Sixfields Stadium/PTS Academy Stadium (Northampton)

Sixfields Stadium is a 7,798-capacity all-seater sports stadium in the Sixfields area on the west side of Northampton, England. It has been the home ground of Northampton Town Football Club following their move from the County Ground in October 1994. Aside from being a sports venue, Sixfields also houses conference facilities.

General information

Arena capacity: 7,798 spectators

Address: Edgar Mobbs Way, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, NN5 5QA

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 52.2350° N, 0.9335° W

Year of construction: 1994

Construction cost: £6 million

Field: grass lawn with dimensions of 116 x 72 yards

Seating plan of Sixfields Stadium

Dave Bowen Stand

The Dave Bowen Stand consists of a single tier of claret coloured seats.

The stand’s very simple design provides perfectly clear views from any seat as there are no supporting pillars coming down from the roof.

Windshields are not in place at either end though and the space in the northeast and northwest corners is taken up by toilets and food stalls.

East Stand

The East Stand consists of a single tier of claret seats with the letters NTFC spelt out in white across the blocks. Most of the stand is taken up by the executive boxes and balcony that has been constructed above the seating area.

The roof hangs over the whole East Stand and does not have any supporting pillars coming down from it, ensuring a clear view from any seat inside.

Much like the adjacent Dave Bowen Stand though, there are no windshields in place at either end and so fans are not protected from the sides.

South Stand

The interior of the South Stand is very similar to the Dave Bowen Stand opposite.

It is a single tier of claret seats with no supporting pillars coming down from the roof and no windshields at either end.

The space in the southeast corner holds a large electronic screen that shows a live clock and scoreboard during the match, whilst the southwest corner is taken up by the stadium’s control box.

West Stand

The West Stand is divided into two tiers, though you can freely get from one tier to the other.

Every seat inside this stand is coloured claret and the central blocks in the upper tier are the stand’s designated executive seating area.

The cantilever roof means that there are no supporting pillars coming down from the top of Sixfields’ largest stand and it is the only one of the four to have windshields, which cover almost every row in both tiers.

The inner concourse of the West Stand makes use of the large glass windows which you can see into from outside. Northampton Town have a ‘games zone’ set up at the northern end of this concourse, offering further pre-match activities for young supporters to take part in before the match begins.

With this ‘games zone’ and the matchday activities on offer outside the Dave Bowen Stand, it is near enough impossible for children to be bored waiting for the game to kick-off.

Away Fans

Away fans are housed behind the goal in the South Stand.

Small crowds tend to congregate into the central blocks right behind the south goal, whilst larger crowds take up more seats in this stand.

Away supporters are given a good quality view of the action from here, and are already well segregated from the home fans in the rest of Sixfields Stadium.

The only downside to being in the South Stand is that it is difficult to see the scoreboard in the southeast corner, and so you cannot be sure exactly how much of the game has been played.

Where to buy tickets?

It’s all nice and simple at Sixfields, with one price for every seat in the stadium. The only thing that will affect the cost is your age and whether or not you book in advance. If you do, it will save you £2.00.

Tickets are available via the club’s official website, over the phone, from the ticket office at the ground and from the club shop.

How to get there?

From The South: Leave the M1 at Junction 15A and take the A43 towards Northampton and you will come to the ground on your right.

From The North: Leave the M1 at Junction 16 and take the A45 towards Northampton and you will come to the ground on your right.

Sixfields stadium is well signposted around the area. There is a fair sized car park located at the ground, which costs £4. Make sure though that you arrive early as it has been known for it to get full for the more popular games. Parking in the nearby cinema and restaurant car parks is not allowed, and parking there will probably result in your car being given a £60 ticket! So make sure that you only use the official football parking provided at the ground.

Near to the stadium, off the roundabout by TGI Fridays is a hard standing area, known as Duston Mill. On matchdays it is used as a car park, which is manned and costs £4 per car. There is also the option of renting a private driveway near in the local area via YourParkingSpace.co.uk.

If Northampton Saints rugby club are also at home at the same time as Northampton Town, then the parking can get critical as the Saints play just down the road, so allow extra time on those occasions.

Post code for SAT NAV: NN5 5QA

Northampton Railway Station is over two miles from the PTS Academy Stadium, so it is probably best to hire a taxi. To find the taxi tank then when you go through the ticket barriers keep to the left and go down the steps in front of Starbucks (there is also a lift if needed) to the ground floor go out of the doors. The taxi rank is across the road.

However, if you feel like braving the 25-30 minute walk then use the following directions. After proceeding through the ticket barriers keep to the right passing W H Smiths. Go down the steps and at the bottom turn right onto the road. Keep going past the BP garage and at the lights, with the Thomas a Beckett pub on the opposite corner, turn left into St James Mill Road. Continue down to the traffic lights with Travis Perkins on the left and turn right into Harvey Reeves Road which becomes Edgar Mobbs Way. Continue on here until you come to the Sixfields Stadium. It brings you out at the away turnstiles.

You can also get the Number 15 bus from outside the railway station. To get to the Number 15 bus stop, you come out of the main entrance onto the road (after going through the ticket barriers keep straight ahead at W.H Smiths and proceed down the steps) once out of this entrance walk straight ahead and the bus stop is 100 yards away. Make sure you go to the one across on the opposite side of the road but don’t cross the road until you get to the bus stop or preferably use the crossing at the traffic lights a few yards away from the bus stop. Don’t cross at the lights immediately outside the station.

The Number 15 bus runs every 20 minutes and you should get off at the stop near ‘Bella Italia’. It is a very short walk to the Sixfields Stadium the away end being at the other side. Buses D1, D2 and D3 also stop here and run every hour respectively. The number 50 bus will take you to a stop opposite the away end but only runs every hour. The bus journey time is around 10-15 minutes. See the Stagecoach website for timetables.

Where to eat and sleep?

Need somewhere to lay your head before the match? Try one of these.

1. ibis Northampton Centre. The ibis is just over a mile from the ground and has a restaurant, a bar, a snack bar and self-parking. There’s also breakfast available.
2. Northampton Marriott Hotel. The Marriott is two and a half miles from the stadium and offers free parking, free Wi-Fi in the reception area, a health club with an indoor pool and a restaurant. There’s also a business centre and a bar.
3. Hilton Northampton. The Hilton is three and a half miles from Sixfields. The hotel has a restaurant, a bar, a health club with an indoor pool, a garden, a conference space, free parking and free Wi-Fi in the reception.

It’s slim pickings close to the ground, but Northampton itself has some cracking little pubs. Take your pick from the below.

1. G.I. Friday’s. The stadium itself is basically on a leisure park, so there aren’t exactly loads of places to head to near to the ground. TGI Friday’s isn’t a bad place, with good food and a pretty standard drinks selection within walking distance of the stadium.
2. Tenpin Northampton. Nothing says sports like an actual sporting venue. The Tenpin Bowling Alley in Northampton serve standard drinks, snack food and has a number of TVs around for live sport.
3. The Malt Shovel Tavern. This pub is located in Northampton’s famous medieval part of town. It serves plenty of real ales, tasty daily food specials and also offers blues nights every now and then.

Facilities

Sixfields was built in the mid-90s so it is around 30 years old now and is showing its age. You will probably get wet if it’s raining even though the stands are covered, but you can get something to eat and drink.

The 1897 Suite offers a decent dining experience as well as the opportunity to watch the man of the match presentation. There will also be a match day host to keep you entertained and seats from which to enjoy the game in the West stand.

The 1897 Suite is also available for event hire, with corporate days commonly held there.

Accessibility

Facilities for Supporters Using Wheelchairs

The club has a number of positions for wheelchair user supporters together with a seat for a personal carer if required. These are situated in front of each of the stands at Sixfields.

Season Tickets are sold in the designated areas on the same basis.

Wheelchair using applicants should ideally be accompanied by a person who is capable of supporting their needs in the event of an emergency and for this reason Northampton Town Football Club strongly recommend that this person is sixteen years of age or above and of good physical and mental health.

Facilities for Supporters with Visual Impairments

Audio commentary is usually available for supporters who are visually impaired, a headset can be booked by email – live commentary can also be heard via BBC Radio Northampton.

The club strongly recommends that a person who is fully able to support their needs in the event of an emergency should accompany each visually impaired person attending a match.

Guide Dogs are allowed into the stadium but it’s recommended that supporters with Guide Dogs contact the club before the match to discuss with them access to the ground, facilities inside the ground and the welfare of the Guide Dog before, during and after the match.

Facilities for Supporters with Ambulatory Disabilities

Northampton Town Football Club recognize that there are considerable numbers of people in the community who use wheelchairs mainly for outdoors mobility purposes but do not always use a wheelchair. There are also many people with severe walking difficulties, who may wish to watch a match.

For the purposes of this policy both categories of people will be termed ‘ambulant disabled supporters’ and those supporters with ambulant disabilities of a severe nature will have access to seating nearest the entrances/exists.

Eligibility to these areas will be dependent on providing proof of disability (as described above) or will be decided on individual cases based on information provided to the Ticket Office or the Club’s Disability Liaison Officer; this information will assist in determining each individual’s suitability for use of the facilities.

Facilities for Supporters with Medical Conditions

Any supporter suffering from a condition which prevents them climbing large numbers of steps should be able to request a seat in the most accessible part of the stadium (i.e. nearest the entrances/exists). Please advise the ticket office of this request at the time of booking.

Facilities for Supporters with Learning Differences

Supporters with learning differences can normally be accommodated in any part of the stadium in normal seating. However, if, for whatever reason, any person with a learning difference feels that ordinary stand seating would be unsuitable for them, they will be entitled to sit in the disabled areas and may qualify for a free helper ticket.

Family Seating

Northampton Town Football Club recognizes that disabled people have families who may wish to attend matches as a family unit in much the same way as non-disabled people would. The Club will try and accommodate such requests although this may not always be possible due to a limited number of suitable seats.

Please contact the ticket office for assistance in obtaining tickets as close as possible to the designated areas.

Car Parking Facilities

Northampton Town Football Club has a limited number of disabled persons parking places for home and away fans that are allocated to Blue Badge holders on a first come first served basis, which need to be booked in advance via email. There is also a drop off point close to the club store.

History

Sixfields is actually a sports venue, rather than just a football ground. Next to the stadium is an athletics area that regularly holds athletic meets. It was originally scheduled to open for the start of the 1994-1995 season but numerous delays meant that it wasn’t opened until October of that year, meaning The Cobblers had to play their opening games at their old stadium, the County Ground.

There have been numerous attempts to expand the stadium, including a 2003 proposal to double the capacity to around 15,000. It didn’t work out because of complications over the application. The East Stand started undergoing redevelopment in 2014, but financial problems stopped them from continuing until new owners bought the club in 2016.