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NAME: Walkers Stadium
ADDRESS: Filbert Way, Leicester, LE2 7FL.
CAPACITY: Approx. 32,500.
CELTIC ALLOCATION: Approx 12,500. North and East Stands.
05/06 TICKET PRICES: £20
DIRECTIONS
BY CAR: From the North East, take the M1 until junction 22 or A46/A607 into Leicester city centre. Follow signs to Rugby into Almond Road, then turn right into Aylestone Road. Swing a left into Walnut Street, then turn left into Filbert Street. From the North West & West, take the M69 or A50 into Leicester city centre. Follow signs to Rugby into Almond Road, then turn into Aylestone Road. Swing a left into Walnut Street, then left into Filbert Street. From the South, take the M1 of M69 until junction 21, then A46 (signposted Leicester). Go under the railway bridge and turn right into Upperton Road and right again into Filbert Street for Leicester City FC. From the East, take the A47 into Leicester city centre. Follow signs to Rugby into Almond Road, then turn into Aylestone Road. Swing a left into Walnut Street, then left into Filbert Street.
BY BUS: The 26, 37 and 38 all run close to the stadium and can be caught from the city centre. The number 52 runs from the Clock Tower along Walnut Street. Filbert Street is just off Walnut Street. The number 170 runs along Walnut Street from Charles Street.
BY TRAIN: The train station is about a mile from the stadium. To get there, cross the ring road and turn left. Follow the road up the hill to the footbridge but don't cross it. Head for the junctions of Walford Road and Aylestone road and turn left, then right into Walnut Street. DON'T cut through Nelson Mandela park at night!
PARKING: The usual match day nightmare. The neighbouring streets all have parking restrictions on match day and the near-by Freeman's Common retail (Morrisons) and Odeon cinema complex is patrolled on match days so you risk being clamped. There is a pay and display car park adjacent the near-by Welford Road rugby ground (five minutes stroll away). Otherwise the option is mostly on street parking in those areas just outside the match day 'no parking' zone – about 10 minutes walk from ground.
WHAT TO EXPECT
A shiny new stadium. Filbert Street was replaced by the Walkers Stadium in 2002. A pretty souless identikit stadium, the type of which have now sprung up all over England.
Plenty of Martin O'Neill references. This was where he left to come to Celtic.
Neil Lennon to get a friendly welcome for a change.
Crisps. Probably.
Sponsorship deals all over the place. On top of the Walkers Stadium, you'll find the bmibaby Family Stand (north), the Alliance & Leicester stand (east). In fact, only the West stand doesn't have another name.
SAD TRIVIA
We have a winner bhoys and ghirls… the Leicester City web site actually lists these approximate figures for the stadium… Block and bricks 20,000, Steel 6,000 ton, Concrete 2,500 ton, Tiles 2000m2, Glass 4000m2, Block paving 12000m2, Sand 3500 ton, Kerb stones 2100, Toilets 30 toilet blocks, PA speakers 80, Food kiosks 22, Car parking spaces 480, Turnstyles 59.
The stadium was opened in the summer of 2002 by local boy and Walkers advert star, Gary Lineker. It would have been spring 2002, but they had to widen the doors to get his ears in (not really).
The Fosse stand, the south stand, whatever you want to call it, is known by the fans as the Kop end. I thought that was at Anfield, but there you go… Incidently, the Fosse stand is named as such because Leicester City were once known as Leicester Fosse.
TIM FRIENDLY PUBS
"The St Pats club in Leicester like last time we played there. If anyone wants to give it a try in is opposite the main bus station in Leicester. You can always walk round the corner and you are back in city centre."
– Thringstonebhoy
"The main Celtic pub in Leicester is the Town Arms on Pocklingtons Walk. Good atmosphere and walking distance from ground (20 mins max – 10 sober). Smallish pub though but if full, plenty of alternatives nearby."
– Thringstonebhoy
"Alternatives for anyone coming by train, turn right coming out of Leicester station and you will find pubs at the top of Granby Street that last time were full of Celtic fans. Bouncers on door ensured Celtic fans only and they let kids in too. Good sing song and again about 15-20 mins walk from ground."
– Thringstonebhoy
Leicester city centre has the usual bland mix of chain bars. For the more trendy and studenty among you try the Braunstone Gate or Queens Poad/Clarendon Park areas which are like a (very) poor man's Byres Road. Both are only 15/20 minutes walk from the ground.
PUBS TO AVOID
None specific spring to mind but most of the city centre bars tend to house your would be casuals.