Down By The River Where The Green Grass Grows... (Riverside Stadium (Middlesborough FC))

Member Name: NinjaBaz

Product:	Riverside Stadium (Middlesborough FC)
Date:	11/03/09 (302 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good atmosphere and views, Good value grub, Excellent football, Friendly

Disadvantages: Disappointing crowd numbers, Can be chilly

The Riverside Stadium is the home of Middlesbrough Football Club from the North East of England. Middlesbrough are currently playing in the English Premier League (2008-09) although they face an uphill struggle against relegation in their remaining 11 games this season.

**History**

The Riverside Stadium was built in 1994 which replaced their old stadium, Ayresome Park, for the 1995-96 Season. This was ideal timing. Whilst the stadium was being built, Middlesbrough managed to secure promotion from Division 1 as League Champions, and would start life at the new ground in the Premier League.

The stadium was built by the docks on the outskirts of Middlesbrough and the name was decided by a fan's vote. Initially, it also took on the name of the club sponsor, as 'The Cellnet Riverside Stadium' before becoming 'The BT Cellnet Riverside Stadium'. Due to numerous sponsor changes since then, it has become what was originally voted for, 'The Riverside Stadium'.

**Specification**

Due to the Taylor Report, which decreed all top flight Stadia must be all-seater, it was initially built to a specification of 30,100 capacity, which was later increased to 35,100 when 5,000 extra seats were built into an empty corner of the ground. The stadium cost just over £20m and was designed and built by the Taylor-Woodrow company, who've also been the main contractors on new grounds at Derby County and Oxford United, and on the new stand at The Brit Oval.

The stadium is built in a standard 4 sided configuration, rather than the bowl type design at The Emirates or The Allianz Arena in Germany. Internally, the 4 different stands are simply named North, East, South and West!

The South Stand is known as the away end and is situated behind a goal. This stand is also where all security and CCTV operations are located. The opposite end is of course The North Stand. This is where the vociferous 'hard-core' Boro fans can be found! This end is nicknamed 'The New Holgate', taking its name from Ayresome Park's 'Holgate End'. A large flag is hoisted at one end of this stand before every game which eventually makes its way across to the other side. The West Stand is where the player's tunnel, changing rooms and corporate facilities are located. TV cameras and commentators can also be found here, perched high up on a gantry. The East stand really has nothing of note apart from lots of seats!
The Stadium has recently added a fairly basic electronic scoreboard high up behind each goal, and also introduced the new electronic advertising boards at pitch-side in front of the East Stand.

**Facilities**

The Riverside Stadium has numerous corporate boxes for hire, although most are block booked for the season by local companies. These boxes are nothing more than a small room with sliding glass doors, containing a large dining table and a small LCD/Plasma screen on the wall. These boxes all back onto one of the grounds largest restaurants, of which it has a few. General members of the public can use these restaurants as they do a cracking Sunday lunch on non-matchdays. Season ticket holders also receive a discount on production of their card and you can also go on one of the complimentary stadium tours. There are also various conference rooms and lounges within each stand, most named after a Boro legend such as The Wilf Mannion Suite or George Hardwick Suite, or having a connection to the surrounding area such as The Ayresome Lounge.

On match days, you will find numerous snack bars built into the concourse selling the usual fare. Burgers, chips, crisps, sweets, pop, beer and hot drinks are all available at reasonable prices, with the option of purchasing a meal deal in order to receive a slight saving on the total price. A new and welcome addition for me is the inclusion of stand-alone Westlers hot-dog stalls! I love 'em smothered with ketchup and mustard, and only £2.50 too!

You will also find the usual plethora of on-site bookmakers, programme and jackpot ticket sellers and several toilet blocks. The concourse is quite narrow and can sometimes become quite busy, especially at half-time or within 15 minutes of kick-off. Don't forget to visit the club shop before or after the game, they currently have a huge end of season sale on!

**Match Experience**

I've been to several Football matches here and the ground is compact enough that I've never had a bad view, but big enough to provide a good atmosphere. The best atmosphere I've experienced was the one and only England International match to be staged at The Riverside. This was during the summer months of 2003, against Slovakia in a qualifying match for the 2004 European Championships (In Portugal which I was lucky enough to spend 2 weeks at!!). It really was electric and made even better as 2 Michael Owen goals sealed a 2-1 win for England. This match still holds the attendance record of 35,000 for The Riverside.

Middlesbrough matches on the other hand are slightly different in atmosphere. Attendances have been steadily falling over the last few years as it gets more expensive, hence the club rarely gets anywhere near capacity crowds with the average being around 26,000-28,000. This has a negative impact on atmosphere with lots of unsightly empty seats, and a real lack of vocal support for the team. However, a recent 2-0 victory against Liverpool had a bumper crowd of 33,700 and it was an absolutely terrific atmosphere from first to last whistle.

It can get a little chilly though as the coastal wind whips across the ground, so would recommend you take a coat and a woolly hat! Another tip, don't get it mixed up with 'The Riverside' or 'The Riverside Ground'! That is the home of Durham County Cricket Club based in Chester-le-Street, Durham.

**Overall**

If you are local to the ground (I live around 14 miles away) and you've never been to a Football match before, I thoroughly recommend having a trip out. It is within easy reach of the A66 and A19 via road with plenty of low cost (usually free!) parking, and also has good access to train and bus services. Those coming from further afield can also fly into Durham Tees Valley Airport which is located 10 miles away.

Take the family and make a day of it as there are a wide variety of good restaurants and shops in Middlesbrough, finishing the day off in a comfortable, welcoming venue and be entertained watching some of the greatest players in the world.

Summary: Check it out and support your local team!