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| Contents | |
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What's Roots
Hall Like? |
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| What's Roots Hall Like? | |
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At one end of the ground is the relatively modern South Stand. This stand which was opened in 1994, replaced a former open terrace and greatly improved the overall look. It is a small 'double decker' type of stand, the upper tier hanging over the lower. It is all seated and covered, but unfortunately has a few supporting pillars. On its roof is a small clock, dedicated to former player, Director & Chairman, Frank Walton. There are a couple of blocks of flats that overlook the ground from behind this stand. Opposite is the North Stand, which like the West Stand at one side of the pitch, is single tiered and has an old looking 'barrel' shaped roof (that dates back to the 1950’s), with the West Stand having a unique double barrel roof. The West Stand extends around to the North Stand so that one corner is filled with seating. It has a number of supporting pillars right at the front, which may hinder your view of the action. It also has the most precarious looking TV gantry that stands on stilts and is accessed by a long ladder. On the other side is the East (Main) Stand which is another single tiered, covered stand, that has a row of executive boxes running across the back of it. At the front are some strange looking dugouts, which has the management team standing at the front leaning on a wall, with the players sitting behind. The ground has four tall traditional looking floodlight pylons. In other words a proper football ground! On the roof of the North Stand is a relatively new scoreboard that was installed in 2012. The club have an unusual looking club mascot called 'Elvis J Eel', the 'J' standing for jellied! |
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| Future Developments | |
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After undertaking a public enquiry, full approval had been given for the Club to embark on building a new 22,000 seat stadium at Fossetts Farm, just behind the club’s training ground in Eastern Avenue. The scheme which also planned to feature a hotel, conference facilities, retail opportunities as well as residential accommodation, has been unable to raise the necessary financial backing, so it is unclear at the moment whether it will eventually materialise. Artists impressions of how the new stadium might look can be found on the Southend United website. |
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| The East & South Stands | |
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Thanks to Owen Pavey for providing the photos for this page. |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| Away
fans are normally housed on one side of the North
Stand (on the Main Stand side of the ground), where up
to 1,200 away supporters can be accommodated. This
stand is normally shared with home supporters, but for
the Cup games the whole stand can be allocated
bringing the allocation up to 2,000 seats. The stand
is covered, but there are a number of supporting
pillars running across the front of the stand that
could impede your view. The stand is a former terrace
and like most former terraces that have had seats
bolted onto them, the leg room and height distance
between each row is less than desirable. One good
thing for away fans in the North Stand, is that
comparatively few numbers of fans can really make some
noise from it and with the home fans in close
proximity, it makes for a good atmosphere.
Refreshments within the away area are served from an
'Transport Cafe' type establishment, complete with
tables and chairs. Bear in mind though, that getting
your drinks in one piece back to your seat can be
quite a challenge. The front of the stand is below
pitch level, with stairs leading up to each pitch
access point where the stewards stand. Going up and
down these flights of stairs, with a cup of coffee in
each hand, can present a problem. Even though Roots Hall is an older ground it has some rather modern electronic turnstiles. Each match ticket has a bar code printed onto it and fans insert their ticket into a bar code reader at the turnstile to gain entrance to the stadium. I did notice once inside the stadium, that the stewards were alerted when a concession or junior ticket was being used, so that they could check that it was for the appropriate person. |
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| Where To Drink? | |
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Away
fans tend to use the Blue Boar pub which is
located on the main Victoria Road, just up from
the ground (going towards Southend town centre) on
one corner of the crossroads. David Wells informs
me; 'There is the Bar Victoria Court, which is
located further down the A127 from Roots Hall
towards Southend. It is not a traditional
football pub by any means but it is okay
for pre-match pint'. This Bar is about a ten
minute walk away from the ground. The Spread Eagle pub near to the ground is for home fans only, whilst The 'Shrimpers Bar' at the ground itself, is members only. Please note that alcohol is not served to away fans within the stadium. There is also a good fish and chip shop located across the road from the Blue Boar by the traffic lights, called the 'Fish House', which I found to be excellent. Judging by the amount of fans standing outside eating fish and chips (there is some seating inside as well), then I'm not the only one that thinks it is good. |
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| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
| From
M25 take Junction 29 and follow the A127 to Southend.
Continue towards the town centre, through the lights
near to the Bell Pub. At the next roundabout turn
right (3rd turning), continuing on the A127. The
ground is on the right just past the next traffic
lights. If you turn right as you reach the
ground, this will put you behind the away end where
there is plenty of street parking to be found.
Otherwise there is a car park at the ground, behind
the Main Stand which costs £5, or
there is the Southend High School For Boys which
also offers car parking for £5 per car (the school
entrance is on Prittlewell Road). Bear in mind that in the fair weather months Aug/Sep/April/May, if the weather is at all sunny the whole of East London seems to head down the A127 on a Saturday afternoon, so allow an extra 30 mins if the temperature is on the warm side. Map showing the location of the Roots Hall football ground (at the bottom of this page). |
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| By Train | |
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closest station to the ground is Prittlewell, about a
five minute walk away. It is served by trains from
London Liverpool Street. As you
exit the station turn right, you will then
come to a crossroads with traffic lights. On your
right is the 'Fish House', fish and chip shop. Pass this and turn right. Walk
about 100 yards and the ground is tucked away on your
left.
If you happen to end up at Southend Central station (served by trains from London Fenchurch Street), you're about a 25 minute walk from the ground. The main bus station is close to Southend Central, and therefore it may be an idea to get a bus up to the ground, rather than walking. |
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| Admission Prices | |
| Home Fans*: East Stand: Adults £19, Senior Citizens £13, Under 21's/Students £12, Under 16's £9, Under 8's £4 South Stand: Adults £19, Senior Citizens £13, Under 21's/Students £12, Under 16's £9, Under 8's £4 West Stand: Adults £19, Senior Citizens £13, Under 21's/Students £12, Under 16's £9, Under 8's £4 Family Enclosure: 1 Adult + 1 Child £19, Additional Adults £15 Additional Child £4 Away Fans*: North Stand: Adults £19, Senior Citizens £13, Under 21's/Students £12, Under 16's £9, Under 8's £4 * Please note that these prices are for tickets purchased prior to matchday. Tickets purchased on the matchday itself can cost up to £2 more per ticket. |
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| Local Rivals | |
| Colchester United, Leyton Orient & West Ham. | |
| Programme & Fanzine | |
| Official
Programme £3. All At Sea Fanzine £1. |
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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. | |
| Fixtures 2012-2013 | |
| Southend United FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website) | |
| Record & Average Attendance | |
| 31,090
v Liverpool, FA Cup 3rd Round, January 10th, 1979. Modern All Seated Attendance Record: 11,735 v Yeovil Town League Two, April 30th, 2005. Average Attendance: 2011-2012: 6,000 (League Two) 2010-2011: 5,274 (League Two) 2009-2010: 7,714 (League One) |
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| Fans Reviews Of Roots Hall | |
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Bill Lacey
(Leyton Orient) 20/2/13 |
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| 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 Southend 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. |
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| Map showing the location of Roots Hall, railway stations and listed pubs | |
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Instructions for using
the map: |
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| Feedback | |
| If
anything is incorrect or you have something to add,
please e-mail me duncan@footballgrounds.net
and I'll update the guide.
*
Football had been played on the same site since
1906. The Club subsequently built a new ground at
Roots Hall in the 1950's. |
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