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St James' Park (Newcastle United FC)
by bettyboop2002 The home of Newcastle United Football Club, this stadium has now changed it's name to the Sports Direct Arena (hopefully not for long, it will always be known as St. James' Park to the fans). Capacity The stadium has a capacity of just over 52000 and has been expanded a couple of times since Newcastle started playing here ... in 1892. Generally, there are seats available for 3000 away fans, although more are made available for cup games. The Pitch Since the start of this season (2012/13) a regulation pitch size has been introduced. Now all pitches are to measure 150, x 68m. How to get here It is pretty easy to find the ground, especially on a match day as you can just follow the thousands of black and white shirts heading there (this might mean following them for a couple of refreshment stops on the way too). The ground is in the centre of Newcastle and is therefore within walking distance of the railway station and metro stations. There is a multi storey car park at the stadium but this is nearly impossible to get a space in on a match day, plus with the crowds you could be stuck for a long time trying to get out. There are plenty of other car parks round the city which would be a better option on a matchday. If you are just going for a stadium tour or to see the ground on any other day the car park at the stadium should be ideal. The Stands There are four stands which are all seated, The Newcastle Brown Ale Stand is the official name for what will always be known as the Gallowgate end. The Sir John Hall stand is the official name for what is known as the Leazes end. The Milburn stand is the only one which is referred to by it's actual name. This was named after the footballer Jackie Milburn In this stand, you will find the media boxes, directors' boxes and a family enclosure. The East Stand (hopefully this will be changed to the Sir Bobby Robson Stand). Facilities There are plenty of both male and female toilets dotted around the stadium, although at half time the queues can be quite long. The toilets are very basic but had plenty of soap and toilet roll and actually a little better than I expected at a football ground (you should've seen the York City ones a few years back!). There is a club shop outside the ground which is also a Sports Direct. You can pick up NUFC merchandise at good prices here, I find it better value than a lot of other club shops. There is also 'Shearer's Bar' where you can have a drink before the match, if you haven't managed to get a ticket for the game they have the games on televisions in here so you can go to watch the match in here. There are plenty of places to get a drink or something to eat inside the stadium. To be honest this is fine for before the game but gets so busy at half time that I feel it's not worth the hassle. Ticket Prices One thing I cannot stand about the Newcastle United tickets sales system is the fact that a lot of tickets for home games are not available to purchase directly from Newcastle United until 2 weeks before the match day. This can cause all sorts of unnecessary travel costs, for example by booking a flight, train fare, bus fare or accommodation for fans who do not live in Newcastle can be much more cost effective than trying to get travel a couple of weeks before a game. In my experience, for most games other than derby games or games against the biggest teams, getting a ticket has never been an issue, but many fans may not want to go ahead and pay for travel and accommodation without the guarantee of a ticket. One way to get around this is to buy the ticket from another ticket vendor which may cost a bit more than booking directly with the site but it would only be a few pounds in the difference and worth it to proceed with arrangements. Another feature which has been introduced is a membership. If you pay £25 a year membership you will be able to purchase home tickets earlier than they go on general sale, you will also receive a discount on the ticket price and not have to pay a booking fee. Only members can buy tickets for away games through the club directly. They also offer food and drinks discounts and a discount on tours and in the club store so if you are a regular at the stadium it is probably worth your while getting the membership. Season tickets vary in price, depending on where in the ground you are sat, but are on average around £550. The price of a ticket for a single game also depends on where you want to sit, availability and who the opposition are. For example to buy a ticket for Newcastle vs Norwich, these are currently starting at £15, to watch Newcastle vs Sunderland though will start at £53.99 due to it being in demand as it is a local derby. Tickets for matches against Manchester United and Manchester City are around £40 at the moment. The club did recently offer kids entry for £5 for a recent Europa League fixture, which I thought was fantastic, watching the game on television there seemed to be lots of families in the crowd and these days it can prove so costly to take the whole family to a game that promotions like this should be offered more often! Extras If you happen to be in Newcastle when there is no match on you are still able to take a stadium tour. This costs £10 for adults, £5 for children and £7 for concessions. The tour involves a guide who gives you information and takes you around the stadium to see the changing rooms, dugouts, conference facilities, the view from the highest point in the stadium and the press areas. I was on the tour before a couple of years ago and thought it was well worth the money, it's a must for any fans who can't make it on a match day! You can also book private facilities here, there are function rooms available for conferences, parties and even weddings - I actually checked out the prices and they are surprisingly competitively priced for weddings (I still couldn't twist my sisters arm enough though as her fiancée is a Middlesboro fan!). Outside the ground is a memorial garden in memory of the late Sir Bobby Robson (that's my profile picture). Overall I love visiting St James' Park and try to do so as often as I can. My only issue was the last time I went I left the booking of the tickets to somebody else and from where I was sat I felt like I was in the roof, I could only figure out which players were which by the colour of their boots. To be honest this didn't bother me too much, as the whole atmosphere around the ground is an experience in itself and I did get a good view of the one goal that was scored as it was scored in the goal I was sat behind (or above). I would recommend people who do not go regularly and don't know what to expect to be careful when booking tickets to ensure you can see everything, also for those who may have any walking difficulties these seats wouldn't be very good as we had to walk up a lot of steps to our seats. On the plus side, The layout of the ground works and nobody should have a problem with seeing the game no matter how big the person's head is in front of you! There are lifts and escalators at various points around the ground and disabled access is good, especially in the Milburn Stand. I love St James Park, I have been to many football grounds around Europe and think the atmosphere here is one which is hard to be beaten, the away fans always seem to have a great day out and are made welcome in the city. Security is good and it's always been a great day of fun. Read the complete review |
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Lord's Cricket Ground (London)
by Pete77 I've been to Lord's on three occasions over the last four years. The first was to watch a Twenty twenty game between Scotland and Middlesex. It was a mid week game and the crowd was fairly sparse. The second was the final match between Hampshire and Sussex in the FP trophy. It was absolutely packed. On the third occasion I was lucky ... enough to get hospitality in one of the boxes above the main stands to watch England against Sri Lanka. I found the ground easy to find provided you travel by train and then use the underground. So for travel considerations I would rate this ground good. I travelled by car to a station in North London and then used the train to get in to the ground which was also fairly pain free. Each match was a completely different atmosphere but all were enjoyable. For the Scotland game I was sat in one of the main stands adjacent to the members stand. I met with some Scot's on a business holiday who made the day very welcoming and enjoyable. I recall that lunches were shared amongst the fans of both sides and food was traded in a light hearted friendly way - a pork pie for a packet of crisps etc. At one point when Scotland were fielding towards the end of the match one of the Scottish spectators kindly offered one of the boundary Scottish players a pint which went down well when he accepted. For the second game I attended I was in the stand below the television box (i.e. directly across from the member's area). It was crammed with a mix of Hampshire and Sussex supporters, the later chanting 'We are Sussex by the Sea' continually. The game was good to watch and I enjoyed the banter between supporters. On this day I took time to walk around the ground which has many posters telling tales of old games which were interesting. There were plenty of bars and food stalls and I have to say the standard of the food was good if not a little pricey. Despite a busy day I also noted that there were not long queues for food which was refreshing. On my third visit watching the game in one of the boxes I found the view more attractive as I was able to look down on the play a little better than from the lower seating areas. The food was excellent and I liked the traditional tiered cake stands that were served at tea. It felt like a very quintessential English thing to do. There were no cucumber sandwiches but it was certainly enjoyable. The only downside to the boxes was that although there was enough room for a good 20 visitors it felt a little less sociable when compared to the stands as the boxes were restricted to the one party only. It would have been interesting if we were offered the opportunity to mingle with other boxes. I have been lucky to have completed all three trips with good weather and watched some good matches. Overall I would recommend that whether you like cricket or not that you consider a trip to Lords. I would suggest that you consider taking a packed lunch and some warm weather clothes as it can get a bit cold at times when the sun isn't shining. I would rate Lords with five stars. Read the complete review |
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The Bodyworks Gym (Bracknell, Berkshire)
by ladybracknell Anyone living in the Bracknell area will know that the town boasts several private gyms and workout centres as well as having a pretty good council owned and run Sports & Leisure Centre. The Sports Centre comes complete with 3 swimming pools, running track, various squash and badminton courts and spa amongst the many facilities it ... offers. Situated on Bagshot Road in Bracknell, it's also home to the Bodyworks Gym which is the subject of this review. Over the years, I've managed to maintain a reasonable weight but as the decades went on, so did the pounds. This weight gain wasn't helped by working in a very sedentary occupation where the world came to my desk and I just sat there and let it, or by the dreaded menopause. I won't divulge my current weight (too painful for me) but let's say I can now pinch more than an inch and something had to be done unless I wanted to end up as wide as I'm tall! Diet alone wasn't seeming to help much and neither was a weekly aerobics session, so I bit the bullet and headed for the Sports Centre to join the Bodyworks Gym. Joining the Gym: The Sports Centre membership process is simple and straightforward and I'm fortunate that now I'm retired I can take advantage of the off-peak Platinum membership which is slightly cheaper and gives me access not only to Bodyworks but also to the swimming pools, spa and most of the Bodybeats classes with the exception of yoga and pilates for which there's a small additional fee. Membership fees can be paid in several ways but as I'm committing to at least a year, I paid the annual fee of £319. (Peak membership is, of course, somewhat higher.) As I intend to go to the gym at least twice if not three times a week, plus possibly taking up swimming again, this breaks down to a very reasonable rate of £26.50 a month. If paying by monthly direct debit, this fee rises to £31.50 plus a further £31.50 finance fee. It's also possible to pay per session which requires basic Sports Centre membership (£57.65 p.a. for Bracknell residents) then a session fee of £7.50 currently. My Platinum Off-peak membership also includes a fitness assessment every six months by one of the qualified trainers at the Bodyworks Gym, plus a personalised training schedule and an Induction to allow new members to familiarise themselves with the equipment. A big plus point compared to many other gyms is that there is no contract and cancellation of membership requires one month's notice. If, like me, you've paid for the entire year, a proportion of the fee will be refunded. The fee structure is reviewed each year and details of all the current fees and means of payment are available on the Bracknell Forest website (details below.) Opening Times: Off Peak: 09:00-17:00 Monday to Friday Peak: Weekdays: 06:30-09:00 and 17:00-22:30 (21:30 on Friday) Weekends: 08:00-20:00 The Gym and Equipment: Bodyworks is on two levels and is a light and airily spacious place and, as it's air conditioned, it was surprisingly free of unpleasant odours. There are a good number of televisions dotted around over the machines, all of which have sub-titles activated, which helps to take customers' minds off the torture they're putting their bodies through. It's amazing how far I can walk when watching Homes Under the Hammer! There's also piped rock music playing, though most of the members, including me now, use their own MP3 players. The gym has a large range of equipment, mainly cardiovascular and resistance machines, as well as two free weight areas and some specialised equipment for disabled members. All the machines are top of the range with computerised readouts showing stats such as distance, calories burned, heart rate etc. There are at least 12 walking/running machines and the same number of exercise bikes. The bikes also have TV screens fitted as standard, though these are at a strange angle which is probably fine for six footers who can cycle with the seat at a reasonable heigh but impossible to see if you're my height. I have to have to seat at its lowest setting! There are also about 6 each of rowing machines, elliptical trainers and stepper machines. This amount of machinery has so far meant that I've never had to wait for a machine to become free. The Assessment: This could more accurately be described as an exercise in humiliation, at least for me. The assessment calculates levels of fitness which involves lying on the floor with electrodes stuck onto various parts of the anatomy, followed by a 5 minute stint on the exercise bike. My results were not good. The only thing which came out well was my blood pressure. I knew already that this was normal as I'd been assured quite recently by my doctor that I had the blood pressure of a young woman. Sadly, I have neither to face nor the figure to go with my youthful blood pressure. After my assessment, the trainer asked me how often I planned to visit the gym and what machines I enjoyed. Truth to tell, I don't enjoy any of them but said as long as it didn't involve anything where I had to lie over a gym ball, I'd go along with whatever plan he worked out for me. My fitness plan was ready by the time I clocked in for my induction session a couple of days later where the trainer took me through my plan whilst demonstrating the machinery at the same time and explaining the gym etiquette, ie wiping up your sweat before moving away from a machine. Lovely! I'm starting off gently with 30 minute sessions and my plan was to be reviewed in three months' time. (If I hadn't expired by then!) My overall experience: I can't pretend I enjoy exercising. It's a horrible sweaty business and mind-numbingly boring most of the time, though I've discovered that audio books are a great way to while away the hours (OK, minutes) of torture. They tell me exercise is addictive but it's not my drug of choice. The trainers are a friendly lot and there are plenty of them on hand to help out with machines or anything else. The clientele are a bit of a mixed bunch, certainly during off-peak, with the usual quota of gym bunnies, both male and female, all wearing the latest workout gear, but there are also lots of ordinary people, too, so I don't feel out of place huffing and puffing in my jogger bottoms and ratty T shirt and it has to be said, I look rather slender compared with some of the other clientele. The gym is very well laid out with a natural progression from machine to machine and the many TVs dotted around means that they can be seen from all the machinery. There are plenty of mirrors for those who're vain enough to want to watch themselves exercise and lots of posters on the walls, some featuring words of encouragement such as 'It doesn't matter how slow you go, you're still lapping the guy on the sofa.' The staff are plentiful with an equal number of male and female trainers, all of whom are pleasant and friendly. They're on hand to help if you need it but otherwise leave you alone, which suits me fine. I've been going to Bodyworks for a couple of months now and though not enjoying it (and never likely to) I already feel that my stamina has improved and I'm certainly more energetic. Some of those extra inches are beginning to disappear as well and my fat seems to be redistributing itself into more acceptable places. I think it's probably too late to regain the figure I had in my thirties and forties but hopefully I'll be entering my twilight years in reasonably good shape. Anyone living or working in the Bracknell Forest area would certainly get a good deal from this gym, even if paying the higher peak membership rate. The gym has all the latest machinery to help you maintain the body beautiful, it's well run with plenty of friendly and helpful trainers available to give tips and advice. As for me. I'll be sticking it out for the foreseeable future. So, if you're ever driving through Bracknell and happen to spot a middle-aged woman staggering along Bagshot Road with a face like a boiled beetroot, toot your horn, it'll be yours truly returning home after a session at Bodyworks Bodyworks Gym Bracknell Sports & Leisure Centre Bagshot Road Bracknell, RG12 9SE Tel: 01344 454203 Website: www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/bracknellleisurecentre Read the complete review |
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2 reviews Sporting Venue / London's only exclusively gay male gym. |
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The Academy . 1 Oakdale Place . Harrogate . North Yorkshire . HG1 2LA Telephone: +44 (0) 1423 524052 . Facsimile: +44 (0) 1423 524054 |
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