Globe Arena/The Mazuma Stadium (Morecambe)

The Mazuma Stadium (also known as the Globe Arena for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Morecambe, Lancashire, England, which is the home of Morecambe F.C.

General information

Official website: globearena.co.uk

Arena capacity: 6,476 spectators

Address: Christie Way, Westgate, Morecambe LA4 4TB, UK

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 54.0615°N 2.8672°W

Year of construction: 2009

Construction cost: £12 million

Field: grass lawn with dimensions of 105 x 68 m

Seating plan of Globe Arena

Wright and Lord Stand

The stand is named after chairman Peter McGuigan, to celebrate his 10 years in charge of the club. The stand can also be known as the Main Stand and runs along the side of the pitch. Within the stand, there are facilities on three floors; the ground floor includes advanced changing, first aid, home, away and officials’ dressing rooms, gym and office facilities for players and management, as well as a bar, club shop, and reception area on the public side.

On the first floor there is a 387m sq hospitality suite for matchday use; it can be sub-divided into three separate areas for smaller functions and private parties, and will be available throughout the year for non-matchday functions including conferencing use for up to 360 people. On the second floor are five private boxes, which each accommodate 10 people, a sponsors’ lounge for 24 people, and the directors’ lounge. All have private catering facilities and their own bird’s eye view of the pitch.

Bartercard Stand

The Bartercard Stand is also known as the West Stand. It accommodates 2,234 standing home spectators and is located to the left end goal mouth. The stand has a bar and catering outlets to the rear.

Dennison Trailers Stand

The Dennison Trailers Stand can also be known as the East Stand, and is located to the right end goalmouth. The Stand accommodates 1,389 standing visiting spectators and has a bar and catering outlets.

‘Berlin Wall’ Terrace

The Terrace is an uncovered standing area that, like the Peter McGuigan stand, runs along the side of the pitch. It accommodates 606 home spectators and has catering facilities available. At the end of the stand is the Community Block. It was not open to supporters for the League Cup match against Coventry City because not everything was completed, but it was opened at the next game against Rotherham United. The terrace also houses the ground’s scoreboard.

Where to buy tickets?

Morecambe charge differently according to your age and where in the stadium you want to go. The low price is for the standing terraced section and the high price is for seats. Just be aware that these are for advanced sales; if you try and buy tickets on the day it will cost you £2 more per ticket.

Buy tickets online, over the phone or at the ground itself.

How to get there?

At long last the Lancaster Bypass is now open, so getting stuck in traffic going through Lancaster City Centre is a thing of the past.

Car

Exit the M6 at junction 34 and follow the signs for Morecambe. After around five miles you will reach a crossroads (with a McDonalds over on the right) where you turn right onto the Morecambe Road. You will then reach a roundabout, (where there is a Toby Carvery) where you take the first exit into Westgate Road (signposted West Promenade, Sandylands). Continue along this road for about one mile and you will reach the stadium on your right.

Parking

Parking at the stadium is for permit holders only so it is a case of finding street parking. If you continue along Westgate passing the stadium on your right, then on the other side of the railway bridge there is plenty of street parking to be had in the side roads on either side.

Train

Morecambe Railway Station is around a 25-30 minute walk away from the Globe Arena. As you come out of the railway station turn left down Central Drive past Frankie and Benny’s, a Morrisons superstore and a KFC outlet and you will reach the sea front. Turn left along the promenade passing the Ranch House pub on your left and then take the 5th left into Regent Road. Proceed straight up Regent Road and continue along into Westgate. You will reach the stadium on your left hand side, just over the railway bridge. Morecambe is served by trains from Lancaster.

Walking Instructions:

1. Follow the bicycle/walking signs and exit the station at the end of the railway line.
2. Continue until you reach the larger West End Road.
3. Cross the road and take the first left down Acre Moss Lane and follow this for its duration until it becomes Buckingham Road.
4. Take the second or third exit left onto Westgate.
5. Follow this road over the bridge and the Mazuma Stadium will appear on your left hand side.

Bus

From near Morecambe train station you can get a bus number 6 or 6A, from the bus stop located opposite Frankie & Benny’s or from the nearby Bus Station. This drops you right outside the stadium and takes about ten minutes. Coming back there is a bus stop outside the ground, the bus then goes into town along the seafront and then onto the railway station. A timetable for 6/6A can be viewed on the Stagecoach website.

It is also possible to catch a bus from Lancaster to the stadium. Lancaster Bus Station is around a seven minute walk away from Lancaster Railway Station.

You can either get the 6A (half-hourly service) straight to the ground or a number 2X to the Battery on Morecambe promenade. Ask the driver to be dropped off at the end of Regent Road on the Promenade and then this is a ten minute walk away from the Globe Arena. Bus number 1 going to Heysham will also take you to Regent Road and is more frequent but is much slower. To get back to Lancaster after the game, either get a 6A (not 6) or retrace your steps to the promenade and catch bus number 2X or 1. (Cross over the prom to get the 1)  To return to Morecambe Station you can get a 6 or 6A in the opposite direction (i.e. crossing the road) but trains from Morecambe to Lancaster are never more than hourly at match times and most terminate at Lancaster so you have to change there to get any further.

Taxi

A taxi from the centre of Morecambe to the ground will cost £7 and take a little over five minutes.

Where to eat and sleep?

Being on the coast, Morecambe is well prepared for visitors. Here are some hotels to consider.

1. The Trevelyan Guest House. Just over half a mile from the stadium is this guesthouse with ten rooms. It also has a meeting room, free Wi-Fi and excellent reviews on TripAdvisor. Plus the beach is a short walk away.
2. Westleigh Hotel. A mile away from the ground is another guesthouse with good reviews. The Westleigh Hotel has fourteen rooms rather than ten, a library and free Wi-Fi in the reception area.
3. Holiday Inn Lancaster. If you’re not a fan of privately run hotels then this member of the Holiday Inn chain might be more your cup of tea. It’s further afield at nearly four miles away from Globe Arena, but your travel will be rewarded with a health club, full-service spa including indoor pool, a garden, free Wi-Fi and free parking.

So it’s pubs you want is it? Well then, here are a couple for you to try.

1. Station Promenade. Station Promenade is, weirdly, near to both the station and the promenade. It’s a Fayre & Square pub so if you’ve been to any other members of that chain you know what you’re in for: cheap but tasty food, good drinks and service with a smile. It’s family friendly too, if you’re wondering.
2. The Eric Bartholomew. Also near to the train station but in the opposite direction is another chain pub, this time a JD Wetherspoon. We’ll try to avoid the cliches involved in talking about Wetherspoons, but sufficed to say you’ll get the same sort of things as you get everywhere else.
3. Hurley Flyer Pub. The Hurley Flyer is right next door to the ground so it offers exactly what you’d expect from a pub near to a football ground. There’s a good, cheap menu, a decent drinks selection and TVs for live sport.

Facilities

The Globe Arena was voted Best Small Stadium at the 2017 Stadium Experience Hospitality Awards, which tells you a lot.

Match day hospitality packages at Globe Arena can include a hot and cold buffet, a 2-course meal or a 3 course meal as well as half-time refreshments and a cash bar. The executive boxes can hold up to 10 people and are available on a match-by-match basis, or the Local Choice Suite is another option if you want to mix with others.

Globe Arena is a state-of-the-art facility with the ability to house any number of events, and claim expertise with weddings, charity functions and conferences.

Accessibility

All areas of the stadium are wheelchair accessible, complete with full disabled friendly facilities. Disabled supporters are charged at a concession price for their match ticket. The Club also offers a carer ticket free of charge when accompanying a disabled supporter who requires additional assistance.

Morecambe Football Club also recognizes that not every disability is visible. It is advised to let them know before your visit so that the staff can be more proactive in addressing any additional or specific requirements you may have.

History

Having shared Wood Hill Lane with Morecambe’s cricket club for the first year of the football team’s existence, Morecambe Football Club moved to Roseberry Park in 1921. The club president, JB Christie, purchased the ground outright a few years later and it was renamed Christie Park in his honour. In the end, though, it started to show its age and when the club was promoted to the Football League in 2007 an announcement was made that they would play their home games elsewhere from the start of the 2009-2010 season.

Globe Arena, named after the construction company that built it, suffered numerous delays that set its official opened back by more than a year. In the end, it opened in August of 2010 in time for the 2010-2011 season.