A traditional old football & rugby stadium in Stockport (Edgeley Park (Stockport County FC))

Member Name: mrjoegoodwin

Product:	Edgeley Park (Stockport County FC)
Date:	05/06/09 (14 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Close to town centre and railway station, atmospheric when full

Disadvantages: Pitch is churned up quickly with dual tenancy, smallest stand offers little shelter

Edgeley Park is home to both Stockport County football club, and the Sale Sharks rugby union team, hosting matches from August through until May every year. Because of the dual tenancy (inceasingly common as teams look to share costs), the Edgeley Park playing surface often resembles something closer to a mudbath in the winter months, and the quality of football and rugby on offer inevitably suffers as a result.

For County games, attendances rarely fill the modest capacity, now that the team is currently sitting in the lower reaches of the football league, and few matches on sale are enticing enough to draw the crowds in. The Sale Sharks are a different breed however, and are one of the most successful rugby teams of the last few years, winning the Guinness Premiership title as recently as 2006, and securing several consecutive years of qualification for Europe's premier competition, the Heineken Cup.

On rugby home matches, the big games do sell out, and games like the recent match against Munster demonstrate the potential that the stadium does have. Fans are close to the pitch, and the noise can get quite intense when the house is full. The stands themselves are a mix, best illustrated by those behind the goal. The Printerland stand at one end is (relatively) huge, and dominates the rest of the stadium, but the opposite end is small, and offers little shelter from the very changeable Manchester weather! If you visit Edgeley Park in the winter, definitely take a warm coat! Alongside the pitch, views can sometimes be frustratingly restriced by the old fashioned roof supports, but generally offer a good, close view of the on field action.

One of the positives about the stadium is its town centre location, and it can creep up on you out of the rows of houses, making the match day experience somehow more authentic as you walk to the ground. The added bonus of course, is that the usual array of chip shops, pubs, takeaways and other outlets are available in the town centre, offering a wider variety of food and at more competitive prices than the stadium's own facilities.

Parking can be had in several side streets in and around the ground, either officially (typically at a cost of £5), or unofficially, if you don't mind a slightly longer walk. Traffic getting away from the ground can be congested after big fixtures, but is no worse than any other similar stadium. Alternatively, the train station is about 5 minutes walk away, and is serviced at regular intervals from the Manchester mainline stations, Macclesfield and the surrounding areas.

With a lick of paint here and there, Edgeley Park could be a cracking little ground, but appears somewhat dilapidated in the modern era for both football and rugby. Attracting the crowds to lower level fixtures can be challenging, but is probably necessary to bring in more money that could be invested in stadium improvements.

If you can, see a big rugby match at the start of the season, where the pitch is still in a decent shape, and the weather is warm enough to enjoy the game properly!

Summary: Could be improved if the teams had the money to reinvest!