Victoria Road (Dagenham)

Victoria Road, also known as the Chigwell Construction Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is the home ground of Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. of Dagenham, Greater London, England. It has a capacity of 6,078.

General information

Arena capacity: 6,078 spectators

Address: Victoria Road, Dagenham, Greater London, England, RM10 7XL

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 51.54751, 0.1603

Year of construction: 1917

Field: grass lawn with dimensions of 112 x 72 yards

Seating plan of Victoria Road

Carling Stand

The Carling Stand consists of a single tier of red seating, although the outer column of each block is blue in colour instead. This seating area is elevated above ground and accessible via small staircases down at the front, though there are also some lower down rows of seats for disabled supporters to use. These lower down rows again have the outer seat in each block coloured blue rather than red. There is a set of executive boxes up at the back, with the stadium’s dugouts and substitute benches right down at the front by the pitch.

Your view from anywhere inside the Carling Stand is perfectly clear as there are no supporting pillars coming down from the roof above.

The end of the Carling Stand next to the southeast corner has a windshield in place that provides good protection to the elevated seating area. The other end of the stand is open because it is based right next to the Barking College Family Stand.

Barking College Family Stand

The Barking College Family Stand is slightly smaller in height than the Carling Stand.

It is a single tier of entirely red seating that is elevated above ground and accessible via small staircases down at the front. The space in front of this seating area does have a couple of seats in place however and is available for disabled supporters to use.

There are four supporting pillars coming down along the front of the stand and one coming down at the side. These will likely cause some form of restriction to your view regardless of where you are based inside.

A windshield at the end next to the southwest corner provides good protection to the elevated seating area. The other end of the stand is open because it is based right next to the Carling Stand.

SD Samuels Stand

The SD Samuels Stand consists of a single tier of red seating with the letters DAGGERS spelt out in white across the central blocks. This seating area is elevated above ground and accessible via small staircases down at the front. There are also flat platforms for disabled supporters to use at either end of the stand. These are accessed via ramps at either end of the stand’s exterior.

Despite the ground’s dugouts being housed on the southern side of Victoria Road, the tunnel is housed left of centre in the SD Samuels Stand, with the changing rooms located inside. The tunnel has awning that is pulled outwards a long way when the tunnel is in use, and this can restrict accessibility between one side of the stand and the other. You will likely have to wait until the awning is retracted again before being able to walk along the path in front of the seating area.

Your view from anywhere inside the SD Samuels Stand is perfectly clear as there are no supporting pillars coming down from the roof above.

Large windshields are in place at either end that provide good protection to the elevated seating area.

North Stand

The North Stand has been affectionately called by some Dagenham and Redbridge fans as ‘The Sieve’ because it was once famed for its roof that leaked.

The stand nowadays consists of a single tier of covered standing terrace, though the roof does not cover the very front of the stand. Inside are two rows of red metal bars running along that fans can lean on. Atop the roof and slightly left of centre is a covered gantry that holds the matchday camera.

Supporting pillars come down at regular intervals along the front of the stand and these will likely restrict your view somewhat if you are stood behind them. Your clearest view will come if you are stood right at the front in the gaps between each pillar.

Windshields are in place at either end that provide good protection to the covered terracing inside.

Bury Road End

The Bury Road End includes the stadium’s northeast corner and consists of entirely uncovered standing terrace.

This terraced area is split into two sections by an access path that leads to the turnstiles and further out to Bury Road itself. The terracing ends down at the ground’s southeast corner where there are toilets, refreshment facilities and a Dagenham and Redbridge Club Shop. This corner also has a large electronic screen in place overhead.

Your view from inside most of the Bury Road End is clear, but the pole that holds the northeast floodlight can restrict the view for those stood behind or around it.

Protection from any wind or rain is minimal on this side of the stadium as well, with no roof overhead and just a back wall being available to offer protection for those housed inside.

Away Fans

Away fans are housed behind the goal in the SD Samuels Stand.

This is a single-tiered stand with an elevated seating area that offers perfectly clear views from any seat, windshields at either end, and ramps that lead up to the flat platforms that disabled supporters can use.

Some might say that the SD Samuels Stand is actually the best of the four at Victoria Road, so it seems a little odd that Dagenham and Redbridge would offer that to away supporters as opposed to home ones.

The turnstiles for the away section are not that well signed, and it can be tricky to find them if you are coming to Victoria Road for the first time. The trick is to head to the southern side of the ground where the Main Entrance can be found, and head west past both the Carling Stand and the Barking College Family Stand.

The Away Turnstiles can be found in the southwest corner, which then lead round to the SD Samuels Stand itself.

One other notable thing about this away stand is that it holds the tunnel and changing rooms, despite the dugouts being based in front of the southern side. The tunnel has awning that is pulled outwards when in use, and it will block the path at the front of the stand when like this. You will have to wait until the awning is retracted before you can make your way from one side of the stand to the other again.

Where to buy tickets?

If you want to watch the Daggers play live then your ticket price will vary depending on where in the stadium you want to go and how old you are.

Tickets can be purchased in advance online, over the phone or from the club shop. On the day, you can get tickets on the turnstiles with cash.

How to get there?

From The North:

Leave the M25 at Junction 27 and take the M11 towards London. At the end of the M11, continue onto the A406 towards Docklands (A13) and London City Airport. At the intersection with the A13, turn onto this road in the direction of the Dartford Crossing. At the junction with the A1306, leave the A13 and join the A1306 towards Dagenham. At the third set of traffic lights turn left just before the McDonalds into Ballards Road. At the end of this road, you will come to a large roundabout, (known as the Bull roundabout, after the public house of the same name) at which you turn left, into Rainham Road. Proceed up Rainham Road passing Dagenham East tube station on the left and Victoria Road is a quarter of a mile further on, on the same side of the road.

From The South:

Leave the M25 at Junction 31 and take the A13 towards Central London. After approximately 4.6 miles, exit the A13 onto the slip road, signposted Dagenham/Dagenham East. At the end of the slip road at the double roundabout turn right, then going under the A13. At the T-junction turn left onto the A1306. At the second set of lights turn right onto the B178 (Ballards Road). At the end of this road, you will come to a large roundabout, (known as the Bull roundabout, after the public house of the same name) at which you turn left, into Rainham Road. Proceed up Rainham Road passing Dagenham East tube station on the left and Victoria Road is a quarter of a mile further on, on the same side of the road.

There is no parking available at the ground itself. However, there is plenty of street parking, some of which is available on the main Rainham road.

If you decided to travel by train, take the District Line to Dagenham East (and not Dagenham Heathway). Turn left as you come out of the station and the ground is clearly sign posted and only five minutes walk away. Please note that the journey by tube from Central London can take around 45 minutes.

The tube journey out there can be a bit of a nightmare and it’s probably better to get a train from Fenchurch St to Barking Station and then a tube to Dagenham from there. Oyster & Travelcards are valid for this journey.

Where to eat and sleep?

It’s London, so you will be overwhelmed with choice here. Luckily, we’ve picked out a few of the best options.

1. ibis London Barking. This ibis hotel is about four miles from Victoria Road and has a lounge area, a snack bar, self-parking and free Wi-Fi. It’s also quite near to West Ham’s old stadium the Boleyn Ground, just in case you want to have a look at it.
2. Harefield Manor Hotel. About two and a half miles from the stadium is this 3-star hotel that promises a bar, a business centre, a free buffet breakfast free parking. There is also free Wi-Fi, of course.
3. Devonshire Hotel Hornchurch. This upscale guesthouse has just twelve rooms and is about two and a half miles from the ground. It has free parking and, you guessed it, free Wi-Fi!

There’s obviously loads of pubs in London, here are some good ones.

1. Daggers Clubhouse. This supporter’s bar is actually located inside the club and is welcoming of both sets of fans for the princely entrance fee of 50p. It’s very family friendly, too, if you’ve got little ones.
2. The Eastbrook. The Eastbrook offers something for everyone. It’s a family friendly place with a large beer garden, a restaurant and two bars that show sports. Perfect for a pre-match pint.
3. The Barking Dog. As the address suggests, this Wetherspoon pub is near to Barking station. As a member of that oh so ubiquitous chain you know what you’re getting, with cheap food and cheap drinks the order of the day.

Facilities

It’s a basic ground to say the least, but as basic grounds go, it’s basically alright. You can get fed and watered and have a wee and a wash.

As with most clubs, there are opportunities to sponsor the match or the match ball and enjoy hospitality this way. There are also executive boxes for hire with fully stocked mini bars and waitress service; but if you’d prefer standard match day hospitality then you’ll enjoy a three-course meal in the Dave Andrews Suite, half-time refreshments, and a seat in the Sponsors’ Box. To be fair, for a small club they do a good job with their hospitality offering.

There are two halls and an upstairs bar for hire at Victoria Road.

History

Between the arrival of Dagenham at the ground in 1955 and the subsequent arrival of Redbridge Forest in 1990, the stadium was well maintained but had seen very few cosmetic changes. It was only after 1990 that things started to improve as they paid for the installation of a new stand. Improvements continued over the following years, especially after Redbridge Forest and Dagenham merged forces.

As well as hosting Dagenham & Redbridge games, the stadium has also been used to host the England Women’s match against Sweden as well as UEFA Youth International games. The Premier League team West Ham United, who are also based in London, have used the stadium to host some of their youth games in the ground over the years, too.