A trip to Banbury to watch my home town team, Stourbridge.
The first thing I would say about Spencer Stadium is that it is not well signposted. Even though, for a night match the glow of the floodlights guides you, the small road to the side of the station is not immediately obvious as a route to the ground. Having
said that, once there you get a decent sized car-park and a friendly reception
at the turnstile. The ground itself has been around for many years. The club
moved to the stadium in 1934, adopting the name Banbury Spencer, Spencer being a
local company that manufactured corsets and surgical appliances. Two sides of the stadium offer cover. The terraces behind the town-end goals feature a red and yellow (Banbury colours) corrugated cover, whilst the car-park side of the stadium has a tidy, covered, seated area.Although I didn't purchase a programme on the night, they were available from the club shop and being sold during the game by a very jolly woman who was more than happy to exchange banter with the away support.
Snacks, hot and cold drinks are available from two kiosks around the ground. At £1 for a generous polystyrene mug, the tea is good value and offered some warmth on a chilly evening.
Overall, I like Spencer Stadium. It's a proper football ground that seems to be frequented, albeit quite sparsely, by true football loving supporters.I will certainly make a return visit next season.
Watch out for the over-enthusiastic steward who likes to have heated discussions about the merits of opposing teams (at least he did on the day I visited). Still, it's good to see and hear partisan support.
Banbury United Football Club
www.pitchero.com/clubs/banburyunitedfootballclub/
Twitter @BanburyUnitedFC
The first thing I would say about Spencer Stadium is that it is not well signposted. Even though, for a night match the glow of the floodlights guides you, the small road to the side of the station is not immediately obvious as a route to the ground. Having
said that, once there you get a decent sized car-park and a friendly reception
at the turnstile. The ground itself has been around for many years. The club
moved to the stadium in 1934, adopting the name Banbury Spencer, Spencer being a
local company that manufactured corsets and surgical appliances. Two sides of the stadium offer cover. The terraces behind the town-end goals feature a red and yellow (Banbury colours) corrugated cover, whilst the car-park side of the stadium has a tidy, covered, seated area.Although I didn't purchase a programme on the night, they were available from the club shop and being sold during the game by a very jolly woman who was more than happy to exchange banter with the away support.
Snacks, hot and cold drinks are available from two kiosks around the ground. At £1 for a generous polystyrene mug, the tea is good value and offered some warmth on a chilly evening.
Overall, I like Spencer Stadium. It's a proper football ground that seems to be frequented, albeit quite sparsely, by true football loving supporters.I will certainly make a return visit next season.
Watch out for the over-enthusiastic steward who likes to have heated discussions about the merits of opposing teams (at least he did on the day I visited). Still, it's good to see and hear partisan support.
Banbury United Football Club
www.pitchero.com/clubs/banburyunitedfootballclub/
Twitter @BanburyUnitedFC
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