J Davidson Stadium
- Description
- Submit a review
- See 10 reviews
- Ground Layout
Last Update:
July 22, 2024
On one side of the ground is the Main Stand. This is a small single tiered all seated stand that sits astride the half way line. An old classic looking stand, it has glass windshields on either side, plus a number of supporting pillars, one of which is centrally located at the front of the stand. Views of the pitch may be further impaired by two small floodlight pylons that are located at the two front edges of the stand. On one side of this stand is a smaller separate structure, the Family Stand. This is a very small covered all seated stand.
On the other side of the Main Stand is also a small open terrace that is a couple of large steps high. Behind this is a relatively new clubhouse with the usual facilities inside, including some good toilets. It’s called the Altrincham FC Community Sports Hall.
Opposite the Main Stand is the Popular Side. This is a covered terrace that runs the full length of the pitch, made unusual by having a section in the middle that has a higher roof compared to either side. At the Golf Road End is a small covered terrace, whilst opposite, at the Hale End, there is a 16-step open terrace with large crush barriers to lean on. If segregation is in force, then this open terrace is allocated to away fans, as well as a portion of the covered popular side and some seats may also be provided in the Main Stand.
The ground is still known to many fans by its original name of Moss Lane. It was renamed the J Davidson Stadium in 2013 as part of a corporate sponsorship deal.
Away fans are mostly housed in the open Hale End Terrace at one end of the ground. Away fans can also sit in the Main Stand, however the leg room there is a little on the tight side. Inside the ground there is a Club shop (on the Main Stand side towards the Golf Road End) and catering is provided by a couple of burger vans.
Altrincham itself is a lovely town in South Manchester with plenty of bars and restaurants. Three pubs near the stadium to check out include:
- The Tatton Arms – 3-5 Tipping St, Altrincham WA14 2EZ
- Kennedy’s Irish Bar – 30-32 Greenwood St, Altrincham WA14 1RZ
- Tavern on the Green – 57 Stamford New Rd, Altrincham WA14 1DS
As Altrincham fixtures tend to coincide with the home fixtures of nearby Manchester United, then you may well be best advised to allow extra time for your journey as traffic will be heavy in the area.
From The South
Leave the M6 at Junction 19, and take the A556 towards Manchester Airport. At the large roundabout junction with the M56, turn right onto the M56, still heading towards Manchester Airport. Leave the M56 at Junction 6 and take the A538 towards Hale Barns/Altrincham. After two miles (in which you will have passed through Hale Barns) you will go through the traffic lights that is the junction with the A5144 (Delahays Road). After these traffic lights take the third right into Westminster Road. Carry straight on down Westminster Road, which becomes Bancroft Road and then Moss Lane. The ground is down on the right.
From The North
Leave the M6 at Junction 20A and take the M56 towards Manchester Airport. Leave the M56 at Junction 6 and take the A538 towards Hale Barns/Altrincham. Then as South.
Car Parking
There is very little parking at the ground itself. Further along Moss Lane is a business unit called Aecom (WA15 8FH) which offers matchday parking on Tuesdays and Saturdays, free of charge. Otherwise street parking.
The Moss Lane ground is around a 10-15 minute walk from Altrincham Railway Station and Interchange. The trams occupy two platforms on the western side of the station and ‘heavy rail’ trains use the two platforms on the eastern side. Altrincham Railway Station is served by trains from Manchester Piccadilly and normally takes around 28 minutes. Alternatively, you can also get the Metrolink tram from both Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria mainline stations.
To walk to the ground you have two options; Exit the Interchange via the main entrance, (there is a clock tower in front of the main entrance), and take the first left into Moss Lane. Then just keep going straight down Moss Lane and you will eventually come to the ground on your left.
Alternatively, exit the station from the most easterly platform, where trains depart for Chester. Once you have gone down a small flight of steps, turn immediately hard right and make your way through a rather uneven car park. Head for the traffic lights, not too far from a big Tesco. Turn left at the traffic lights and you are in Moss Lane. Incidentally, the huge telecoms mast beside the ground is an excellent landmark to head for, visible from outside the eastern side of the station.
Remember if travelling by train then you can normally save on the cost of fares by booking in advance.
Visit the the trainline website to see how much you can save on the price of train tickets.
Click on the trainline logo below:
Altrincham ticket prices 2023/24
- Adults: £20
- Concessions: £15
- Juniors: £9
- Children: £4
- Infants: £1
Official Programme: £2
Macclesfield Town
For details of disabled facilities and club contact at the ground please visit the relevant page on the
Level Playing Field website.
Record Attendance
10,275 Altrincham Youth v Sunderland Youth
February 28th, 1925.
Average Attendance
2022-2023: 2,013 (National League)
2021-2022: 2,119 (National League)
2020-2021: N/A (Covid)
2019-2020: 721 (National League North)
2018-2019: 1,245 (National League North)
2017-2018: 802 (National League North)
2016-2017: 1,230 (National League North)
If you require hotel accommodation in Altrincham or Manchester then first try a hotel booking service provided by Booking.com. 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 help towards the running costs of keeping this Guide going.
Official Web Site: www.altrinchamfc.com
If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail me at: [email protected] and I’ll update the guide.
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the ground itself?
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the stadium?
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the ground itself?
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the stadium?
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the ground itself?
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the stadium?
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out
Altrincham v Leamington Spa
National League North
Saturday 7th September 2019, 3pm
Brian Scott (Neutral)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the J Davidson Stadium?
Now I've visited Altrincham, I've only got one more ground to visit in the (current) National League North.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
It's quite a trek from Ipswich to the Manchester area, but all trains were on time. The ground was easy to find with the huge telecoms mast beside it, providing a good landmark.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
I changed trains at Stockport and the service from here to Chester is hourly. So it was either arrive half an hour earlier than I would like, or half an hour late. I chose to be early in case I missed the Chester train. With some time to spare, I spent the time in Stamford Park which is directly to the south of Moss Lane. The turnstiles were open nice and early. I got a good welcome from the gateman and a steward.
The Main Stand Side & Community Sports Hall Building
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the J Davidson Stadium?
Anyone who misses the old style of grounds with character, then you should visit Moss Lane! There is terracing on three sides, two of which are covered. The uncovered end is as close to a big terrace as you are likely to get. It is 16 steps deep with plenty of crush barriers to lean on. The tall Main Stand is 19 steps deep, but towards the top, there are restricted views of the nearest corner flags. So I sat lower down. I was impressed with the relatively new (5 years old I was told), bar, club room and food facilities. The toilets were very good. Even the older ones at the open Hale End weren't that bad. So well done Altrincham! I sat in the middle of the Main Stand in a row of seats where there was plenty of leg room as a whole row of seats have been removed in the central section. I've read comments in the reviews on this website that leg room is tight in seats, but I had masses of leg room. So choose where you sit carefully! The attendance was 1,025 and I actually knew this before the announcement was made, because a man came and sat in a seat next to me after about 70 minutes and he gave the figure to someone else. So he must have been in charge of calculating the attendance. Both the two men commented that it was a high number, and of course they were pleased.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The home team scored their first goal on 15 minutes and then a second in first half added-on time. They cruised to victory, it ending 4-0.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
It was an easy walk back to the railway station. Both times I crossed over a car park which is to the east of Altrincham station, rather than going out and in the main entrance. Walking time was no more than 10 minutes. I needed to catch the 17.00 train.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
It was a good day out, with all my trains on time. I had to change trains at Doncaster on the return journey and I had a bonus, as a steam train came through. Clun Castle (7029) on a special train returning from York to the Birmingham area. I got home at 10.30pm.
The Clun Castle Train
Altrincham v Bradford Park Avenue
FA Trophy, Third Qualifying Road
Saturday 24th November 2018, 3pm
Peter (Bradford Park Avenue)
Altrincham v FC Halifax Town
National League North
Saturday 2nd April 2017, 3pm
Michael Cromack (FC Halifax Town)
Altrincham v Grimsby Town
Conference National League
Tuesday 18th August 2015, 7.45pm
Kevin Dixon (Grimsby Town fan)
Why were you looking forward to going to the Moss Lane football ground?
I went there last season. There was some good banter between the fans, and it's actually one of our shorter away trips in this League.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Set off at lunch time, hoping to stop for a walk in the Pennines, but poor weather spoiled that. This meant I arrived in Manchester rather early with a couple of hours to kill. Went to the Trafford Centre to waste some time, then drove to the ground, arriving at 6.15pm. Traffic by now was building on the M60, due to Manchester United being at home in the Champions League. Parked almost right outside the Moss Lane ground with no problems.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
Went in the King George pub, which was already hosting a number of Mariners fans. Good selection of ales, and also serving food, which as far as I could see, was the usual pub fayre.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the stadium?
The ground is what you expect in this league, mostly old and a bit of a mish mash. The away terrace is open to the elements, however this was not a problem on a dry and mild August evening. The home fans started in the opposite end, but then at half time, moved to the side terrace to be nearer the goal they were attacking, which was also good for the atmosphere.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
We went into the game unbeaten, but struggled for the first half hour, and went behind to a controversial goal which has since been proved not to have actually crossed the line. We equalised just before half time, and for the first ten minutes of the second half looked likely to go on and win. However we conceded another soft goal and that was how it finished. The stewards were friendly enough, but our fans were largely well behaved anyway. Not sure about the food, although I heard a couple of chaps near me being rather uncomplimentary about it.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Really easy, as I had parked right outside the ground, so back on the M56 in ten minutes. Unfortunately the M62 was variously closed and coned off, so I actually didn't arrive home until 1.20am in the morning, some three and a half hours after the final whistle.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Moss Lane is a nice friendly ground to visit, like a lot in this league. Much as we want to get back into the Football League, visiting these small grounds is what football is all about.
Altrincham v FC Halifax
Conference Premier League
Saturday 21st March 2015, 3pm
Barry (FC Halifax fan)
Why you were looking forward to going to the Moss Lane ground?
I was looking forward to this particular game as it was probably the closest stadium to Halifax in the division, taking around 50 minutes to get there.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
With the stadium being situated in the middle of a what seemed like a posh residential area of suburban Manchester, it is quite difficult to find. Luckily though I was travelling on the supporters coach, so didn't need to know. Once you are there, there is quaint scattering of shops including a general post office, chinese take away, pub and chippy.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
With 90 minutes to kill before kick off, I just went the chippy. The staff were nice enough as were the stewards at the ground.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the stadium?
Moss Lane is an unusual ground, with three quarters of it being terrace. However I much prefer standing anyway as it definitely adds to the atmosphere. The away end was, from where I was standing good, plus due to it being a nice day the fact there was no roof didn't make a difference. However I feel from certain parts of the stand could be difficult for people to get a decent viewing of what is going on due to the stand being quite low down on top of it being really close to the actual pitch meaning the net gets in the way. A side note: the pitch was in pristine condition, something you wouldn't be surprised seeing in the higher tiers, which contrasts massively with abysmal surface at the Shay.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The game, depsite the 0-0 scoreline, was an exciting one with chances either side of half time to both sides. Their goalkeeper, Stuart Colburn, had a terrific game stopping shots from Adam Smith in the first half and Jackson, Boden and Hattersley in the second. Whereas Altrincham were limited to two or three chances which all were off target.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Easy enough, just walked out of the ground and got on the coach.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Very unfortunate to get a point, Altrincham is a ground which I will definitely go to again, mainly because of the short journey rather than anything spectacular with Moss Lane itself.
Altrincham v Luton Town
Conference Premier League
Saturday, October 17th, 2009, 3pm
Steve Bailey (Luton Town fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
I had been here once before when we played them in an FA Cup replay but was looking forward to coming back on a Saturday and having a proper day of it
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Took the tram from Manchester which was easy and cheap but as Man Utd were at home it was absolutely stuffed with people even though it was only 11am for a 3pm kick off however once past Old Trafford there was hardly anyone on it. From the tram stop it was only 10 minutes or so to the ground but as for car parking it was incredibly easy with hardly any restrictions at all in place.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy…. home fans friendly?
Before the game went into a really good pub in centre of town, the Market Tavern, with many good beers which is recommended. Then on via an excellent chip shop opposite the ground to the King George nearby. Considering how near it was it was not that busy we left at 5 to 3 and were in the ground in time for kick off, it is that close. Can't imagine doing that at Old Trafford somehow, I like this division!
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
This is a real old fashioned football ground, a jumble of stands built at different times, toilets from the 1950s the sort of place that is becoming all too rare. It ought to be reserved this way forever.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, toilets etc..
Another really friendly place, steward near us was chatting away about referees and football in general. A good, lively atmosphere made more so but a poor ref who sent one of our players off and then sent one of theirs off to balance it out we could only laugh at how poor he was!
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Very easy, back in Manchester before 6.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Really good day on all fronts and would certainly recommend it to any visiting fans.
Altrincham v Tamworth
Conference Premier League
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009, 7.45pm
Luke Barber (Tamworth fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
We have played Altrincham at their place on three separate occasions and knew full well what was expecting us. Both clubs don't really get along, due to an ineligible player incident from 3-4 years ago where Alty were docked over 20 points. The only reason I went is because it was half term so I had time on my hands. The ground isn't the best and the area surrounding it isn't either.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking
The journey was excellent, we left Tamworth at 5.30 and there was no congestion or anything and we arrived in plenty of time. The ground is in the middle of an estate with several roads so is easy to find and there is no problems with parking as there are plenty of street parking around the ground
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy…. home fans friendly?
We arrived at 7.15 and decided to go for a bite to eat at the chippy, however the locals had made it before us and the queue was out the door so in the end I didn't bother and went straight into the ground. We never got talking to any home fans.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
I've been before but the thing that has changed from last time is the new flats behind the away end which make the area look more appealing. The away end is one of the worst I've been in, it is open and the facilities are not the best. The other areas of the ground are ok but are not the best compared to other teams in the league.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, toilets etc..
The game was pretty drab with Tamworth having the better chances. It was your typical Tuesday night game where the atmosphere was not the greatest and people were doing their best to keep warm on the open terrace. I didn't really speak to any stewards but I found it strange that home fans could use the food hut in the away section, yet we were not allowed to use the bar in their end. The pies tasted ok but I'm not a big fan of these vans that sell them in there wrapper and are barely warm. The toilets are portacabins and can only fit about 3 in at any one time. God help them when Luton visit!
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
It was easy, there was no traffic and were back on the M6 in roughly 10 minutes, there was no hint of trouble
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out
Disappointed with the draw and although it isn't the best, some people may like the old looking nature of the ground.