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Chorley

The Chorley Group Victory Park Stadium

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Capacity: 4,100 (Seats 980)
Club Nickname: The Magpies
Year Opened: 1920
Address: Duke Street, Chorley, Lancs, PR7 3DU
Phone: 01257 230007
Fax: 01257 275662
Home Kit: Black and White Stripes
Last Update: July 26, 2024

Ronnie Pilkington StandOrignall named in commemoration of the winning of the First World War, Victory Park was opened in 1920. The Main Stand located on one side of the pitch was opened in 1947.

It is a covered seated stand, which has an area of terrace in front of it. The seated area is raised above pitch level meaning that spectators need to climb a set of stairs to access it. The stand itself doesn’t run the full length of the pitch, being around two-thirds of its size. It does have some supporting pillars that run across the front of the seated section and has a couple of strange-looking floodlight pylons that protrude from its roof. Recently the roof was replaced with a new brighter white covering which has enhanced its appearance. The team dugouts are also located in front of this stand.

Opposite the Main Stand, is the mostly open Ashby Street Terrace. On this side located on the halfway line is strange-looking small pre-fabricated covered seated stand, which is raised above pitch level, called the Ronnie Pilkington Stand. It was installed at the end of the 2017/18 season and is intended to be used by corporate guests.

To either side of this stand are flat standing areas, whilst behind this side are a row of small floodlight pylons with a grassy bank behind these. Apparently, at one time fans used to stand on this grassy bank, but alas no more.

At one end is a small covered terrace that sits directly behind the goal, which is called the Pilling Lane End. Oddly, it does not have any open terraces on either side but instead, it has grassy areas.

At the other end is a more substantial-sized terrace, the Duke Street Terrace. This end had a new roof put on in early 2016. As well as giving some much-needed cover, it has also helped boost the atmosphere within the ground. However, it does have a number of supporting pillars running across the front of it. Also of interest is the stadium entrance which has some wrought ironwork gates.

Recently, the stadium was renamed the Chorley Group Victory Park Stadium.

In 2021, the club’s chief executive, Terry Robinson, suggested that a move to a new purpose-built stadium could be on the horizon for Chorley in the near future. He said:

“I think for the past couple years the idea has been to move to a new stadium. But unfortunately, that idea has not materialised but I am not saying it will never happen. We are keen to explore the possibility and for it to happen.”

For most games at Victory Park, fans are not segregated. If segregation needs to be put in force then the Pilling Lane End is allocated to away fans. This consists of a small covered terrace that runs for around a quarter of the width of the pitch and is situated directly behind the goal. It does have some supporting pillars along the front that could impede your view. There is also a small flat standing area running behind the pitch perimeter wall.

There is the Victory Social Club at the ground which welcomes visiting supporters. Otherwise, here are some nearby pubs:

  • The White Bull – 135 Market St, Chorley PR7 2SG
  • Rose & Crown – 15 St Thomas’s Rd, Chorley PR7 1HP
  • The Ale Station – 60 Chapel St, Chorley PR7 1BS

The Club are looking to see if they can put in a small stand on the Ashby Street Terrace side of Victory Park. This will be used for Corporate visitors.

Leave the M6 at Junction 27 and take the A5209 towards Standish/Chorley. On reaching a small roundabout with an Esso garage on the left, take the 1st exit into Chorley Road. Follow this road until its end where you will reach a T-junction that has a set of traffic lights. Turn left at the lights onto the A6 towards Preston.

At the next roundabout take the first exit towards the town centre and then take the immediate left into Duke Street. Then take the second left into Ashby Street and the entrance to the ground is down on the right.

There is little car parking available at the ground itself, so it is mostly a case of finding some street parking.

Chorley Railway Station is situated around a half mile away from Victory Park and takes about 10-15 minutes to walk. The station is served by trains from Preston, Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria, the latter is about a 40 minute train journey away.

As you come out of the main station entrance, turn left and walk up the station approach road to the main dual carriageway. Cross over the dual carriageway via the pedestrian crossing to the other side and turn left. Go straight on at two roundabouts, passing a KFC on your right and a Morrisons Store on your left. At the third roundabout where there is the Eagle Hotel pub on the far corner, turn right into Bolton Street and then take the immediate left into Duke Street. Then take the second left into Ashby Street and the entrance to the ground is down on the right.

Chorley ticket prices:

Adults – £18
Concessions – £15
Under 18s – £7
Under 12s – Free

Official Programme: £2.50

Altrincham and Southport.

If you require hotel accommodation in Chorley or nearby 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.

Record Attendance

9,679 v Darwen
FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round, 15th November 1932.

Average Attendance

2023-2024: 1,124 (National League North)
2022-2023: 1,052 (National League North)
2021-2022: 1,166 (National League North)
2020-2021: N/A (Covid)
2019-2020: 1,271 (National League)
2018-2019: 1,473 (National League North)
2017-2018: 1,098 (National League North)
2016-2017: 1,405 (National League North)

Official Web Site: www.chorleyfc.com

If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail me at: [email protected] and I’ll update the guide.

Special thanks to Steve Barker and Edward Prosser for providing the photo of the Duke Street End and Ashby Street Side at Victory Park, Chorley.

Reviews

Avatar of Michael Cromack (FC Halifax Town) Michael Cromack (FC Halifax Town)

Chorley v FC Halifax Town
National League
Saturday 25th January 2020, 3pm
Michael Cromack (FC Halifax Town)

Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Victory Park?
 
A bit of a ground hopper and to add another to my list of visits.
 
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
 
A series of 3 short train rides. I fairly easily found the ground after enquiring at the bus station over the road from the railway station.
 
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
 
After a friendly chat with a couple of home fans called for a pint of Holt bitter at the Duke of York. A tasty pint!
 
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Victory Park?
 
A traditional type of ground. The away end was partly covered providing good acoustics.
 
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
 
A good competitive game. I had a nice pie and bovril at half time. The stewards rightly took a flare off an away fan…….. Idiot!
 
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
 
Using the Morrisons chimney as a guide got to the whereabouts of the railway station, I found it fairly easy but had to use the pelican crossing over a busy road.
 
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
 
A good game, a nice pint, a good away win, a good day!
Avatar of Brian Scott (Neutral) Brian Scott (Neutral)

Chorley v Aldershot Town
National League
Saturday 5th October 2019, 3pm
Brian Scott (Neutral)

Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Victory Park?
 
I’ve attempted to visit Chorley several times over the last few years, but have been put off for various reasons. As I travel by train the prolonged blockade of the line on Saturdays due to the electrification of the line. Then the Northern Trains strikes put me off. At the end of last season I had even booked a hotel in Manchester to visit Ashton and Chorley. Luckily I found out in advance that there match against Stockport was all-ticket. So I went to Buxton FC instead. As Chorley got promoted I needed the ground to keep up my 100% of National League Premier grounds.
 
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
 
It’s a long journey from Ipswich- at about my limit without staying overnight but I still had 1 1/2 hours before kick off. I wandered through the vibrant town centre with its busy market. Also admiring the flower displays. The ground is an easy walk from the town and station.
 
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
 
The ground is quite interesting and I had a walk around, especially looking at the new stand perched up on stilts. I didn’t choose to sit there as it looked to be for ‘corporate’ guests or season ticket holders. I chose a seat in the Main Stand, making sure that I got one with a backrest. They are of the hard wooden tip-up type, but not too uncomfortable.
 
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Victory Park?
 
This is a good old traditional ground with covered standing at each end, and supporters changed ends at half time. As no goals were scored in the game, it wasn’t obvious how many Aldershot fans were in the seats.
 
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
 
This was a really boring 0-0 draw! I’m not sure if there were any shots on target. However, I was perked up when I found out that my team, Ipswich, had scored at Fleetwood and went on to win. Still unbeaten after 11 league games.
 
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
 
An easy walk back to the station in time to catch the 17.06 to Manchester Piccadilly and then on to London. Arriving home at 11.15pm.
 
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
 
A good day out, but a shame the match was so boring. Quite by chance, I met an Ipswich fan at Preston station who is a friend of mine. I’m sure he enjoyed the match he went to more than I did!
Avatar of Atholl Beattie (Neutral) Atholl Beattie (Neutral)

Chorley v Leamington
National League North
Saturday 23rd March 2019, 3pm
Atholl Beattie (Neutral)

Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Chorley Group Victory Park Stadium?
 
This was the third last ground visit for me in the National League that I had to do.
 
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
 
I went by car and found parking to be easy.
 
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
 
I visited some town centre pubs. There is also a good market with a small micropub called the Bob Inn. Helpful Police.
 
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Chorley Group Victory Park Stadium?
 
It is a bit higgledy-piggledy and in need of some TLC but had character. The wrought iron entrance gates were impressive. As a bit of an anorak, I liked the floodlight pylons on the Main Stand roof. I was disappointed they had run out of programmes.
 
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
 
A great atmosphere and I was surprised when the crowd was announced as only 1,507. It felt like more. Three snack bars in different corners made getting food easy. I can highly recommend the BBQ pulled pork barm for £3. They also had for sale Jamaican Jerk Pork and the other usual fare. The toilet facilities are in the corners furthest from the club, which are useful.
 
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
 
Very easy. I visited a micropub called the Bootleggers on Bolton Street, near the ground. The local fans felt the upcoming fixture against Stockport will be the crunch, in deciding who gets automatic promotion.
 
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
 
A fine day out at a traditional non-league stadium. The ground and the fans both had character.
Avatar of Jon Landers (York City) Jon Landers (York City)

Chorley v York City
National League North
Saturday 4th August 2018, 3pm
Jon Landers (York City)

Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Victory Park?
 
The first game of another Season hope springs eternal and all that nonsense! A first-time visit to Victory Park Chorley and another ground to tick off the list.
 
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
 
I got the train to York then a 15 minute walk to Bootham Crescent to meet the Supporters Coach which left at 11:30am and arrived about 1:50pm after an uneventful journey across the Pennines. The coach parked in a side street short walk across a park and into the ground. Had a quick circuit of the ground then into the social club for two pints and to watch the Salford v Leyton Orient game on Sky tv in the bar.
 
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
 
As above look around and hit the social club. Chatted with the locals who despite sounding like Peter Kay were good company.
 
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Victory Park Stadium?
 
My first impressions of Victory Park that it were a strange concoction of structures but like all stadia at this level possessing a certain primitive charm. There was no segregation of home and away or standing and seating so we sat in the Main Stand behind the Press Pack. In front of me was the man from the York Press with whom I exchanged some forthright debate about our team. Behind us were several Chorley fans who delighted in their one nil victory suggesting the York Press headlines would be York Shambles until I told them that the Editor had banned that one through over-use last season – cue much laughter.
 
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
 
York in their inimitable style contrived to lose one nil and basically failed to turn up. Fair play to Chorley though as they are at the time of writing this review top of the National League North nine wins and one draw so maybe I was being unfair to my side, however old habits die hard.
 
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
 
Steady stroll back to the coach cleared the town onto the motorway in twenty minutes arrived back in York about 7pm.
 
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
 
As my Grandad and then my Dad used to say to me about following football at lower League level – Jon, it’s not the despair but the hope that kills you – that sentiment seemed to epitomise my trip to Chorley. No complaints about Chorley or the result we got what we deserved. Easy access off the motorway and we passed the railway station on the way in.
Avatar of John Hague (Blyth Spartans) John Hague (Blyth Spartans)

Chorley v Blyth Spartans
National League North
Saturday 14th April 2018, 3pm
John Hague (Blyth Spartans fan)

Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Victory Park?
 
I have fond memories of Victory Park back in the 1980's when I watched Chorley and Chorley Borough RLFC play there. I went to college at BIHE and still have mates in Bolton so I combined a weekend out with the lads.
 
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
 
My plan to drive to Bolton, leave the car there and then complete the journey by car was thrown into disarray by the dreaded rail replacement bus service so I decided to drive up to Chorley. I got a parking space just outside the ground on Duke Street with no problems.
 
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
 
I walked into Town to meet up with Kev and Dave at the excellent Shepherd's Hall Ale House (Chorley's first micropub). After a couple of cracking pints we moved closer to the ground and Bootleggers. Another cracking range of beers but spoiled somewhat by a less than cracking range of locals.
 
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Victory Park?
 
Victory Park is basically as I remember it but I think the cover has been improved at the Duke Street End. I do love Victory Park, it's a proper non-league ground with good, friendly, fans.
 
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
 
The Butter Pies were to die for and worth the trip alone, so good I had to have two! The game? Well, let's put it this way, I was more interested in taking arty shots of my Butter Pies and uploading them to Facebook than I was watching Blyth. I thought the North Ferriby United game was a low point but it seems we were destined to plumb new depths.
 
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
 
Getting away was easy but coming out of Duke Street I could only go left and had to do a U-turn to get on my way back to Bolton.
 
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
 
Another poor Blyth performance but the beers and pies made it bearable. Hopefully, we'll be back next season for more pies and this time I hope the railway electrification will be complete so I can enjoy more of Chorley's real ale scene.
Avatar of Christopher (Fleetwood Town) Christopher (Fleetwood Town)

Chorley v Fleetwood Town
FA Cup First Round
Monday 6th November 2017, 7.45pm
Christopher (Fleetwood Town fan)

Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Victory Park?
 
There are many reasons I was looking forward to this game. For starters, it was the FA cup which is still the best domestic cup in the world in my opinion. Secondly, it was a local Lancashire derby and thirdly I had never been to Victory Park before. However, Fleetwood have played there on a number of occasions in our non-league days so it was a chance to rekindle a forgotten rivalry, albeit for one night.
 
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
 
We opted not to take the supporters coach for this, as Chorley is only half an hour away and it would be easier for us just to take a car. The journey took that long exactly although once in Chorley, our sat nav sent us on a merry tour around the town for 10 minutes. There is very limited (if any) parking at the ground so if going by car, be sure to arrive early in order to secure a parking space on the streets nearby.
 
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
 
We first stopped off at KFC for a quick bite before parking the car and heading to one of the nearby pubs. We opted for the Plough as mentioned on this website, though there was hardly anybody in there when we turned up. I'm not sure as to which pub has the best pre-match atmosphere so you'd have to ask one of the locals, who are very friendly. Many gave us a greeting or wished us good luck and the three of us were fine to walk about on our own.
 
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Victory Park?
 
Victory Park is a proper good old fashioned ground which is a huge plus point for me. The Main Stand is a characterful older build and the home end is a nice sized terrace. As for the away stand, well that is one of a kind. It appears to be deeper than it is wide. It is only just longer than the goal but you could have 28 people stood in a straight line before the back of stand. A triangular roof gives a very shed-like look.
 
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
 
The game was dreadful from a Fleetwood point of view. We struggled to cope with the pitch and the team three leagues below us and played terribly. So you can imagine my surprise when we came from behind to actually win it, especially after going down to 10 men. It wasn't just a smash and grab, it was a mugging. People talk about the magic of the FA Cup but the night's result felt like sorcery or divine intervention. Despite the abject performance from the players in red and white, the atmosphere from us did not fade. We were in fine voice throughout helped by most of us being crammed into that small deep away terrace. I couldn't hear the Chorley fans through our own singing but I can only assume it was a good atmosphere with many of their fans in the opposite terrace clapping and bouncing. It definitely felt like a derby. It also felt like a home game as well, due to the presence of the very same stewards who keep a watchful eye on us at home games. For reasons unknown, Chorley had approached Fleetwood's steward team to come down and help keep order. The request was accepted and so we were facing some familiar faces. I, therefore, can't really give an opinion without sounding biased. I didn't eat or drink at the ground but was told that the food was very nice and moderately priced. The toilets were a bit dirty and and small but that's to be expected at a non league ground and at least they were there (Unlike many a ground where you would find portaloos).
 
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
 
After 15 or so minutes of cheering and getting going, we set off from Chroley and half an hour later were back at home.
 
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
 
All things considered the day (or evening) out was one of my favourites and would have been be a certainty for top spot if the Fleetwood team had played well on the pitch. Alas the dire football knocks it down slightly but not enough to distract from everything else which was very good. Friendly home fans, a great atmosphere, a very nice and traditional ground and a positive result at the end of the game. I'm not sure when I'll next get the opportunity to go there again but when it comes along, I'll certainly be going. Hopefully, Chorley can kick on from this and get a promotion to the National League, giving them every chance at league football in the future. It's something I think the club very much deserves.