Grimsby Town

I am a powerchair user and my husband is a white cane user. This was at least our third visit as away fans to Blundell Park over the past decade or so, travelling in our Club’s official away travel coach, albeit it seems I have not previously written a review and this one has got delayed by other things, so my recall is not as detailed as I usually manage.

Arrival and Entry to the Ground
Having been twice to evening games at Blundell Park in the dark, arrival and entry to the ground is probably the worst bit. The stadium is in Cleethorpes not Grimsby, easy to get to at the end of a dual carriageway that goes from the motorway but its location feels very cramped. It is an area that appears as if the passage of time has not been kind to it. It is adjacent to an area of long straight, narrow housing streets, not designed for modern day match traffic and coaches. The pavement from where the bus dropped off was interesting as it was two paving flags wide with a third, nearest the road at a 45-degree angle to the road. In our book, very odd and not good for wheelchairs & white canes, particularly as it seems this is the road where all the Blue Badge parking is for the ground. At first, I thought the road was closed but then discovered that it wasn’t! You need to be vigilant! Entry seemed to be halfway down the long side of the stadium, adjacent to the parking. In the dark I got totally disorientated and I can’t really say whether we entered where all the away fans entered or not. I think certainly at some point we went a different way to the non-disabled fans but we were close to them. We went along a pathway inside the ground but outside the stand if that makes sense, turned right where away fans were standing about (which I think was the back of the away end) then had a big gate (wall sized) opened for us to pass through which I think actually took us into the home half of that stand but then as we approached the pitch we turned right, back into the front of the away end.

Seating Area
Away wheelchair fans are located pitch side in front of the away fans. I think we counted spaces for 11 wheelchair users with adjacent carer/companion seats. See photo. Space in front of us was good and so was the view of the pitch. As non-wheelchair users entered and left a different way we did not get overwhelmed at any time. Prior to the game there was some passing traffic of Club officials, youth teams etc but this stopped when the match started and did not trouble us. We were kindly offered blankets by the stewards and when we declined, they told us if we needed them at any time to ask for them. Away fans were able to come and chat to us both before the game and at half time. The away end was comparatively small and not high. Overall, we were very impressed by this area.

Audio Match Commentary
We understand that this is only available for home fans as the headsets plug in at specific seats.

Accessible Toilet
Accessible toilet next to the Ladies in the away end on the right as you enter and on the left if you are approaching from the wheelchair seating area, just beyond the “big gate”! Clean and well lit. Sorry can’t clearly remember about whether there was hot water etc but I know I didn’t complain about it, so all good!

Catering
A small serving area on your right as you entered. Coffee was £2.50 which showed on our bank statement as “The Tall Fish Guy”! We did ask if they did chips but we were told no as frying would result in “the whole place going up”.

Club Officials
All the stewards we met were friendly and helpful, a credit to the Club. Each one that passed us shared a friendly word with us and checked that we were ok. Even the young woman who’s task all night was to open and close the “big gate” as we went to the loo etc, did so with good humour, although she admitted she was freezing and looking forward to getting home for a warm.

Leaving the Stadium
I noticed as we were leaving round the back of the stand we headed the opposite way to the rest of our fans. Retracing our steps back to the coach, given the challenges we had getting into the ground, were repeated so we were very grateful for assistance from fellow fans. Using the ramp into the coach from the road with passing traffic, let’s say was an interesting experience.

Overall
Impressed by everything and everyone in the ground, the challenge for us was getting in and out of the ground but we would still happily go again.

The disabled provisions at the ground are like the stadium itself years out of date. One disabled area in the whole of the ground is laughable, no seating next to wheelchairs, no low level food counters, not many ramps anywhere, club shop included and no access possible into the newest stand in the ground where bizarrely the player of the year awards are held. The only redeeming factor is the willingness of the stewards to help where possible and the fact that myself and my dad who goes with me are made to feel most welcome does help. Get it sorted town, better still let’s get the new ground up and running. Up the mariners.