Football Ground Guide: King Power Stadium, Leicester City FC

Contents
What's The King Power Stadium Like? Future Stadium Developments Upton Steel West Stand External View (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? Air Asia And Spion Kop South Stands (photo) Where To Drink? Upton Steel West Stand (photo) How To Get By Car & Where To Park Marks Electrical Familiy Stand (photo) By Train Looking Towards The Spion Kop Stand (photo) Admission Prices Fixtures 2012-2013 Programme & Fanzine Local Rivals Ground Layout Disabled Facilities Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Hotel Accommodation King Power Stadium Location Map

What's The King Power Stadium Like?
In August 2002 the club moved into its new home, only a stone's throw away from their old Filbert Street ground. Then called the Walkers Stadium, it was renamed the King Power Stadium in 2011, under a sponsorship deal. The stadium is completely enclosed with all corners being filled with seating. The sides are of a good size, built in the same style and height. The Upton Steel West Stand though on one side of the pitch does contain a row of executive boxes. The team dug outs are also located at the front of this stand. Running around three sides of the stadium, just below the roof, is a transparent perspex strip, which allows more light and facilitates pitch growth. There are also two large video screens located in opposite corners of the stadium. Like most new stadiums, the King Power Stadium is functional but lacks character. I don't know whether I'm starting to suffer from 'new stadium fatigue' having visited so many in the last few years, but to me it seemed somewhat bland looking both inside and out. Unusually the public address system is also broadcast on the speakers around the outside of the stadium. The King Power Stadium does have one redeeming feature - atmosphere. The acoustics are very good and both sets of supporters can really make some noise, making for an enjoyable visit. Top Of Page
Future Stadium Developments
The stadium has been built in such a way, that if required, an additional tier could be built onto the East Stand. This would increase the capacity to just under 40,000. Top Of Page
Upton Steel West Stand External View
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What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters?
Away supporters are housed in the North East corner of the stadium, where just over 3,000 fans can be accommodated. The view of the playing action is good (although you are set well back from the pitch) as well as the facilities available. The concourse is comfortable and there is your normal range of hot dogs, burgers and pies available. There are television screens on the concourse showing the game going on within the stadium. My only slight grumble was that the gents toilets are poorly designed. They have a narrow 'zig zag corridor' of an entrance which hindered people coming in or out and didn't help the major traffic flow at half time! On the positive side though, the atmosphere within the stadium was good, with the home fans singing on both sides of the away section. The atmosphere is further boosted by a huge bare chested drummer, who is located at the back of the home section, immediately to the left of the away fans. The stewarding was also pretty relaxed. The teams come out to the Post Horn Gallop tune, reminiscent of fox hunting! (Leicester are nicknamed the Foxes). Paul Groombridge a visiting Gillingham fan adds; 'From the far upper seats of the away section, the view was pretty good, though from there, you'd probably complain of being too far away from the action (I thought it was okay). One good thing about being at the top of the away section - you can use the plastic transparent panels as pretty good drums when singing!' I have received a number of reports of away fans being treated somewhat heavily handed by the local constabulary around the stadium and of some even being 'frog marched' from the railway station to the ground. Although these measures may be deemed necessary, in order to prevent violent disorder, is doesn't do much for the overall away day experience at Leicester. Stuart Bible informs me; 'Just to confirm that the Police presence at Leicester Station is completely over the top. As a visiting QPR fan recently we were 'guided' to the Hind Pub & promptly asked to drink up at 2pm. All 25 of us were then escorted by 38 Police (I counted them) a Dog & 3 Police vans. Of the 25 were 3 children under 10! They should save their heavy handedness for the day that there might be a real threat of trouble'. Top Of Page
Air Asia And Spion Kop South Stands
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Where To Drink?
The ground is walkable from the city centre (15-20 minutes), where there are plenty of pubs to be found. Most of the pubs near to the stadium are home fans only. In particular 'The F Bar' should be avoided by visiting supporters. Plus the 'Symphony Rooms' located just over the road from the away end, is another home fans bar. Andy Jobson a visiting Southampton fan informs me; 'Probably the best bet for away fans is the Counting House pub on Freemens Common Road. It has a good mix of both sets of supporters, with all the normal facilities on offer'. Beaumont Fox adds; 'This pub is located just off the Aylestone Road, behind the Local Hero pub (home fans only) and next to Morrisons Supermarket. It does though exclude away supporters when the game is deemed to be a 'high profile' one'. David Moore adds; 'If away fans fancy a quiet drink in a CAMRA Good Beer Guide listed pub then the Swan & Rushes (on Infirmary Square, near the Royal Infirmary) always has excellent guest ales on'. For those arriving by train, then as you come out of the main entrance turn left and cross to the other side and there you will find 'The Hind' which is rather a basic pub, but does have real ales. A better bet may be the Wetherspoons pub called the 'Last Plantagenet'. If you turn right out of the station and cross the road and turn left into Granby Street, then this pub is down on the left. Also not far away from the station in the general direction the ground, is 'The Pub' which located on New Walk. This modern bar boasts 15 hand pumps for real ale (many of which are supplied by local microbreweries), plus continental biers and lagers as well as cider too. The pub also serves food. Otherwise alcohol is available inside the stadium, however this can be a bit of a 'hit and miss affair' depending on which team you support. Richard Aquilina a visiting Bristol Rovers fan explains; 'Certainly alcohol wasn't available in the away end on our visit. The pumps were covered with black bags and the signs were covered with cardboard! When I enquired further it appears that alcohol is not sold for high profile games. By high profile I think they mean more than a few hundred fans as there obviously isn't any history between Leicester and Rovers as this is the first time we met at this level'. Top Of Page
Upton Steel West Stand
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How To Get By Car & Where To Park
Leave the M1 at Junction 21, or if coming from the Midlands, follow the M69 until the end of the motorway (which meets the M1 at Junction 21).Take the A5460 towards Leicester city centre. Continue on this road, until you go under a railway bridge. Carry on for another 200 yards and turn right at the traffic lights into Upperton Road (sign posted Royal Infirmary) and then right again into Filbert Street for the stadium. Allow yourself a little extra time to get to the ground as traffic does tend to get quite congested near the stadium. Plenty of street parking to be found (especially around the Upperton Road area and on streets running off the A5460 by the railway bridge. It is then around a 15 minute walk to the stadium), although as Greg Barclay warns; 'don't double park as the traffic wardens tend to have a field day at every match'. Alternatively you can park at Leicester Rugby Club (£3) which is a ten minute walk away from the stadium. Dan Willatt a visiting Nottingham Forest fan advises; 'The Police close a number of roads around the stadium for up to 40 minutes after the final whistle to allow fans to disperse. We parked at a car park located in Filbert Street which cost £6, but in the end in took us well over an hour in queueing traffic to get away from the ground. It may be best to consider parking further away from the stadium if you want a quick exit.' Map showing the location of the King Power stadium (at the bottom of this page). Top Of Page
Marks Electrical Family Stand
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By Train
The train station in the city centre, is situated around 1.5 miles away and is walkable from the ground. This should take you around 25-30 minutes. Please note that there is normally a heavy Police presence around the station. A walking route to the stadium is signposted from across the road from the station. Come out of the station entrance and cross the road in front of you. Turn left and then go right along a pathway that runs beside and looks down on the Waterloo Way ring road. Continue straight along this pathway for around half a mile and you will reach a small park on your right (Nelson Mandela Park). You will clearly see behind it 'Welford Road' the impressive looking home of Leicester Tigers Rugby Club and diagonally beyond the ground you should be able to make out the steelwork above the top of the stands of the King Power Stadium. Either walk around the park on your right or walk through it and on reaching the main road on the other side, cross over at the pedestrian crossing and with the rugby ground immediately in front of you turn left. Walk past the rugby ground on your right and continue straight along this road, then taking a right turn into Almond Road. Pass the Counting House pub on your left and at the T-junction turn left into Aylestone Road. Take the next right into Raw Dykes Road and you will reach the stadium and away supporters entrances in front of you. Top Of Page
Looking Towards The Spion Kop South Stand
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Admission Prices
Like a number a clubs Leicester categorise matches (Platinum & Gold) whereby the more popular matches cost more to watch. In addition the Club also label some games as 'Just the ticket' where prices are substantially reduced, but these tend to be for cup games against lower league opposition. Category B (Gold) prices are shown below in brackets: Home Fans: Upton Steel West Stand (Centre): Adults £40 (B £39), Over 60's £34 (B £33), Under 22's £30 (B £30), Under 18's £26 (B £26), Under 12's £15 (£15), Under 8's £12 (£12) Upton Steel West Stand (Wings): Adults £38 (B £34), Over 60's £32 (B £29), Under 22's £28 (B £25), Under 18's £24 (B £21), Under 12's £15 (£13), Under 8's £10 (£9) Upton Steel West Stand (Outer Wings): Adults £25 (B £20) Over 60's £21 (B £17), Under 22's £16 (B £13), Under 18's £14 (B £11), Under 12's £7 (£6), Under 8's £6 (£5) Air Asia East Stand (Centre): £40 (B £38), Over 60's £34 (B £33), Under 22's £30 (B £30), Under 18's £26 (B £26), Under 12's £15 (£15), Under 8's £12 (£12) Air Asia East Stand (Wings): £38 (B £34), Over 60's £32 (B £29), Under 22's £28 (B £25), Under 18's £24 (B £21), Under 12's £15 (£13), Under 8's £10 (£9) Air Asia East Stand (Outer Wings): Adults £36 (B £32) Over 60's £30 (B £27), Under 22's £26 (B £23), Under 18's £22 (B £20), Under 12's £12 (£11), Under 8's £10 (£9) Spion Kop South Stand (Centre): Adults £32 (B £29) Over 60's £28 (B £26), Under 22's £22 (B £20), Under 18's £20 (B £19), Under 12's £10 (£10), Under 8's £8 (£8) Spion Kop South Stand (Wings): £30 (B £25) Over 60's £26 (B £22), Under 22's £20 (B £17), Under 18's £18 (B £15), Under 12's £8 (£7), Under 8's £7 (£6) Marks Electrical Family Stand: Adults £26 (B £22) Over 60's £24 (B £20), Under 22's £18 (B £15), Under 18's £15 (B £10), Under 12's £7 (£5), Under 8's £5 (Free) Away Fans: North East Corner: Adults £32 (B £29) Over 60's £28 (B £26), Under 22's £22 (B £20), Under 18's £20 (B £19), Under 12's £10 (£10), Under 8's £8 (£8) Top Of Page
Fixtures 2012-2013
Leicester City FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website). Top Of Page
Programme & Fanzine
Official Programme: £3. The Fox Fanzine: £2.50. Top Of Page
Local Rivals
Derby County, Nottingham Forest, Coventry City. Top Of Page
Ground Layout
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Disabled Facilities
For details of disabled facilities and club contact at the ground please visit the relevant page on the Level Playing Field website. Top Of Page
Record & Average Attendance
Record Attendance: At the King Power Stadium 32,188 v Real Madrid Friendly, July 30th, 2011. At Filbert Street 47,298 v Tottenham Hotspur, FA Cup 5th Round, February 18th, 1928. Average Attendance: 2011-2012: 23,037 (Championship League) 2010-2011: 23,666 (Championship League) 2009-2010: 23,943 (Championship League) Top Of Page
Fans Reviews Of The King Power Stadium
Ross Morgan (Doing the 92) 29/3/13 Peter Radford (Doing the 92) 10/01/10 Morgan Nock (Doing the 92) 27/09/08 Josh Freedman (Watford) 25/08/07 Robert Smith (Coventry City) 17/02/07 Top Of Page
Hotel Accommodation
If you require hotel accommodation in the area then first try a hotel booking service provided by Late Rooms. They offer all types of accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets from; Budget Hotels, Traditional Bed & Breakfast establishments to Five Star Hotels and Serviced Apartments. Plus their booking system is straightforward and easy to use. Yes this site will earn a small commission if you book through them, but it will go to help with the running costs of keeping the Guide going. The Hotels listing also includes details of how far away the accommodation is located from the football ground. Access their Leicester Hotels and Guest Houses page. Remember that you can use the above link or panel below to book any other hotels that you may need for business or leisure, either in the UK or abroad. Top Of Page
Map showing the location of the King Power Stadium, Railway Station and Listed pubs
Instructions for using the map: - Use the bar on the left of the map to zoom in / out using the + / - keys. - Click and drag an area of the map to move around or use the up/down, left/right arrows - Click the Satellite button to see aerial view photograph.
Feedback
If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail me duncan@footballgrounds.net and I'll update the guide.

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Leicester City King Power Stadium

Leicester City
King Power Stadium