The Grounds Guide: Everything You Need To Know About Blundell Park
Everything you need to know about Blundell Park, home of League Two side Grimsby Town.
Blundell Park is the home stadium of Grimsby Town, an English football club that currently operates in the fourth tier of English football.
Grimsby have called Blundell Park home for more than 100 years, having previously played at Clee Park, Lovett Street and Abbey Park in the 1800s.
In almost every way you can imagine, Blundell Park is the archetypal lower-league English football stadium. It has three small stands and one bigger stand on the sides.
It is located in the middle of several housing estates, and three of its four corners are completely open to the bite of the North Sea. The ground’s current capacity stands at 9,052.
One interesting fact about Blundell Park is that it is the lowest football stadium in the United Kingdom, sitting at just two metres (6.5 feet) above sea level.
The four stands at Blundell Park are the Pontoon Stand, the Findus Stand, the Main Stand and the Osmond Stand. Strangely, the Main Stand isn’t the big two-tiered stand on one of the sides, as that is the Findus Stand. The smaller single-tiered stand on the opposite side is the Main Stand.
As with all stadiums built in the late 1800s and 1900s, there have been several rounds of renovation works over the years, but the club have no plans to move away from Blundell Park any time soon, after plans in 2016 failed to get off the ground.
Blundell Park away end
The away end at Blundell Park is primarily located in the Osmond Stand at one end of the stadium. This stand has the capacity for 1,888 supporters, which includes a wedge in the corner, which is standing room only.
This wedge is the only corner of the stadium that is filled in, and away supporters are often housed exclusively there. For cup matches and for clubs that request larger allocations, Grimsby are open to allowing away fans to take up the entire stand.
The view from the main part of the stand is slightly better than the corner wedge, and it’s also much more comfortable. Having said that, if you are planning on standing anyway, then the covered wedge in the corner isn’t the worst place in the world to watch a football match.
Finding the best view in the Osmond Stand can be tricky. There are a few supporting pillars dotted around the stand, which can impede your view from just about anywhere, while the roofline can obstruct some of the pitch if you find yourself towards the back of the stand.
Away-day experience
The away-day experience at Grimsby is an interesting one. On one hand, you can enjoy a nice day at the seaside in the neighbouring town of Cleethorpes beforehand, while on the other, Blundell Park isn’t the best in terms of its away end for the reasons stated above.
One plus point, however, is the bar outside the Osmond Stand, which is reserved exclusively for away supporters. This opens at the same time as the turnstiles (90 minutes before kick-off), and can keep fans watered in the build-up to kick-off.
Getting to and from the stadium is relatively easy, with Cleethorpes railway station just a 20-minute walk away. This makes it easy to get in and out of the area without too much hassle.
Blundell Park seating plan
Food and drink at Blundell Park
Visitors to Blundell Park are often left pleasantly surprised by the food and drink on offer in the immediate vicinity around the ground.
Outside the Main Stand is a covered fan park that welcomes all supporters. Here, fans can buy a variety of lagers, craft beers, ciders, spirits, wine and soft drinks.
As mentioned, away fans are welcome here, but should behave appropriately, or stewards will not think twice about removing them.
Inside the ground, there are bars in each stand, which serve food and drink. The food on offer includes pukka pies, pasties, cheeseburgers, beef burgers, hot dogs and lighter snacks, such as chocolate bars and sweets.
The prices for the hot food hover around the £4 mark, which isn’t awful by any stretch of the imagination.
As the ground is located near Cleethorpes, a lot of fans choose to go elsewhere for a bite to eat. Fish and chip shops are extremely popular in the area, and Grimsby Town recommend a trip to the County Fish & Chip Shop on Grimsby Road.
How to get to Blundell Park
By car
Fans are urged to use public transport to get to Blundell Park where possible, as there is no dedicated car park at the ground.
If driving, you need to head down the M180 until it becomes the A180. Stay on the A180 for around 14 miles, passing through Grimsby towards Cleethorpes. Blundell Park is located directly off the A180 next to a McDonald’s Drive-Thru.
As mentioned, there is no parking at the ground itself, so you will have to find street parking nearby. The issue here is that many of the roads are permit-holder-only, and those that aren’t fill up quickly.
Those driving are advised to arrive as early as possible.
By train
The nearest train station to Blundell Park is Cleethorpes, which is around one mile away. The journey on foot from here takes around 20 minutes, but some supporters choose to get a taxi or hop on either the number 3 or number 10 bus, particularly if the weather is bad.
There are a number of major railway stations that are on a direct line with Cleethorpes, including Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport and Sheffield.
Disabled access at Blundell Park
Grimsby Town do an excellent job of making Blundell Park accessible to disabled fans.
Across Blundell Park, there are 22 wheelchair bays in the Main Stand for home supporters and 20 bays in the Osmond Stand for visiting supporters. Each wheelchair bay has room for a carer or a supporting family member.
Beyond wheelchair bays, Grimsby Town have four accessible toilets (two in the Main Stand, one in the Osmond Stand and one in the upper tier of the Findus Stand). Radio commentary is also available for visually impaired supporters, via headsets in the Main Stand.
For more information ahead of a visit to Blundell Park, supporters should contact Grimsby’s Disabled Liaison Officer, Jane Stephenson, via [email protected].
Ticket prices at Blundell Park
Ticket prices at Blundell Park are as follows:
- Adults: £25
- Over 65s: £18
- 18-22s: £18
- Under 18s: £8
- Disabled: £5
Record attendance
The record attendance for a match at Blundell Park was 31,651, for an FA Cup match back in 1937 between Grimsby Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Going back nearly 100 years, the ground was made up entirely of standing areas, which allowed for a greater capacity.