugly incinerator and a massive Sainsbury’s warehouse near to it. It overlooks the surrounding A500 and A50 main roads and the Trent-Mersey canal. To be honest it is in a drab and characterless part of the city, and such disappointing and depressing surroundings are continued inside.

The stadium, built in 1997 replaced the old Victoria Ground, which was a much more intimidating and atmospheric place to watch football.

It consists of three almost identically sized stands that are extremely similar to grounds such as the Riverside or St.Mary’s, except that three corners are open letting in strong winds, although I understand that the ground is built in such a way that it can have the corners filled in. In fact the same architects who built the Riverside were responsible for the Brit.

The John Smith’s Stand is the stadium’s biggest and probably most impressive structure. It houses all the corporate hospitality suites such as the Tony Waddington Suite named after the former Potters and Alex manager. This stand faces the West of the city and looks quite impressive from a distance, especially at night. Away fans are situated in the Big AM Stand, on the South end of the ground, a 4,800 all seater stand which sits on its own. The concourses are described as bland, resembling a fast food restaurant.

The GC Boothen End, named after the famous home end at the Victoria Ground, and is probably the most popular stand with the supporters of Stoke. The remaining stand is The Sentinel Stand, named after the local newspaper, which used to have a reputation for harbouring hooligans, but the club have made steps to make sure it is a family-orientated place. The statues of legendary Stoke and Blackpool winger Sir Stanley Matthews is situated just behind the Boothen End, and is well worth a look.

Being local rivals (even though the Potters claim to completely ignore us!), I would advise travelling Alex fans to be cautious and not to wear club colours outside of the ground, especially with the reputation City have for hooliganism. The Harvester near to the ground is probably your best bet for a drink, but club colours are banned. From further afield, The Staffordshire Knott in Hanford, just off the A500 welcomes away supporters, and Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre should also be okay.

Parking?

Parking is available around the ground, and in the nearby Harvester and Holiday Inn along with various car parks in Stoke Town Centre, so there are generally a lot of available places to park.