Blundell Park (Cleethorpes)

Blundell Park is a football ground in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England and home to Grimsby Town Football Club.

General information

Arena capacity: 9,052 spectators

Address: Cleethorpes DN35 7PZ, UK

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 53°34′12.19″N 0°2′46.80″W

Year of construction: 1899

Field: grass lawn with dimensions of 101.5 x 68.5 m

Seating plan of Blundell Park

Pontoon Stand

The stand is situated behind the goal to the right of the tunnel. The Pontoon mainly houses the more vocal supporters of the club, and often houses a drummer.

Young’s Stand

Young’s Stand is the largest inside the stadium with the upper tier offering a scenic view of the Humber Estuary, Spurn Point and the North Sea, from this point you can clearly view the shipping going down the estuary. The lower tier’s front rows are uncovered and between the two tiers are a row of corporate boxes. Housed within the stand is the boardroom, ticket office, club shop, bars and the “McMenemy’s” function suite and restaurant, which is named after former manager Lawrie McMenemy.

Main Stand

Opposite the Young’s stand, on the north side of the ground, is the Main Stand. This stand houses the changing rooms and disabled supporters’ areas. The players’ tunnel runs from the centre of this stand onto the pitch between the two dugouts.

Osmond Stand

To the left of the Main Stand, is the Osmond Stand. The Osmond stand is also a two-tier stand, but unlike the Young’s Stand, the Osmond only has steps separating the two parts. The stand also houses the away supporters, with home fans occasionally sitting in the half closest to the Main Stand when the club are playing a club with a low number of travelling fans. The stand holds around 2,000 seats, 1,000 or so of those seats have a restricted view due to the roof supports and height of the roof.

The corner between the Main Stand and the Osmond Stand is the only enclosed corner in the whole ground, the corner is shut off and this section is the only standing part of the stadium however with it being shut off from the fans the ground is still classed as an all seated stadium.

Where to buy tickets?

Tickets are cheaper if you buy them in advance, unless you want to sit in the upper tier of the Young’s Stand where prices are the same regardless. Apart from that, it is only your age that will affect the cost.

You can get tickets over the phone, online or in person from the ticket office.

How to get there?

Grimsby is on the coast so it’s at the end of all the roads and railway lines. It’s not that tricky to get to though.

Train

The nearest railway station to Blundell Park is New Clee, which is located just under a mile from Blundell Park. This small station is one of those that you have to request the train driver or conductor for it to stop there. New Clee is a little over a ten minute walk from the ground down Harrington Street. Train times are useless after the match, but for a 3pm kick off there is a 14:33 from Grimsby Town, which gets to New Clee in perfect time at 14:38. For long distance journeys, the fare to New Clee is normally the same as Grimsby Town, just remember to ask for New Clee when buying your ticket.

Cleethorpes Railway Station is just over a mile from the ground and takes around 15-20 minutes to walk. Exit the station and turn right; then turn left onto Station Road. At the end of Station Road, turn right onto the High Street. Follow this road down to the roundabout, where you turn right onto the Grimsby road (A180). Continue straight for approximately half a mile and you will see the floodlights of the ground on your right. Turn right into Neville Street and then left onto Harrington Street; entrance to the Osmond Stand for away fans is on the left.

Alternatively, you can walk to Blundell Park along the sea front. Cleethorpes train station, is located near the sea front, so on leaving the station, turn so that you are facing the sea, and the proceed left along the front. Just keep straight on until you see the ground on your left. Right before the ground, there is a foot bridge that goes over the railway. Proceed over the footbridge, turn right and you will find further down on the left in-between some houses the away fans entrance. The walk should take about 15-20 minutes and is a bit more interesting for supporters, with a number of arcades, chip shops and pubs located along the way.

Grimsby Town Railway Station is located around two and a half miles away from Blundell Park and is really too far to walk.

Car

First thing to remember is that the ground is not actually in Grimsby, but the neighbouring town of Cleethorpes. The ground is on the A180, which runs between Grimsby & Cleethorpes. Cleethorpes is well signposted from Grimsby town centre.

At the end of the M180 continue along the A180 towards Grimsby. After around 14 miles you will near Grimsby town centre. Continue along the A180 following signs for Cleethorpes. On reaching a McDonalds sign on your left and the Blundell Park Hotel on your right, turn left into Imperial Avenue for the Club entrance.

Bus

Stagecoach operate services that run along Grimsby Road, with stops found near the ground. Supporters should look out for number 9, 13 and 46 routes on matchdays.

Taxi

From Cleethorpes Station to Blundell Park a taxi will take around five minutes and cost about the same number of pounds. The driver will probably be a thoroughly nice chap too.

Parking

There is no car park at the ground, therefore only street parking. As you drive along the A180 towards the ground, the home end appears first, then after the McDonalds is the away end. There are plenty of side roads off the A180 Grimsby Road mostly before and immediately after Blundell Park and you should find a parking spot okay. The side roads before reaching Blundell Park on the left hand side are the best bet, as after the game, you can rather than first driving back up to the main road, follow a back road that runs alongside the railway. When you do this, you will eventually reach a T-junction where you turn left to take you up to the main Grimsby Road where you turn right to take you back towards the motorway. There is also the option of renting a private driveway near in the local area via YourParkingSpace.co.uk.

Where to eat and sleep?

A haven for mariners, businessmen and football fans alike, here are a few good options for a place to stay in sunny Grimsby.

1. Holiday Inn Express Grimsby. The Holiday Inn is about two miles from Blundell Park and has a restaurant, a bar, self-parking and an English breakfast included in the price. There’s also free Wi-Fi in the reception area.
2. Ulceby Lodge. Ulceby Lodge is further afield at around twelve miles from the stadium, but you’ll enjoy a quiet hotel with just five rooms. There’s a garden and terrace area, which will be ideal if the weather’s nice, plus free Wi-Fi and free parking.
3. Clee Hotel. It might not be huge but the Clee Hotel has free parking, Wi-Fi, a small bar and breakfast available too, what’s more, it’s only a short walk from the stadium and also very close to the beach.

The people of Grimsby and Cleethorpes are a welcoming lot as long as you don’t try and show off, so why not join them for a pre match pint in one of these little gems.

1. The Coach House. The Coach House is a cracking pub with a great menu and a brilliant atmosphere. It’s heavily tilted towards the sport, too, so you know you’ll be able to watch some decent live stuff if you fancy it.
2. Rutland Arms Old Mill Brewery. It’s an odd building and a little hidden, but it’s well worth visiting for the real ales and traditional vibe. Don’t let the surrounding area put you off, it’s a gem.
3. The Coliseum Picture Theatre. It’s a Wetherspoons, but it has to be one of their best ever. Situated in an old cinema and making full use of all of the space, this massive pub has everything you would expect from a Wethers and more, including funky design features and a roof garden.

Facilities

As an older stadium Blundell Park is showing its age a little, but you can still get something nice to eat or drink on the day – or both if you enjoy hot Bovril. There’s also a McDonalds right outside the stadium.

There are several different hospitality packages available at Blundell Park, though they all take place in the McMenemy’s Suite and come with executive seating. The Executive Package has a three-course meal, complimentary wine and half-time refreshments; whilst The VIP Package nets you the same thing but with a behind the scenes tour of the ground.

The McMenemy’s Suite is also the Function Suite at Blundell Park, meaning it’s where you’ll go if you want to hire a room at the home of the mighty Grimsby Town. From weddings breakfasts to exhibitions, Christenings to conferences, the options are endless – as long as you aren’t bringing more than 250 people with you.

History

Blundell Park is the third stadium that Grimsby have used, built as it was to replace Clee Park in 1899. It wasn’t exactly a complete re-build, however, with several parts of the old stadium simply moved to the new location. It wasn’t until 1939 that the final stand from Clee Park was knocked down and replaced.

Floodlights were installed at the ground in 1953, letting the club play nighttime fixtures for the first time. In 1980, The Main Stand was demolished and replaced as was The Barrett’s Stand, which had stood since 1925. The ground became an all-seater venue in 1995 following The Taylor Report into the Hillsborough Disaster. Interestingly, Blundell Park is actually in Cleethorpes rather than Grimsby, but the line between the two towns is practically indistinguishable these days.