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Ground Name: Whaddon Road |
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| Contents | |
| What's The Ground
Like? In2Print & Carlsberg Stands (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? Stagecoach Main Stand (photo) Where To Drink? How To Get There And Where To Park Cheltenham & Gloucester & In2Print Stands (photo) Admission Prices Programme Price Local Rivals Ground Layout Disabled Facilities Fixtures 2007-2008 Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Hotel Accommodation Feedback |
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
| At one end of the ground is the newest addition to the stadium. The Carlsberg Stand which was built by Barr Construction, was opened in December 2005 and has a capacity of 1,100 fans. This stand is given to away supporters and is particularly steep in its design. It has a perspex windshield to one side and perspex panels incorporated into its roof, to allow more light to reach the pitch. The stand is unusual in the respect that it has a couple of more rows of seats on one side of it. There is also a small electric scoreboard on its roof. On one side of the ground is another relatively new stand. The In2Print Stand was opened in November 2001 and was built by Barr Construction. This stand sits proudly at one side of the pitch and houses 2,034 supporters. It is a covered, all seated, single tiered stand, part of which is sometimes given to away supporters. The ground is now enclosed in one corner where the two new stands meet, although it is not used for spectators. On the other side of the pitch is the Stagecoach Main Stand, which has seating to the rear and terracing at the front. Straddling the half way line, it does not extend the full length of the pitch, having open spaces to either side. At one end is the small, covered, Cheltenham & Gloucester Terrace, which is the home end of the ground. | |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
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Away
supporters are housed in on end of the ground, in the new Carlsberg Stand.
As would be expected from a new stand, the view of the playing area and the
facilities are good, plus the bonus is that it also has good leg room. Just over 1,100 supporters can be accommodated in this
area. If demand requires it, then up to 1,500 seats can be allocated in the In2Print Stand
at one side of the pitch. The food on offer within the ground is not bad; you can choose from burgers
(including for those with a bigger appetite a half pounder with cheese
£3), hot dogs, pies (including the Pukka Chicken Balti Pie £2) and bacon baps (£2). I found Cheltenham itself to be quite pleasant and the supporters friendly. The picturesque Cotswold Hills around Cheltenham can easily be seen from inside the ground. The atmosphere is also pretty good and there is a drummer in the home end. I did find the p.a. to be a bit deafening though. Neil Le Milliere, a visiting Exeter City fan, informs me 'I have found some of the stewarding to be over the top, and some supporters were ejected from the ground for little reason'. Peter Llewellyn adds 'Don't go on race day like I did - it's worse than getting away from Old Trafford!' |
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| Where To Drink? | |
| There is a club bar at the ground called
the Robins Nest which allows in small numbers of away fans for a small
admittance fee. The closest
pubs that I found to the ground were the Fox & Hounds
& The Greyhound, but they
both have more
of a home feel about them. Away fans are probably better heading to the 'Sudeley Arms'
or 'The Conservatory' on Prestbury Road on the outskirts of town.
There is even a decent fish & chip shop situated in-between the two. To find these pubs, turn right out of the club car park, and then
turn left at the end of the road. Go straight
over the roundabout, and The Sudeley Arms is on your left and the
Conservatory is further up on
your right. It is no more than a ten minute walk from the ground. Otherwise there is the Parklands Social Club, where you can also park your car (£4). Simply go down Whaddon Road, passing the ground and the bowling club on your left. Take the first left hand turn and the entrance to the social club car park is a short distance down on the left. |
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| How To Get There And Where To Park | |
| From The North Leave the M5 at junction 10 and take the A4019 towards Cheltenham. Keep straight on through the traffic lights, until you come to large roundabout (there is a McDonalds on the left), at which you turn turn left. Continue up this road going over a double mini roundabout. Keep going for about 300 yards and then turn right into Swindon Lane. Go over the level crossing and straight over the next roundabout (signposted Prestbury) passing the race course on your left. Turn right into Albert Road (signposted Gloucestershire University) and at the bottom at the roundabout turn left into Prestbury Road, (the ground is signposted from here) and then further down Prestbury Road, turn right into Whaddon Road. The ground is down on the left. From The South There is no usable car park at the ground and nearby street parking is limited. The Parklands Social Club does allow some parking at £4 per car (See Where To Drink). Otherwise there is a free 'Park & Ride' service to the ground operating from Cheltenham Racecourse, which is well signposted around the town. Journey time on the 'Park & Ride' service is obviously dependant on traffic, but is around ten minutes on average. For a
map showing the location of the ground
click here
(to take you to the Street Map website). |
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| By Train | |
| Cheltenham Station is over two miles from the ground, so best to jump in a taxi. If you are going to embark on the 35-40 minute walk then thank Dave Lucas for the following directions; 'Turn right out of station car park and follow Queens Road for around half a mile. At end of Queens Road and turn left into Lansdown Road. At the next (Montpellier) roundabout, turn left into Montpellier Walk (which later becomes the Promenade). At the end of the Promenade, turn right into the High Street. Go along High Street for around 100 yards and then turn left into Winchcombe Street (by a branch of the Cheltenham &Gloucester Building Society). Continue straight along Winchcombe Street and into Prestbury Road. Straight across the next roundabout and then first right into Whaddon Road. The entrance to the away end is down on the left'. | |
| Admission Prices | |
| Seating: In2Print Stand: Adults £18, Concessions £12, Under 16's £7. Stagecoach West Stand: Adults £17, Concessions £11, Under 16's £7. Family Area: Adults £13, Concessions £9, Under 16's £5. Terrace: Adults £13, Concessions £9, Under 16's £5. Concessions apply to over 65's and students (who have first registered at the Club, to obtain a Student Membership Card). |
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| Programme Price | |
| Official Programme £2.50. | |
| Local Rivals | |
| Swindon Town, Yeovil Town and from non-league days; Gloucester City. | |
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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 2007-2008 | |
| For the Cheltenham fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website) | |
| Record & Average Attendance | |
| Record Attendance At Whaddon Road: 8,326 v Reading, FA Cup 1st Round, November 17th 1956. At The Athletic Ground: 10,389 v Blackpool, FA Cup 3rd Round, January 13th, 1934. Average Attendance: 2006-2007: 4,359 (League One) 2005-2006: 3,453 (League Two) 2004-2005: 3,648 (League Two) |
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| Fans Reviews Of Whaddon Road | |
| Mark Newbury (Bournemouth) 12/01/08 | |
| 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 Cheltenham 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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