Last Update:
August 22, 2024
Stadium MK was opened in 2007 and in our opinion, it is a ‘cut above’ some other new comparable stadiums, in terms of quality and standards of spectator facilities. From the outside, it has a modern look, with good use of silver-coloured cladding and a large amount of glass on view. The most striking feature of the stadium is its roof, which sits high up above the football ground with a large gap between it and the back roof of the seating. This allows more natural light to reach the pitch. The stadium is enclosed and has a bowl-like design.
The overall look of the stadium has recently benefited from the installation of seating in the previously unused upper tier. It certainly now looks like a large and imposing stadium, one that is worthy of football at a higher level. It is two-tiered, with three sides having a large lower tier being overhung by a smaller upper tier. The West side of the stadium is slightly different, with the seating areas in the upper tier being replaced by the Director’s Box and executive and corporate hospitality areas. Unusually the spacious concourse areas at the back of the lower tier see directly into the stadium, so there is what seems a noticeable gap between the lower and upper tiers where the concourse is located.
Away supporters are normally located in the upper tier of the stadium in the North East Corner, where around 3,000 fans can be accommodated. If demand requires it then the North Stand upper tier behind the goal can also be allocated as well as the lower tier. This generous allocation has led to some huge away followings at Stadium MK in recent years, which has led to some memorable away days. For example, in January 2018 Coventry City had around 8,000 fans in attendance.
On the further plus side, the stadium is a quality one i.e. it has not been built on the cheap. So the facilities are first class. The stadium also has such creature comforts as big ‘Emirates Style’ comfy seats and the ability to continue to watch the game in progress, whilst eating a burger on the concourse. The view of the playing action and legroom are both good and the atmosphere is not bad. The concourses are spacious and offer a good range of food. Like several new stadiums though, its main drawback is location, It is located adjacent to the A5, but well away from the centre of Milton Keynes, so there is little on offer in the way of pubs. Very nearby though are KFC & McDonald’s outlets, plus recently opened behind the North Stand, is an Odeon Cinema that also has several eating places out front. The stadium also has electronic turnstiles, so no paying at the gate here. Instead, you gain entrance by putting your tickets into a barcode reader to gain entrance.
Alan Burgess, a visiting Sheffield Wednesday fan adds; ‘the seating is marvellous both for comfort and leg room, the concourses very impressive and the sight lines fantastic. The food was the standard football ground offering but at least the serving areas were plentiful and well organised; there wasn’t a bad atmosphere either from a crowd of 6,500 (though the PA system is deafening) and I can’t end without a tribute to the bogs – separate, wide entrances and exits, plenty of space, soap and hot running water – luxury!. A cut above almost all of the modern football stadiums. James Brook informs me; ‘Away fans can buy tickets on the day by gates 3 and 4. All fans are searched on entering the stadium and flags are not allowed in unless they come with their fire certificate! The Club operates automatic turnstiles, where you have to put your ticket (which has a barcode on it) into a slot reader and a green light will signify that you can enter. This should be done speedily as the revolving turnstile will then come up behind you and whack you on the backside, which has left some fans rather bemused. Programmes are bought outside the stadium.’ Food available on the concourse includes a selection of Ginsters pastries; Cheese and Onion Pasties, Peppered Steak Pies, Chicken & Mushroom Pies and large Sausage Rolls (all £3.80). Also on offer are; Flame Grilled Cheeseburgers (£3.80) and “Mom’s Fabulous Hot Dogs” (£3.80).
In keeping with the infamous concrete cows of Milton Keynes, the Club has a mascot called Mooie, whilst the South Stand is called the ‘cowshed’. No wonder that the locals have christened the stadium ‘The MooCamp!’
Unfortunately, the choice of drinking establishments for away fans near the ground has become limited. Both the Red Dot bar, attached to the Hilton Doubletree Hotel, at the stadium itself and the nearest pub; the ‘Inn on the Lake’ (previously called the Beacon), both no longer admit visiting supporters. If you are looking for something to eat as well as a drink, then on the Retail Park surrounding the stadium there is a choice of Nando’s, Frankie & Benny’s, TGI Friday and Pizza Express.
If you’re in central Bletchley, you should visit the Postal Club on Brooklands which welcomes away fans and has Sky and BT Sports (see advert below). Peter Wood a visiting Doncaster Rovers supporter adds; ‘We had a lovely meal in the newish Wetherspoons called “Captain Ridley`s Shooting Party” which was the cover name for the MI5 people who visited Bletchley Park and decided it was ideal to be the home for the `code-breakers during the war – there`s some interesting stuff in the pub about it. To get there turn left out of Bletchley Station – follow the path then turn left after steps. Cross the road and walk past the Brunel Centre onto Queensway. Continue along the Queensway and you will reach the pub on your left. Afterwards, if you continue along the Queensway you will reach Fenny Stratford where there are several pubs (see below)’.
The Postal Club Bletchley
The Postal Club, Family Friendly and located just a 5-minute walk from Bletchley Railway Station and only a 20-minute walk to the MK Dons Stadium. We welcome Fans and show both BT & Sky Sports, with free Pool tables & Darts. The Club has ample free parking outside & can accommodate Coaches, once inside you will find reasonably priced drinks starting at £2.60 for a pint of lager. Although the Club doesn’t offer food, Fans are welcome to bring in their food & there are plenty of eating places just outside. For further information please call 07584 055199 The address of the Club is: Brooklands Road, Queensway, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK2 2RS. View Location Map.
Other suggestions:
Guy Plumb adds; “There is also Fenny Stratford which is located a mile south of the stadium along Watling Street. Fenny has seven pubs within a five-minute walk of each other plus a fish and chip shop.”
Caroline Charlesworth, a visiting Leicester fan tells me, “Many Leicester fans headed to Fenny Stratford, as it is about a 20-minute walk from the ground and seems to be the better bet of all the areas around the ground after speaking to others who went elsewhere. We caught the train and got off at Fenny Stratford. Right by the station is the ‘The Red Lion.”
This is situated in a lovely setting right beside a Canal Lock – nice for those early and end-of-season days out as they have a decent-sized garden and plenty of room to stand around outside.
Mary McConnell a Sheffield United fan informs me; ‘I would recommend the Swan Hotel in Fenny Stratford, it’s on the corner of Watling Street and Simpson Road (this road runs down to the railway station) and has Sky television. The locals were friendly and the landlord most accommodating. It has a large car park that accommodated our supporter’s coach. and apart from the usual fare of drinks, they offered nice fresh rolls, which makes a nice change to the usual chips and a burger that’s offered in most places! It’s not often that we find somewhere so nice to away supporters but this place couldn’t have done more, big thumbs up to The Swan Hotel.’
Near to the Swan further along Watling/High Street is the Chequers pub which also offers real ale. To get to these pubs from Fenny Stratford station you need to turn left as you step off the train. Walk down to the level crossing turn right for The Swan Hotel and left for The Red Lion. Both pubs are just a couple of minutes from the level crossing’. Also in Fenny Stratford on Aylesbury Street (further down on the right from the Fenny Fish & Chip shop) is the Maltsters pub, which welcomes visiting supporters.
Alternatively, it may be an idea instead to drink on the way or in Milton Keynes itself. There are several bars located adjacent to the main shopping centre (although many of them do not allow fans to wear colours) or within walking distance of Milton Keynes Central Station. If coming out of the station you go straight up to Midsummer Boulevard in front of you, then after around a minute’s walk, you will find a Wetherspoons outlet located on the left.
Around a five-minute drive from Junction 14 of the M1, towards Newport Pagnell, on Interchange Park is the MK Sports Bar & Lounge. This bar has several screens showing Sky Sports, several pool tables, plus it offers food.
Pizza at MK Dons (@MKDonsFC @PapaJohnsUK)
💷 £6 pic.twitter.com/JFDANbj3Sg
— Footy Scran (@FootyScran) February 21, 2024
Pepperoni pizza and a beer at MK Dons (@MKDonsFC)
💷 £5 pizza, £3.60 pint pic.twitter.com/GcvMbD8XZR
— Footy Scran (@FootyScran) November 15, 2021
Inside the stadium, alcohol is available to away fans, these include; Heineken (400ml Bottle), Strongbow (500ml Can), Guinness (520ml Can), Bulmers (330ml Bottle), Concrete Cow ‘Penny Popper’ or Pale Ale (Bottle), Wine (187ml Miniature Bottle) – All £4 each.
Unlike other League Two grounds, you can’t pay at the turnstile at Stadium MK. Tickets are electronic, meaning you have to scan a barcode to gain access into the venue. There is a ticketing office adjacent to the away entrance, where visiting fans can purchase their seats.
There are other turnstiles located in the East, South, West and North parts of the ground for home fans. Notably Gate 4 has the club’s main fanzone just behind it. Around the stadium, there are over 1,500 parking spaces.
Stadium: MK is situated at Denbigh North, just off the A5, south of Central Milton Keynes and just north of Bletchley. It is adjacent to a couple of Retail Parks, as well as an ASDA store and an IKEA, so expect some traffic congestion. For those familiar with the grid road system of Milton Keynes, then the ground is on V6 Grafton Street at the junction with H9 Groveway
Official Club Route (this is signposted from Junction 14 of the M1):
Leave the M1 at Junction 14 and head towards Milton Keynes. Go straight over the first roundabout and at the next (where there is a Total Garage on the corner) turn left onto V11 Tongwell Street. Proceed across one roundabout and at the next turn right onto the H8 Standing Way (A421). Continue along the Standing Way going across several roundabouts. On reaching the Bleak Hall Roundabout turn left into the V6 Grafton Street. At the next roundabout, turn right and the stadium entrance is further down on the left.
Potential alternative/quicker routes
From the North
Leave the M1 at Junction 15 take the A508 towards Milton Keynes and keep going until you reach the A5 roundabout. Take the first exit onto the A5 (direction London). Turn off at the third junction (signposted A421), take the fourth exit at the roundabout onto the V6 Grafton Street (towards Bletchley) and the ground is on the left. Or if you prefer more motorway driving, then continue South on the M1 to Junction 14:
From Junction 14 take the A509 towards Milton Keynes. take the A509 towards and into Milton Keynes. After the big motorway roundabout, turn right at the next roundabout (still A509, also called H5 Portway), then keep going straight on until you reach the A5 roundabout. Turn left onto the A5 (towards London). Turn off at the first junction (signposted A421), take the fourth exit at the roundabout onto the V6 Grafton Street (towards Bletchley) and the ground is on the left.
From the South
Leave the M1 at junction 13 and take the second exit (A421) towards Milton Keynes. At the third roundabout (there’s a BP garage on the right as you approach), take the second exit onto the H9 Groveway. Keep going straight on until you reach the A5 roundabout. Take the second exit at the roundabout onto the V6 Grafton Street (towards Bletchley) and the ground is on the left.
If you are approaching the stadium from the South along the A5, then leave the A5 at the junction of the A421 and you then really can’t miss it.
Please note that the stadium is nowhere near the centre of Milton Keynes. If you do get lost follow directions to Bletchley and/or IKEA.
James a visiting Portsmouth fan adds; ‘If you are a visiting supporter then follow the signs for “football coaches” as this will take you to the back of the stadium which is nearer the away fans’ turnstiles. Following signs for “Stadium MK” will take you round to the front of the ground where most of the parking is for permit holders only. With regards to parking, if you don’t want to pay, and arrive early enough, then you can park on the industrial estate which is on the opposite side of the road, to this rear stadium entrance’.
Car Parking
There are 2,000 car parking spaces at the stadium, which cost £7 per vehicle. Otherwise, you can street park in the Denbigh West industrial estate. After passing the stadium entrance on your left, turn right at the next roundabout, called Granby roundabout, and then take the next turn left, and immediately left again onto the industrial estate called Denbigh West. Don’t be tempted to park at the adjacent Asda Store as it is patrolled on matchdays and you may end up with a £60 parking ticket for your trouble.
Almost opposite the main stadium entrance is another small industrial estate, called Granby, the entrance to which is on Peverel Drive. Again there is some street parking to be had in this area. Near the main road on Peverel Drive, there is Magnet Trade (MK1 1NN). They offer car parking at £5, the proceeds of which are donated to a local charity. There is also the option of renting a private driveway near Stadium MK via YourParkingSpace.co.uk.
Thanks to Dan McCalla for providing the above directions.
Post Code for SAT NAV: MK1 1ST
The nearest railway station is Fenny Stratford which is just over a mile away from Stadium MK, however, this is on the local Bletchley to Bedford line. As you exit the station turn right and at the top of the road turn right onto the main Watling Street. Just go straight along this road and you will see the stadium over on your right.
There is also Bletchley Railway Station which is around about two miles away from the stadium. Surprisingly taxis are scarce outside Bletchley station so best to pre-book one in advance (Skyline 01908 222111 are a local taxi firm). Otherwise, you can embark on the 35-40 minute walk to the stadium. The station is served by trains from London Euston & Birmingham New Street.
Turn left immediately you come out of the station building and continue to and down the steps. At the bottom of the steps turn left and go under the railway bridge. At the roundabout by the Park pub turn left onto Saxon Street. Keep straight on this road and you will eventually reach the stadium. However, you will need to cross over to the other side, as there is only one path beside it. You will pass Bletchley Bus Station on your right and then the Enigma Pub. Go straight across the double mini roundabout following signs for the A5 and you will see the stadium over on your left. Beware though that the walk might not be best made for night games, as there are several underpasses en route. Peter Wood a visiting Doncaster Rovers fan adds; ‘After the match we got a Number 6 Bus back to Bletchley from Saxon Street over the road from the stadium’.
More likely though you will end up at Milton Keynes Central which is around four miles away. There is a taxi rank outside the station (Cost about £10 to the stadium). Or there is a regular Bus Service from outside the station, as Peter Durrant a visiting Plymouth Argyle supporter tells me; ‘There is the Arriva Service No 1, which runs every 30 minutes (on Saturday afternoons) at 11 minutes and 41 minutes past the hour from Milton Keynes Central Rail station. The journey time takes about 20 minutes (and is via the city centre, Oldbrook and the Hospital) to the bus stop of Grafton Street, adjacent to the stadium entrance. The return journey from the Granby, Grafton Street bus stop leaves at 9 and 39 minutes past the hour to MK Central Rail station’. Dan McCalla adds; ‘The number one bus is hourly on midweek evenings. However, you can also catch the Number 6 bus from the station to the stadium. It runs every 20 minutes on Saturday afternoons, and every 20 minutes outbound and then hourly back on midweek evenings.’ Visit the Arriva website to view timetables.
- easyHotel Milton Keynes Central – Saxon Gate Norfolk House, Milton Keynes MK9 2AH England
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Travelodge Milton Keynes at The Hub – 312 Midsummer Boulevard, Milton Keynes MK9 2EA England
MK Dons have no price difference for different category matches so prices remain the same price through the entire stadium except for one stand, the East Centre stand.
Adult: £24-£28
Over 65: £18-£21
U25: £12-£21
U21: £6-£14
U14: £3-£7
U7: £1
When Wimbledon relocated to Milton Keynes their stadium was a huge talking point given it was a brand new build for a brand new town. It wasn’t their first ground under the MK Dons name though; that honour went to the National Hockey Stadium. They played their games there until 2007. Only then was Stadium MK ready for their new team to move in. The ground was built with such high aspirations that no further works have been required in the years since its construction.
For details of disabled facilities and club contact at the ground please visit the relevant page on the Level Playing Field website. If have any queries then you can contact Andy Standen, who is the Disability Liaison Officer at MK Dons. He can be reached on 01908 622999 or by email: [email protected].
Record Attendance
For an MK Dons match:
28,521 v Liverpool
League Cup 3rd Round, 25th September 2019.
Stadium record:
30,048 Fiji v Uruguay
Rugby World Cup, 6th October 2015
Average Attendance
2023-2024: 6,483 (League Two)
2022-2023: 8,462 (League One)
2021-2022: 9,255 (League One)
2020-2021: 174 (Covid) (League One)
2019-2020: 9,246 (League One)
Ground Layout
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
Images
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
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
MK Dons v Sunderland
League 1
Saturday 18th January 2020, 3pm
Guy Rump (Sunderland)
MK Dons v Portsmouth
League 1
Sunday 29th December 2019, 3pm
Michael G (Portsmouth)
MK Dons v MK Dons vs Oxford United 1 Saturday 18th January 2020, 3pm Guy Rump (Sunderland)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the ground itself?
Short trip to the ground so there was a big away following. Oxford were on good form and MK hadn't won in 12, so was sure to be a comfortable day out.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Very easy to get to the complex, but found it very difficult to park. We got to the ground fairly late (30 minutes before kick off) but weren't allowed to park in the main car park, or in the car park of the shops in the complex (understandably). We ended up parking on the street leading to the industrial park, which turned out to be a parking hotspot, and is the best place for an away fan.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
Didn't get there early enough for this.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the stadium?
Great looking pitch and the seats were big, padded seats like at the Emirates. A fantastic ground at full capacity no doubt, but at not even 1/3 it's completely flat and dull.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
It was a big away following, but they split up the fans and cut off the block behind the goal to minimise the away atmosphere. I'd say there were more away fans than home fans, and the home fans were scattered throughout the ground, so there was absolutely no atmosphere what so ever. One fan was standing on the steps, and the steward dealt very well with it.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game
Very easy. 5 minute walk down a path to the car, and easy to get out.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out
Terrible game. Oxford on great form and MK hadn't won in 12, yet we lost 1-0. Lack of atmosphere made it even worse, and the performance was forgettable. Local and pleasant ground, and I would definitely go again, hoping for a more exciting game next time!
MK Dons v Oxford United
League One
Saturday 14th December 2019, 3pm
Rob Pickett (Oxford United)
MK Dons v Rotherham United
League 1
Saturday 23rd November 2019, 3pm
Patrick Harrison (Neutral)
MK Dons v Tranmere Rovers
League 1
Saturday 2nd November 2019, 3pm
Ben Castle (Tranmere Rovers)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Stadium MK?
A ground I’ve never been to so another to tick off my list and another awayday.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
I took the supporters coach which took about three and a bit hours to arrive at Stadium MK.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
I was going to go into the KFC right by the ground but it was too packed and a very long line so I went into the McDonald’s right next to it instead. After that I went for a walk around the ground and popped into their club shop.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Stadium MK?
Stadium MK is a massive ground and is the second biggest in the league. This ground could definitely be a good Premier League ground. It even has comfortable padded seats. The only problem is that it looked empty due to the low attendance (7,171).
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Before you got in the stewards had to check everyone which seemed strange considering it wasn’t a derby or rivalry. We went 1-0 up with Hepburn-Murphy scoring, with the home side equalising before half time but got a man sent off minutes after. Minutes into the second half Hepburn-Murphy got his second to make it 2-1 then got his hat trick goal causing limbs in the away end. Credit to the MK Dons fans who actually sung throughout the game but our 621 fans outsung them all game. The game ended 1-3.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
I got back on the supporters coach which got back to Birkenhead in three and a bit hours.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
I loved my day out to Stadium MK, best awayday so far of the season and will definitely be back when I next get the opportunity.
MK Dons v Liverpool
League Cup 3rd Round
Wednesday 25th September 2019, 7.45pm
Rob Lawler (Liverpool)
MK Dons v Mansfield Town
League 2
Saturday 4th May 2019, 3pm
Mick Kedian (Neutral)
MK Dons v Mansfield Town
League 2
Saturday 4th May 2019, 3pm
Andrew Wood (Mansfield Town)
MK Dons v Lincoln City
League Two
Saturday 6th April 2019, 3pm
Matthew McCaughan (Lincoln City)
MK Dons v Newport County
League Two
Saturday 23rd February 2019, 3pm
David Morris (Newport County)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Stadium MK?
I was interested to see if following an away win at Notts County Newport could get two away wins in a row. Also, I had never been to the MK Dons ground before.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
The postcode MK1 1ST works well and the road signposting is good. Street parking available on nearby industrial estates free of charge.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
Arrived about ten minutes before kick off so straight to the ground.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Stadium MK?
Exactly what I thought it would be like. An impressive new ground close to lots of shops. The seating in the away end is very comfortable and gives an excellent view.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The stewards, ticket sellers and programme sellers are all very friendly and polite. No hostility towards away fans. The home fans don't make much noise. Sadly Newport never looked like winning. MK Dons were awarded a very dodgy penalty which I was delighted Newport saved. Justice was done, but in the second half, the referee ignored a blatant handball by a home side player. Having said that the home side scored twice with well-worked goals whereas in the second half especially Newport got themselves into plenty of scoring positions but were rubbish in front of goal. Sorry, but they only had themselves to blame. They must try a lot harder especially from set pieces.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Very easy indeed. Big wide doors to exit the stadium. Not a hint of trouble at or near the ground. No problems with traffic.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
I was expecting to get confused if not lost even, trying to find the ground but it was easy. Like all new stadiums, the venue lacks character but there is a friendly atmosphere and yes I would go again.
MK Dons v Crewe Alexandra
League 2
Saturday 19th January 2019, 3pm
Roger (Crewe Alexandra)
MK Dons v Colchester United
League Two
Saturday 12th December 2018, 3pm
Andrew Weston (Colchester United)
MK Dons v Exeter City
League 2
Saturday 25th August 2018
Steve Ellis (Exeter City)
Why were you looking forward to going to Stadium MK?
This was a new ground for me plus the club have started well. The match was also a first reunion with the former City manager and players.
How easy was your journey and finding the ground?
The journey to the ground was straightforward, leaving Exeter leaving at 08.30 and arriving just after 1.20 with The coach dropping us off right outside the ground
What did you do before the game, pub, chippy….home fans friendly?
After buying my programme for £3.50, I went to TGI Fridays just opposite the away end for a couple of drinks. The home fans I encountered seemed okay.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end and then other sides of Stadium MK?
From the outside, Stadium MK looks impressive. Away fans are housed in the North Stand, with the Stadium all enclosed and no restricted views. The padded seats are also very welcome rather than wooden or plastic seats.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, refreshments etc.
The game was average with chances at both ends, going in 0-0 at half time. MK Dons eventually went on to win 1-0. The atmosphere was non-existent, even with both sets of supporters singing, The stewards were okay. Hot food is averagely priced at £3.80, I had “mom’s fabulous hot dog”, which was not great. Hot drinks are a bit expensive at £2.20, alcoholic beverages priced from £4.00 from the small bar on the concourse, I had a bottle of ale which was not great. The toilets were clean
Comments on getting away from the ground after the game.
Getting away afterwards, the coach was waiting where it dropped us off, but the ground is easy to get away from. We got back to Exeter 10.30pm
Attendance: 7,672 apparently (989 away)
MK Dons v Grimsby Town
League 2
Tuesday 21st August 2018, 7.45pm
Kevin Dixon (Grimsby Town)
MK Dons v Doncaster Rovers
League One
Saturday 14th April 2018, 3pm
Jack Jones (Doncaster Rovers fan)
MK Dons v Charlton Athletic
League One
Saturday 17th February 2018, 3pm
James Butler (Charlton Athletic fan)
MK Dons v Plymouth Argyle
League One
Tuesday 26th December 2017, 3pm
Bryan Davis (Plymouth Argyle fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Stadium MK?
As we live near Ledbury this is a relatively close ground for us and you just have to go to support your team on Boxing Day!
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
It was easy enough travelling across country on a lovely sunny morning. The ground is located on the edge of Milton Keynes and was signposted from our direction. It has plenty of car parking around it (along with retail and plenty of food outlets) so all good. There is the opportunity to park on the adjacent trading estates, but we took the easy option and paid the £7 for car parking adjacent to the ground. I’m not sure how anyone would know if you were at the football or shopping if you parked elsewhere by the shops etc, but I didn’t want to risk a ticket.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
We went to Frankie & Bennys for lunch which is right next to the ground, there were several other food places there also. We didn’t actually see any home fans to speak to.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Stadium MK?
Stadium MK is a very smart and impressive facility as I suppose is reasonable to expect from a purpose-built stadium and would not be out of place in the higher leagues. We didn’t walk it all, but it looked to be the same all round. The pitch is below ground level so that when you walk in you are at the top of the lower tier of seating. The views of the action are excellent and the first row of seats are quite close to the touch/bye lines. Padded seats are a nice luxury too.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc.
Argyle have had a decent run after a disastrous start to the season while MK Dons had struggled a bit of late. Both teams started quite well and it was honours even for the first 15 minutes. Until Lameiras crossed to Gary Sawyer who finished very well to score his first Argyle goal since Boxing Day 2009. The rest of the game seemed fairly even although Argyle created better chances. What opportunities MK Dons had they struggled to get on target. Kelle Roos didn’t have much to do in goal on what turned out to be his last appearance of a loan spell at Argyle – Thank you Kelle for doing a great job over the four games you played.
Given that the ground holds 30,000 and officially there were 8,324 home fans and 944 supporting Argyle there was an awful lot of empty seats. As usual the Argyle support was quite loud but not so much coming from the MK Dons fans, maybe because of all the space around them.
We didn’t have any issues with the stewards but there were screens preventing a view of the pitch from the concourse, so you couldn’t see the game (this seemed to only for the away end) which had restarted after half time while waiting an age to get a cuppa, so I missed the first 10 minutes of the second half. The queue for refreshments was ridiculous – 20 minutes to get a cup of tea.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
As the carpark is right by the ground and a main road network, it was easy to get away.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
A good day out. Stadium MK is easy to get to and from and is a very nice facility which I’m sure would have a great atmosphere if it were full. Not the most exciting game I’ve been to but three points none the less. The long slow queue for refreshments was the only negative aspect of the day.
MK Dons v Maidstone United
FA Cup Second Round
Saturday 2nd December 2017, 3pm
Georgina Hawkes (Maidstone United fan)
MK Dons v Bradford City
Football League One
Saturday 7th October 2017, 3pm
Neil (Bradford City fan)
MK Dons v Oxford United
Football League One
Saturday 2nd September 2017, 3pm
John Russell (Oxford United fan)
MK Dons v Wigan Athletic
Football League One
Saturday 5th August 2017, 3pm
Ben Hurst (Wigan Athletic fan)
MK Dons v Scunthorpe United
Football League One
Saturday 14th April 2017, 3pm
Charlie Betts (Scunthorpe United fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Stadium MK?
Stadium MK has been on my radar for a while so the opportunity to go there in the league was enticing. Plus, as the first of our four vital season-ending games this match had a real standing on our league outcome.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
The journey was relatively easy, although long. Setting off from Scunthorpe at 10am and with 2 service stops we arrived at 13:55. The stadium is easy enough to find but some of the four or five lane roundabouts caught us off guard. We parked in a nearby industrial estate as the stadium parking is both congested and expensive.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
We arrived with and hour or so to spare so nipped to the nearby Asda for the loo and after a quick lap of the stadium went into the ground. The area outside the ground has a few restaurants but no obvious pubs or anything. We didn't speak to any home fans but there was no trouble so that speaks for itself.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Stadium MK?
I thought wow. Stadium MK is an impressive build, with the two-tiered seating making for an amazing look. The concourse was spacious and carpeted, odd for a football ground. Only one tier was used and was not even nearly full, only a quarter full at best; this lead to a silent, hushed feeling with me naturally hushing my voice at times due to the absolute lack of soul to it.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The game was a 1-0 win for us but not in the most thrilling a fashion, neither of us threatened goal for large periods and our header off a free kick was early leading to a very dull second half. Nonetheless, after the game begun the previously mentioned silence in the stadium partly evaporated for us as our fans were singing throughout, I suspect that the opposite side of the stadium could not hear us as it is hard to project in such an empty stadium. Around 30,000 seats and only 9,000 were at the game with only our 600 making any noise at all. I couldn't help feeling that if they could fill this ground it would be the best place to come to in League One, maybe even the whole Football League. Despite the club's reputation the food was well priced for away fans and the stewards were friendly. And, when we did sit down the seats were very comfy, padded and springy. To finalise, we could even hear the players shout out on the pitch which in a stadium of Premier League size is poor.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
It was easy enough, traffic was surprisingly minimal and we got out of Milton Keynes easily, the journey home was traffic free and we got home at 9 pm.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Very good day out and a vital 3 points to sustain out play-off place and you never know, maybe an automatic. The Stadium MK ground is amongst the best in the league but for a club like MK who average 9000 each week in is way too big for them, it pains be to say it, but a club with the support of Sheffield United or Bradford City would make this ground a formidable place to come.
MK Dons v Rochdale AFC
Football League One
Saturday 11th March 2017, 3pm
Mark Rigby (Rochdale fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Stadium MK?
I have never been to Stadium MK before but heard from a few supporters how impressed they were with the stadium on their previous visits. So I was looking forward to the visit.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
The journey down from Rochdale was a leisurely affair giving plenty of time for the usual roadworks and hold ups. We departed Rochdale at 9.15am and arrived at the ground just after 12.30pm with a couple of stops at the services for a brew and toilet break. Stadium MK was easy to find and well signposted. Car parking was well signed and marshalled but at a cost of £7 it is a little on the expensive side.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
We met the Rochdale team coach as it arrived and watched the players and staff enter the ground. There was a burger van in the car park selling rather tasty burgers and are highly recommended. We had a look in the club shop which was well stocked before walking around the stadium to the away entrance. The locals created a friendly atmosphere and there was a 'fun day' taking place in the car park with motorcycles, a fire engine, army recruitment stand and a band of drummers!
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Stadium MK?
Having heard a few fans rave about the stadiums appearance, I have to say I was slightly disappointed when I first saw it from the outside. For me it is too modern looking; like a cross between a posh gents toilet and an airport terminal. Entrance to the stadium was well policed and entry was via bar code readers on the turnstiles. However when I entered the stadium proper I was very impressed. You enter into a concourse where the toilets and food kiosks are housed. The seating offered an unrestricted view no matter where you are seated and the seats are wide and padded with plenty of leg room. Only the lower tier was used for this match due to the attendance.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The PA system was a little loud for my liking and you had to shout to make yourself heard but it was slightly quieter on the concourse. The food kiosks had the usual fayre and prices were comparable to other grounds. The atmosphere was good given the attendance of just over 10,000. Rochdale played well and bossed the first half and went in at half time 0-1 to the good. MK Dons equalised with their first real chance of the match before Dale retook the lead in the 87th minute only for the home side to get an injury time equaliser. The match finished 2-2.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Getting away from the ground was easy with cones and 'stop, go' signs to aid congestion. We were soon on the motorway on our way north. Unfortunately we had some traffic problems on the return journey being stationary on the M6 for 20 minutes. I arrived home at 9pm.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
A thoroughly good day out at Stadium MK! If you like modern architecture then this is the ground for you!
MK Dons v Wallsall
Football English League One
Saturday 12th November 2016, 3pm
Thomas Inglis (Dundee United FC)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Stadium MK?
Visiting Stadium MK was to be the 68th English ground visited for me. Also having looked at the pictures and reports on this website it looked pretty decent.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
I got the Megabus on Friday night from Dundee to London Victoria, arriving early Saturday morning, then the tube to Euston followed by train to Milton Keynes. I then walked up to the shopping mall and got No. 6 bus to stadium and bought my ticket. Standard enough journey for me.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
I had a look around shopping mall, bus to ground to buy ticket. I then walked down to Fenny Sratford, firstly going into 'The Swan' pub for a pint. There were home and away fans in here, mixing freely and chatting away, all very friendly. I put a bet on in bookies, and another couple of pints in 'Maltsters' and 'the Bull and Butcher'.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Stadium MK?
I walked all the way round Stadium MK and it does look very good. Once inside it is even more impressive, all seated, an all enclosed bowl effect. There are wide concourses, and all looks totally uniform and big screen TV at each corner. Simply a fantastic modern stadium.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Walsall had most of the early pressure and deservedly took the lead around the half hour mark with a header from Laird. They also had a few other near misses, with the dons not too threatening. The home side came more into the game in the second half and they did equalise in the 90th minute with a great flashing drive from the edge of the box from Bowditch. Hardly a need for stewards as everything is well signed, and there is loads of room to find your bearings. Toilets and all facilities very good. Before the game I had a coffee, steak and ale pie and crisps for £6 – all pretty good stuff.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
I got the No.6 bus back to shopping mall area with no issues, had a pint in Wetherspoons. Then back into London before returning to Dundee for Sunday morning.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
My 'day' out is actually a few hours of Friday night, all day Saturday and a bit of Sunday morning. I enjoyed the game, as always. Stadium MK is definitely one of the best of the recent ones visited. £151.80 back on my bet just made the day even better!
MK Dons v Bristol Rovers
Football League One
Tuesday 18th October 2016, 7.45pm
Richard Francis (Bristol Rovers fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Stadium MK?
Living in Warwick it was fairly local to myself (if you can call 55 miles away local). Apparently Rovers new ground (when it's built ) is going to be modelled on the same design or close as, but with 8,000 less capacity.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
It was very easy to find the stadium as Milton Keynes is comprised of a mass of lettered/numbered grid squares so you can't get lost. This being an evening game we managed to park literally opposite Stadium MK, on an industrial estate street, which saved the £7 on site parking.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Stadium MK?
On entering the ground it felt like we were playing away in the cup, as the stadium seemed fit for Premiership. All the seating is cushioned with extra leg room, to be honest I couldn't fault the stadium in any what at all.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Out of a crowd of 8,500 or so we took around 1,000 and made plenty of noise. Unfortunately like many grounds we visit the home fans needed a drummer to get the 1 or 2 locals to open there mouths. Back to the game we were two down at the break and could easily have been five. But within a minute of the second half starting we had pulled one back. Dons hit a third and the drum banged again and they locals started to chant "We want 4" and thought there first home win was on the cards. But the gas boys struck in the 87 and 88 minutes we all went mad and we snatched a draw (how I'll never know).
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Getting away from the ground was simple and straight forward and was home just dead on 11pm after leaving ground at 9.40pm.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Stadium MK is a Top ground especially for our division. We snatched a draw which we DID NOT deserve. And Bristol city lost on the same evening, so what more could I say. A very happy Gashead .
MK Dons v Bristol Rovers
Football League One
Tuesday 18th October 2016, 7.45pm
Nino (Bristol Rovers fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Stadium MK?
As Milton Keynes was not too far to travel for an evening away game and with MK Dons having one of the nicer grounds in the division. It was one, me and my friends were looking forward too.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Easy to get to, although stuck in a little rush hour traffic passing Oxford. The stadium is well signposted as you get nearer to Milton Keynes. We parked in the complex directly by the stadium for £7.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
We went into T.G.I Friday's and had a few pints in there. Didn't really see any home fans mainly Rovers fans with the same idea as us, but was ideal as the stadium entrance for away fans is directly opposite.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Stadium MK?
As you approach Stadium MK, it looks impressive; sleek and smart. As we got inside the stadium the view and ground itself is impressive. There was also lots of leg room.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
As much as I would love my club to have a stadium similar to this hopefully soon. I feel that 30,500 all seated stadium, with only 8,000 people there makes the ground feel bare and empty. I didn't eat in the ground as there are so many food outlets outside the stadium to choose from. Stewards were friendly full of smiles. The atmosphere was a little quiet due to how we played to start off with, going 2-0 down, but we soon had something to cheer about, pulling one back just after half time. After conceding another to make it 3-1 and with time running out, it looked like it was all over for the Gas. But from somewhere we scored two goals in two minutes just before the end to rescue a point!
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Traffic was queuing to get out the car park so we had a cheeky bite to eat in KFC and by the time we had finished, we were straight out the car park and on our way home without a problem.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
After being 2-0 down in twenty minutes I did wonder why I came here?. But the way in which we fought back and as the manager put it "robbed a point" made the drive home bearable. All in all Stadium MK is an impressive ground, as well as easy to get to and find. I would certainly visit again. I just feel the stadium size is too big for the current support.
MK Dons v Nottingham Forest
Football Championship League
Saturday 7th May 2016, 12.30pmDate 05-07-2016
Carole Andrews (Nottingham Forest fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Stadium MK?
We don't get to many away matches as my husband works away from home and only get back for the home games, so we were looking forward to the last match of the season. As MK Dons were already relegated we were looking forward to seeing the ground this season as the reviews on the website were very good.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
We travelled on one of the many official supporters coaches leaving the City Ground at 9.45am. Traffic around the MK Dons Stadium was horrendous and we eventually arrived only half an hour before kick off.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
Unfortunately we had no time to do anything as we were so late arriving and as so we went straight into the ground from the coach.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Stadium MK?
As we approached the stadium on the coach it was quite impressive for what was effectively a League One side. Inside the seats were very comfortable and we were on the second to back row of the upper tier so the view was excellent. I felt a little closed in as the stadium is a complete circle and also it gave the impression that the pitch was smaller than normal.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
As we had some 4,000 fans there the atmosphere at the away end was brilliant and as we won the game 2-1, with only ten men, we were all very happy going home. The stewards were very helpful when asked for assistance in finding our seats. We didn't buy any food as we had taken our own. Toilets were good with plenty of room to queue!
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
The only downside for me was the bit of a crush walking back to the one and only exit in the North Stand. We were sat at the far end of the North Stand in the corner and had to walk the length of the stand to get out along with the other 3,998 forest fans! I commented that I hoped there was never ever going to be a need for an emergency evacuation.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
We thoroughly enjoyed our day out in Buckinghamshire and were glad we went to Stadium MK where we enjoyed the atmosphere, football and their excellent facilities.
MK Dons v Brentford
Football Championship League
Saturday 23rd April 2016, 3pm
Fred Martin (Brentford fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Stadium:MK?
My wife and I are Brentford season ticket holders and we try to do five or six away games during the season. We had not visited StadiumMK before and thought as it was only about 80 miles from our Surrey home, this one was a good shout, especially as the Bees in the middle of a good run and were safe from relegation.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
We had a surprisingly good run via A3/M25/M1. The ground and stadium car park were very clearly marked.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
Arriving quite early, we walked around the multitude of shops close to the ground, we were wearing our Brentford colours and passed quite a few Dons fans but never felt threatened or saw any problems.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of StadiumMK?
We had bought our tickets at Brentford FC and were randomly allocated seats in Row WW which we found was right at the back of the upper tier away end. The stewards jokingly asked if we had bought our oxygen masks! Initially we thought of asking to be moved to seats lower down but we stayed and got used to it quite quickly. The seats were very comfortable with plenty of legroom.The stadium itself was very impressive.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
It was a good day for Bees as we won 4-1, and as you might expect, the away fans were buoyant. I did feel somewhat sorry for the MK Dons fans though as Bees victory sealed their relegation fate.This made for a rather flat general atmosphere in the stadium.with many Dons fans leaving long before the final whistle. The stewards were friendly and the Ricotta and Spinach Pie that we had was among the best we have had at any football ground. The facilities were first class.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
We had been given the impression that getting away from the stadium car park would be difficult but we found no problem at and in fact were back on the M1 in what seemed no time at all.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
The journey both ways, the impressive stadium and the result made it a thoroughly enjoyable day out for both of us.
MK Dons v Brighton and Hove Albion
Football Championship League
Saturday 19th March 2016, 3pm
Samuel Theodoridi (Brighton and Hove Albion fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Stadium:mk?
We've been doing quite well this season, and I decided that I was going to try and go to every game from Leeds United at home on the 29th February to QPR on the 19th April. Tickets were considerably cheaper for this game as MK Dons were running a family day at the ground. I booked my tickets alongside my tickets for Preston and my excitement only increased further when it became clear how many (over 7,000) Brighton would be taking to Milton Keynes.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
I got the supporters coach from Broadwater Green in Worthing at 10 am and we were in Milton Keynes by 1pm. We had about 3 or 4 get off of the coach just outside Milton Keynes so they could get to a pub before the game, which based on this guide, is a 35 minute walk from Stadium MK. We had an issue trying to work out where to park, as in the literature provided to the driver, MK Dons didn't make it clear that the sign for football coaches would take us to just outside the ground. (Someone had helpfully suggested that the signs for Football coaches it would take us miles away from stadium:mk.)
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
I went to the McDonald's before the game which was packed by Brighton and MK Dons fans. The KFC next door was much the same, and actually even worse. As there were no seats inside I had to eat outside and it was absolutely freezing!
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Stadium:mk?
I thought the ground looked very smart and modern on the outside, with reflective black panelling adorning the walls. Once inside I thought the concourses were very wide and spacious even if the loo's weren't the cleanest! I didn't stop for a pie or a drink however and I went straight to my seat. The view is fantastic from the upper tier, and the ground is very spacious with plenty of leg room and padded seats to boot. The PA had The Beatles playing and It was very enjoyable listening to that.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
It's safe to say that the first half wont win any awards for excitement, 0-0. The second half though, 3 Goals and two penalties (one missed), a red card, a goal ruled out for offside and a number of other chances missed. It was the complete opposite of the first half! Brighton won the match 2-1.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
All 7,034 of us stood their congratulating the players and chanting about us going up, the atmosphere was electric. Getting away was no issue, straight on the coach and away in 10-15 minutes. We had to take another route that we would have used normally as there had been a collision and the road was closed.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
A very, very enjoyable day and one I hope will repeat itself many times again this season.
MK Dons v Queens Park Rangers
Football Championship League
Saturday 5th March 2016, 3pm
James Walker (Queens Park Rangers fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Stadium:MK?
I was looking forward to this game because I've been to Stadium:MK before and have enjoyed it as an away day. However I have never previously been here since the top tier was installed so it would be interesting to see how the view from the top tier was like and whether it had improved the stadium.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
My mates dad drove us for this one and dropped us off at the City Centre before. From there, it was simply a case of hop on the Number 6 bus straight to the stadium (which took about 20 minutes). There are plenty of car parking spaces around the ground but I don't know if you need to book them in advance or not.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
Before the game we went round to the front of the stadium to see the players from both sides arrive. After that it was a case of heading to the club shop to get a badge (£3.50) and the matchday programme (£3) and going in to the stadium. We didn't speak to many home fans before the game.
External View
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away section then other sides of the MK Dons stadium?
I've always been quietly impressed with Stadium:MK but it looks so much better now it's complete in my opinion. The concourse is lovely and spacious with plenty of tea bars, whilst the padded seats are a huge bonus, and the legroom can only be described as perfection.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
From our point of view, the game was very poor as we failed to work David Martin in the Milton Keynes Dons goal at all all game, and only the Dons poor play meant the half time score was a largely forgettable 0-0.
View From Our Seats
Karl Robinson must've shoved a rocket up the backsides of his players during the break as the Dons came out all guns blazing at the start of the second half and had several great chances before Dean Lewington was allowed the freedom of Milton Keynes to pick his corner and slot home in the 49th minute. More half chances came for both sides with neither keeper being worked until the Dons were awarded a very fortunate penalty 5 minutes from time, but thankfully Alex Smithies kept out Josh Murphy's poor penalty. However this did nothing for us as the referee awarded the hosts another very harsh penalty deep on to stoppage time which Ben Reeves converted to seal the win for the hosts.
The steak pies here were delicious and cost £3.50. MK Dons actually gave out a choice of pies for QPR supporters to vote for their favourite choice which I felt was a fantastic idea. Another great approach they had was at full time you could buy leftover pies for just £1 to eat on the way home, so another steak pie came my way.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Getting out was easy as we cam out and crossed over to Ikea next door to meet our transport home, meaning we cut out the stadium traffic which was stationary.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Overall a day to forget for us, with an awful game and a result to match. I will though definitely return next season if MK Dons manage to avoid relegation, although it will be a fixture that I won't have much confidence about a positive result.
Half Time Score: MK Dons 0-0 QPR
Full Time Result: MK Dons 2-0 QPR
Attendance: 14,796 (3,664 away fans)
MK Dons v Bristol City
Football Championship League
Saturday 20th February 2016, 3pm
Keith Farrow (Bristol City fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Stadium:MK?
After a few good recent results and a new manager, this was an opportunity for a six pointer. My daughter came home from University to go with me and it was my 60th Birthday!
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Easy journey from our home in Wiltshire, set sat nav for Denbigh Road. There we were able to easily find street parking just a 5-10 minute walk from the ground.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
Nice thing about this stadium is that there are a choice of places to go beforehand. Right next to the ground there is a Nandos, Prezzo, Frankie & Benny's, Pizza Express, Bella Italia, McDonalds and our choice of eateries TGI Fridays. We got there about 1.15pm and had about a ten minute wait for a table, busy, but not too bad. Fans mixed well and there was no problem wearing club colours.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Stadium:MK?
From the exterior the MK Dons Stadium looks the part. Purpose built, modern and well looked after. Access was easy, stewards were friendly. We entered through gate 3 and were directed to the upper tier. This is where the disappointment started. We took 2,200 fans out of a total attendance of around 12,000. But stuck up in the top tier and spread out around a quarter of the ground was not what we expected. The seats however are as good as anywhere, padded, well proportioned with good knee room.
View Of Stadium:MK From Our Seats
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Well, atmosphere- what atmosphere? It is clearly a ploy of MK Dons to try and neutralise visiting fans by putting them up in the roof and spread out in a shallow band. It makes it almost impossible to generate any kind of atmosphere. The home fans are spread out all around the lower tier and generate no noise at all that we could hear. In fact the only banter going on, was between opposite ends or our own fans! MK Dons may think shutting down the noise of away fans benefits the home team, but it will kill the game. It was the most soulless match I have ever been to.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Getting out of the ground was easy, it seemed that those who chose to park in the car parks at the ground had a huge wait to get out. We had no such problem from the nearby industrial estate.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Well, we won 2-0. Two goals from Kodjia settling the game. Frankly MKD never looked like scoring, so result wise it was a good day. But this is not traditionally a football town and if they continue sanitise the stadium like this, then it never will be.
MK Dons v Leeds United
Championship League
Saturday 19th September 2015, 3pm
Allan Caley (Leeds United fan)
Why were you looking forward to visiting Stadium:mk?
I had never visited Stadium:mk before. Plus with over 6,300 other Leeds supporters making the trip, then the prospect of a great atmosphere was expected.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Driving to the ground was straightforward. Arriving at about 12:15pm we were able to find a parking spot to the east of the stadium on a street on an industrial estate and didn't have to pay a penny (That's good news for a Yorkshireman 🙂
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
We went for a bite to eat in TGI Fridays which is located right behind the North Stand (Away end). The home fans we encountered were friendly. The shopping complex around the stadium is unreal; you have lots of non-footy folks wandering around,. goodness know what they thought of the thousands of 'very noisy & boisterous' Leeds fans all over the place. I must add that there was no trouble at any time before, during or after the match as far as I could see.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the stadium?
A very impressive stadium 🙂
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
A very good game with very good 2-1 win for Leeds (though to honest we didn't deserve all 3 points). Atmosphere was outstanding as always. Facilities were good though the toilets had very few urinals in there. I didn't buy any food or drink inside the ground.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Very easy exit from the ground and was back at the car within 15 minutes of the final whistle and back on the M1 heading north about 15 minutes later.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
A thoroughly good day out and would not hesitate to go again.
Milton Keynes Dons v Bolton Wanderers
Championship League
Tuesday 18th August 2015, 7.45pm
Matthew Bowling (Bolton Wanderers fan)
Why were you looking forward to visiting Stadium:mk?
Simply because it was a new ground and it was also my first away game of the season.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
The journey down wasn't too bad although we did get into traffic around Birmingham, otherwise fine. We were advised to park on the industrial estate opposite Stadium:mk which we did.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
When we parked up we went straight into the stadium so we could put our flag up. We then had a wander around, read the matchday programme and grabbed a drink.
What were your thoughts on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides Stadium:mk?
I thought the stadium looked great from both the outside and inside. Stadium MK is the only ground I know where they have open gangways and you can clearly see the pitch from the lower tier but so not much from the upper tier, where we were seated. Overall the stadium is impressive, including four large screens inside the stadium and padded seats.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The game wasn't very exciting despite that we we better in the first half than MK Dons and we were annoyed to go in half time at 0-0. We knew we had to score in the first half to have any chance of taking 1 or 3 points away. MK picked it up in the second half and they deservedly took the lead and won the game.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game
We left the seats just a minute or two before the whistle and we didn't really have many problems from leaving the ground. But getting home was a nightmare as every motorway seemed to be closed or had roadworks on that night.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out :
I was impressed of the stadium and the facilities inside. The game itself was a let down and not worth the 200 mile journey down from Lancashire. Overall, 6/10.
MK Dons v Preston North End
League One
Saturday, 7th March 2015, 3pm
Paul Willott (Preston North End fan)
When dawn breaks on a day where 2nd is to play 3rd in any league, its an exciting day. When that day is in March towards the business end of the season, the spiciness is raised from a madras to a vindaloo, and even more so when a mere point separates the two sides in question.
Only a month previously, the gap between the two sides had seemed too great ; Preston had sat some nine points adrift of the MK Dons and even when I got the phone call whilst I navigates the outskirts of Reims to say we’d finally got a league win back under our belts against Coventry City I thought that the play-offs were the best we could realistically hope for.
What a difference a month can make.
And so with the sun shining and temperatures reaching the dizzy heights of 15 degrees celcius, my girlfriend and I jumped in the car and rattled up from Kent, around the M25 and struck north. The only slight on the journey was my idea to leave the M1 early and take the A5 up to the ground from Junction 9 on the M1. This was to prove a bad idea, as the town centre of Dunstable lies in wait for the unsuspecting, and what a truly dreadful traffic nightmare that proved to be.
Fortunately as we had departed with plenty of time to spare it caused no overall problem, but its not a route I’ll take again. We easily found some free parking in the industrial units just across the main road from the ASDA store next to the ground once we had arrived at Stadium MK, and then headed towards the ground on foot.
Stadium:mk
The last time I’d visited the ground, the supermarket was only in finishing stages of construction, and the cinema complex and retail outlets flanking the stadium to the north hadn’t even been started which speaks volumes for the speed of development around this neck of the woods. We decided to pop into the ASDA for some supplies and noted as we did so that not only were the good burghers of Bletchley spoilt with such a giant store, but that the car parking areas were being quite keenly patrolled by security to deter match day parking, so car users, take note!
We trundled up to the box office to acquire our tickets and then bimbled round to the away turnstiles, soaking up the stadium and the atmosphere of expectation as we did so.
The stadium itself still looks brand new from the outside, with the extra finishing of tiles as opposed to basic cladding just adding to the sense that little expense has been spared. Once through the quite rigorous security, we had a brief throw back to our alpine adventures of February as the barcode reading automated turnstiles at Stadium MK are provided by “Skidata”; a firm more commonly found displaying their wares in Crans Montana or Verbier!!
Now that the interior of the ground has had the seating fitted to its upper tier, it does give a far more complete feel to what is a fantastic stadium. Comfortable padded seats, plenty of leg room, a good view of the playing action; it’s a stadium that would not look out of place in the top flight, except that is for the lack of support perhaps. Given that the match was such a crunch fixture, the crowd of approximately 10,000 didn’t really do justice to the venue, and I’d guesstimate that the travelling support itself was in the region of over 2,000, so I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions. One thing I would pick out though was that the stewards seemed a little over zealous to see that we actually sat in the seat numbers we’d been allocated. Some may agree entirely with such a policy, and fair enough if you do, but personally I’m more a fan of getting there early and just picking seats to suit.
Looking Over At The East Stand
As the minutes ticked down to kick-off, the noise level amongst the away support grew ever louder, but not a peep of any significance could be heard from the home support. I don’t want to re-open the vexed debate about the emergence of the club in question, save to say I recognise that they have come some way in terms of support when you examine the fact that hardly anybody followed them up from South-West London, but equally there is still more fan-base building to be done and really it needs to be done to justify the rather magnificent stadium that the club has been equipped with.
The match itself was, from a Preston North End perspective, simply fantastic. We seemed to settle on the ball far more quickly, kept a very disciplined shape at the back that restricted the home side to precious little bar speculative long range shots, and even Karl Robinson, MK Dons manager admitted that by the second half, it had become men against boys. My only concern really was as the hour mark arrived that it may become one of those afternoons when we did everything but score, but 10 minutes later we were jumping ecstatically as goals from Callum Robinson and the prolific Joey Garner had put us into a 2-0 lead that we were not to relinquish.
In fact, such a one sided contest it had become, even an eternal pessimist such as myself was staring to relax with a sense of “job done” with still 10 minutes on the clock.
The final whistle was a moment we savoured. Many a time over the years I’ve heard older men saying “same old North End; never up for the crunch” as we’ve trooped disconsolately out of a ground after a key match has gone away from us, so to be there on one of those perfect moments when we most definitely were up for the crunch was a rich taste indeed. At 3pm that afternoon we had been 2nd place and one point above our opponents; we were now four points above them. Although we know that its only one match, and with some 10 games still to play, it may in the end prove insignificant, we still enjoy the moment. I think any football fan outside the elite does.
We took our time to exit the stadium, and then decided to pop across into the cinema and take in a film whilst the traffic sorted itself out.
For those who love the old fashioned grounds with floodlight pylons and compact town or city centre suroundings, then the Stadium MK could be the anti-christ. It's far away from any established centre of civilisation or transport hub, and looks very much the ultra-modern multi-purpose event stadium. But its got to be afforded the plaudits that in terms of comfort, facilities, and safety its as good a ground as you’re going to get for watching football. It simply now deserves an atmosphere and support base worthy of the thought, expense, and consideration that went into designing such a stadium.
If I could give two tips to visiting fans it would be these:
1. Check cinema listings before you leave and decide what takes your fancy so you can take in a film after the match whilst the traffic dissipates
2. Arrive early, even ridiculously early. There is plenty of free parking to be had across from the football ground, and the time can spent in Ikea, Asda, or any of the eateries adjoining the cinema
MK Dons v Swindon Town
League One
Saturday, 1 November 2014, 3pm
Ronan Howard (Swindon Town fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
For various reasons this was to be my first away game of the season, and as one of the better grounds in the league, one to look forward to. At a 170 mile round trip, this wasn’t the closest but by no means the furthest away either, and being a Saturday kick off couldn’t be passed on. Our form had dipped of late but a surprise 3-0 away win at Chesterfield midweek had left us third in the table and feeling confident of getting something before kick off.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Thought long and hard about driving or taking the train as both had their pros and cons but eventually opted for the latter as didn’t fancy a darkened jaunt around the M25 at this time of year. The train journey from Basingstoke was itself fairly straightforward – there was engineering work on the tube that weekend and so I opted to take a direct service to Clapham Junction and a further direct train to Bletchley. It was roughly two hours each way on the train with a half hour wait on the platform at Clapham Junction either side
Tip – Bletchley railway Station itself is probably walkable in the right conditions (it’s sign posted the whole way), however getting into winter I didn’t really fancy trekking alongside a dual carriageway in the dark – a tip therefore is to walk left out of Bletchley railway Station, down the steps, under the railway bridge, turn left onto Saxon Way, cross at the lights into Bletchley Bus Station, and take a number 1 bus (for Newport Pagnell) and get off two stops down at Mount Farm Dawson Road. This will drop you straight across the road from the rear of the stadium, close to the away end. Cross to the other side of the road after the match and you can take the reverse journey back to Bletchley Bus Station. The bus ride takes around five minutes (as long as there’s little traffic) rather than a 30-40 minute walk, which could be quite treacherous in the evenings.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy…. home fans friendly?
Had a couple in the Engima Tavern and chatted to a few locals, friendly bunch and had some good conversations about our thoughts on the upcoming match.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
From the outside the ground is fairly imposing but lacks a bit of character – however it is quite impressive inside now that the upper tier of seating’s been added, and the playing surface looked very good. Excellent views and comfortable seating, although this did mean our away support was sat down and didn’t seem in best voice – possibly too relaxed as it felt like watching a match from an armchair!
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Swindon got off to a reasonably good start, scoring a goal in the first five minutes. We held our own going into the break, but the home side were far more up for it than us in the second, and struck twice within ten minutes early on. We battled away trying to get forward but never quite had the cutting edge, and fair play to MK, they wanted it more on the day and were deserved winners.
Many have said to me before that the ground lacks atmosphere, but for the first time in a long while I saw us outsung for most of the match by the home supporters, their home form being very good probably helping matters. We were unusually quite but didn’t have much to cheer about in the second half.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Got a lift with a friend back to Bletchley station – however he was parked in the official car park at the ground which is a bit of a nightmare getting out of, took over half an hour before we were back onto the main road. May be advisable if driving to park in the industrial estate nearby.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Not a good day for our team and could have been easier getting home, however the stadium is a quality one, there’s a decent enough atmosphere from the home fans and the pitch is suited to a proper footballing side as both were on the day. Would definitely go again, although it would be a very late finish for an evening kick off.
MK Dons v Coventry City
League One
Saturday, 23 August 2014, 3pm
Alex Smith (Coventry City fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
Milton Keynes is always a fixture I look out for when the fixtures are released as its such an impressive ground and the travelling Coventry City fans always take a lot of supporters down to Stadium:MK. We had sold 3,000 tickets in advance with another 1,000 being available at Stadium:MK to buy on the day. Plus and our fans were in the party atmosphere as the day before the match the news of our return to the Ricoh Arena had been announced so a good atmosphere from the City fans was guaranteed.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
We chose to travel by train as you can get a direct train to Milton Keynes from Coventry. Plus with the journey time being less than an hour the cost of rail tickets were fairly reasonable (we paid price £34.66 for 3 adults and 1 child) so the journey is not very complected at all.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy…. home fans friendly?
Whenever we play Milton Keynes we drink in a area called Fenny Stratford, that is almost village like and is not too far away from the stadium. We decided to get a taxi from Milton Keynes Station and this cost £10 to Fenny. We went to The Chequers pub before and after the match and the Landlord was okay with us bringing in fish and chips from a nearby chip shop. The pub has screens with both Sky and BT Sport, so we watched the Aston Villa V Newcastle and Ipswich V Norwich matches whilst tucking in to our chips. As the day progressed more City fans turned up and there was lots of noise being made by our fans which again the Landlord had no problem with. The City fans outnumbered the one old boy wearing a MK Dons scarf and hat which was the only home fan in sight but he was friendly wishing us luck upon our return to the Ricoh Arena.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
Stadium:MK is a very impressive stadium and is a very similar design to our Ricoh Arena, Inside the ground is very smart too especially with the top tier now complete, having had seats fitted. The stadium also has no supporting pillars or other obstructions, so you are always guaranteed a good view of the game.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The stewards were a bit pushy but I understand that in a way as there was a bit of trouble at the corresponding fixture last season. But one thing that was quite stupid was that they were making all the fans go through one gate entrance. Inside the seats are padded for comfort, which is a nice touch but not many people sat down, with most preferring to stand. The travelling City fans outsung the largely silent MK fans. As for the game itself it was a very poor, with both teams snuffing one another out. MK Dons came closest to scoring when Will Grigg rounded the Coventry keeper, but poked the ball wide of the open goal. Still the atmosphere inside the stadium from the away end still made it an enjoyable 90 minutes. The match finished 0-0 and to be fair MK Dons looked a very good team defensively and should be a force to be reckoned with in League One.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
The Chequers pub was only a walk up the road from the ground and most other fans were heading back in the opposite direction into Milton Keynes itself, so it was not that hard getting away from the stadium.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
All in all a very enjoyable day out and hopefully we are in the same division as MK Dons next season so we can visit again would recommend this away day to anyone.
England v Finland
Under 21's International Game
Thursday, 14 November 2013, 7.45pm
Tim Sansom (England fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
I cannot believe that ten years have passed since Wimbledon FC changed into Milton Keynes Dons FC. I can truly assure you that a whole decade has really drifted by since the team, defined by their FA Cup triumph in 1988, was morphed up the M1 to Buckinghamshire, rebranded, and repackaged into a new footballing outfit, new strip and new logo, playing at MK’s National Hockey Stadium to howls of outrage from the wider football community. I vaguely remember talk about boycotts of the Dons back in 2003 and 2004 with cries that the true soul of the ‘beautiful’ game had been trampled to pieces with this move of a club from its roots to a totally different part of the UK.
Time has passed. Matches have been won and lost. Other professional teams are no more but AFC Wimbledon have made a remarkable journey to the professional leagues. MK Dons have moved to a new stadium towards the south of MK, and bigger issues have taken over the minds of the wider footballing public whether in MK, South West London or further afield. However, I wanted to visit the stadium, to not only see the home of MK Dons, but also truly believe that England’s youth are starting to pass the ball on the floor than high into the midnight sky. After watching recent England ‘senior’ performances on the way to World Cup 2014, I had resolved to stop moaning about anything to do with the national team. I had seen hopeful signs in the game that the national team were playing more like a respectable international side in 2013. The promise of a £10 ticket helped me to make the journey from the other side of Buckinghamshire towards MK and Stadium MK.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
It was never going to be that easy or uplifting to drive across a range of A grade single carriageway roads on a dark and cold Thursday night in this endless build up to Christmas. Despite having two respectable motorways ploughing their way through the county, Buckinghamshire seems to be mostly made up of twisty A roads winding their way around the Chilterns without a real sense that you are going anywhere.
I tried to tackle Aylesbury during the rush hour, and spent a long while watching the flickering lights of Stoke Mandeville station, trying to find a local radio station that was not playing hysterical adverts about ‘unbeatable’ offers or sofas, or the back catalogue of Olly Murs. I settled on a local radio ‘politics hour’ that had an air of tension between the participants, and I continued to drive along more A grade single carriageway roads until I saw the bright lights of Milton Keynes. I drove along the A5 to MK as if I was one of the three kings travelling to the star of Bethlehem. It had been a surprisingly long journey.
Having only been to MK on a couple of occasions, and having critically not done enough research where Stadium MK was in relation to the City, I remembered that MK rivals Basingstoke for the sheer number of roundabouts, I was anxious to avoid spending the rest of my Thursday night driving around a never ending roundabout with increasingly dashed dreams of football. I bailed off the A5 too early, and found myself in Bletchley near to a Tesco superstore. I needed the help of a friendly petrol station cashier to get me to the stadium which is near to Bletchley IKEA and a shockingly large ASDA. It was only by chance that I saw the stadium lights.
I parked in a nearby industrial estate, where it seemed that the whole of MK was parking up for the night. The stadium certainly cuts an impressive figure, on the other side of the road, and reminded me of a smaller City of Manchester/ Etihad Stadium with the bowl of the stadium cut into the ground. I had made the end of a long journey, and as always happens when I am in new football stadium, I start gabbling at random people like an over-excited child to get myself into the ground. The ticket office operative was very patient with me.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy…. home fans friendly?
Stadium MK is designed for the modern football fan. There must be football fans who want to go shopping for Swedish furniture, buy some clothes, and choose their Sunday roast, and then take in a bit of gentle football before they head home for their Saturday night. If you are one of those fans, Stadium MK is a dream come true for you. This is not a ground for that experience of walking through terraced streets, have a pint at a spit and sawdust local and then shuffle off to the ground like a real life Lowry painting.
I went to get some cashback from the local Asda, and quickly debated whether it was worth buying a plastic England souvenir from the stall holders that were dotted across the ground. I declined that opportunity but brought a programme from a young programme seller who seemed so pleased that I had chosen his stand to buy my programme. He warmed my heart. The atmosphere was friendly full of families, and groups of mates. A (sadly) increasingly different audience that seems to watch a football match at many grounds these days.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
More evidence of Stadium MK being designed for the modern football fan was the wide sweeping concourses where you could buy a range of refreshments. The Stadium has a similar feeling to Bolton’s Reebok Stadium in addition to Manchester City’s grounds, and the seats were like the Emirates seats. They offered much more than the bucket seats beloved on many grounds and 80s running track arenas across the UK. I brought a £2 hot chocolate and ate a chunky Yorkie bar, which is fast becoming my snack of choice at match day football. The national anthems were played with me having such a sugar rush, which I have not really experience since I was about 6 years old.
I was sitting towards the left of the players tunnels and the sightlines were pretty good to see the whole of the action. There is an upstairs to the stadium that is waiting to be filled. Regardless about how this club came into being, I sensed that the club and the stadium remain on the belief that they will progress and become a Premiership outfit. Compared to other clubs, there is a sense that the Dons and Stadium MK have not plateaued at League One level. Whether they will ever get the stadium to be totally filled is another more difficult matter. However, a large crowd had turned up for this England U21 game.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, toilets etc..
There was not much of an atmosphere in the stadium. Mexican waves occasionally rippled around the stadium but the increasingly cold weather made these waves become nothing more than little wrinkles. There seemed to be endless people walking in and out of the stands to get more fast food from the catering outlets, disturbing the sense that we were enjoying this football together. For many people, the football became more and more of a side show which was a bit of a pity, because watching an England player actually run with the ball is something that needs to be cherished rather than ignored.
Watching Wilfred Zaha and Raheem Sterling, as well as Will Hughes, and Saido Berahino fight for the ball and have the energy and guile to make something of their possession was so heart-warming. Michael Keene may become another important Man Utd product for the England defence in years to come. After years when it has seemed that the only way that England could play was by behaving like it was a sporting version of the gunfight at the OK Corall, I began to believe that there was a future for International football. Finland were so poor but I hope that the momentum of these England players is not allowed to be stifled.
6. Getting Away From The Ground
As the night became even colder, and the match began to fade away, I became increasingly concerned that with not a particularly full tank of petrol, I would be marooned in the Milton Keynes industrial estate, suck in a never ending gridlocked jam of increasingly angry drivers. I left a couple of minutes before final whistle (which I hate to do,) and was still in a jam onto Grafton Street (V6.) where I chanced my luck, turned left passed the stadium and found myself on the A5 heading towards Dunstable. Annoyed in a very male sort of way that if I had not bailed out on the way to the stadium, I would not have wasted petrol driving around Bletchley, I drove south back towards South Buckinghamshire. I am unsure whether I would have spent the next hour in jams around the stadium if I had waited till the final whistle. It is always a risk to take at football stadiums, but I will always try to stay for the full 90 minutes if I can.
7. Overall Comments on the Day Out:
Whilst I was driving along the alarmingly straight A5, and jumping in and out of a late night radio music mix of more Olly Murs, Billy Joel, and The Stylistics, I managed to listen to the post match deliberations on the local radio station. The pundits seemed a bit sniffy about the whole evening. Although I would have to agree that Finland were desperately poor, and there was not much atmosphere in the stadium, I thought that England played well. The radio seemed a bit sniffy about the national team trying to ‘play like Barcelona.’ What is wrong with the team trying to take lessons from one of the most important football teams in the world at this present time?
I did enjoy my visit to Stadium MK and would recommend the opportunity if you need to see some football in the area, or you have the chance to watch your club in this part of Buckinghamshire. After a troubled and controversial upbringing nearly 10 years, I think that the club is still trying to go places. Whether the club will ever warm itself to the traditionalists, will be a whole different ball game.
Milton Keynes Dons v Preston North End
League One
Saturday March 2nd 2013, 3pm
Joe Cooper (Preston North End fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
This was a very impromptu visit as I received a phone call off a mate at 9:30am on Saturday morning saying he wanted to go down to watch the game and he was willing to drive. The away day excitement got the better of me and I agreed to make the trip with him. I had been to MK Dons the season before and I developed a dislike for the club as I disagree with making a football club a franchise and I can’t help but think that is what the club stands for. I did, however, want to see the stadium again as I didn’t really pay that much attention on my last visit having had a few too many beers.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
The journey was easy and it was fairly traffic free for the whole journey we took the M6, M6 Toll, M1 which I imagine is the route of choice for most football fans from the North West. We got there in about two and a half hours having set off at 10:45am.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy…. home fans friendly?
We went round many a roundabout and eventually got to the retail park that is the home of Stadium:MK. We parked in the stadium car park about an hour before kick-off. We were unsure as to where we could purchase tickets for the away end so we asked a steward in the car park (who was wearing an MK Dons luminous vest) where the away ticket office was. He was a bit eccentric and he said he thought it was round to the left of the ground, we didn’t have that much confidence in his answer and we chose to go to the right of the ground and this in fact was the right way. As far as I could see there are no pubs around the ground, just lots of fast food outlets and an Ikea.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
From the outside the stadium looks very corporate and not like a venue that would host football. The turnstile is a gate controlled by an electronic scanner that scans the barcode of your ticket. I’m sure this is very efficient and possibly cost effective, but the fact it required two stewards behind it to inform some people of how to use it did make me wonder why they didn’t just use a normal turnstile. The concourse itself was very spacious and the fact you could see the pitch was good. We went to the bar where I bought a pint for £3.50. The view from my seat was excellent and unimpeded, and the chairs were the comfiest and largest I had ever sat on at a football ground.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
Now I like to think that North End has quite a good, noisy away following and for the most part I reckon this is the case. We took 700 down to Milton Keynes that day and I have never heard us so quiet, to be fair we were allocated quite a large section and due to the size of the seats it felt like we were scattered all over the place! I think the comfy seats probably made people feel more compelled to sit down rather than stand up and cheer on the lads. I’m assuming this was the same for the 8000 MK Dons fans because they didn’t make much noise either.
The game itself was very lively to begin with, a costly error from our centre back Bailey Wright allowed MK Dons to score after only two minutes! Preston responded well though, and five minutes later a cross from Lee Holmes managed to sneak past three Dons defenders for Will Hayhurst to slot the ball home from a tight angle. The game then descended into a dreary affair after that, and it became very clear both teams were content with a draw. The game finished 1-1.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
We got back to the car very quickly, there was a bit of congestion getting away from the car park. I can’t help but think this was down to the directional ability of another MK Dons steward who sported a pair of ripped suit trousers!. With the actions he was using to direct the traffic he looked like a poor man’s John Travolta which we all found highly amusing.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
As stated in its title Stadium:MK is a stadium built for other things as well as football, such as Music Concerts and other sporting events. If you’re a traditionalist who likes a proper football ground I don’t think you will enjoy as much as other away days. Don’t get me wrong, the facilities are brilliant and there are some aspects that I thought were good, but you can tell the place doesn’t have much by the way of history and I didn’t get the feeling there was that much passion surrounding the stadium either. I would follow my team anywhere so I would go again if I had to.
Milton Keynes Dons v Coventry City
League One
Saturday, December 29th 2012, 3pm
Jonny Shuttleworth (Coventry City fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
I was looking forward to going to this ground as it was my first away game in a while and it was quite a modern stadium.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
The journey and finding the ground were extremely easy, however, car Parking on the other hand, was something of a troublesome mission. After reaching the vicinity of the stadium, we saw the stadium car park, where we had planned to park, however, on arrival, we saw that they were not accepting any cars that didn't hold a pass. This led to a 40 minute drive around in circles desperately trying to find a space, which we eventually did in the Industrial Estate across the road. It didn't look very secure, but fortunately, it was. However, we did arrive late into the game 10 minutes after kick off.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy…. home fans friendly?
Some of the home fans were very supportive in our venture for car parking, one of them suggested the industrial estate.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
I thought the ground was extremely nice. It was nice walking down the stairs to my seat instead of up loads of flights of stairs which I'm used to at the Ricoh! The seats were also padded, which was a nice touch.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The atmosphere in the ground was amazing, from both sides. The stewards were also very handy, and directed us in our place.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Getting away from the ground was easy, there were little to no queues leaving as we had parked about 5 minutes away.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
It was a brilliant day out, with a fantastic match. I fully enjoyed it and would love to go back again sometime.
Milton Keynes Dons v Portsmouth
League One
Saturday, October 6th 2012, 3pm
Martin Rawlings (Portsmouth fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
I was looking forward to it as I do with every new ground. Rumours were that there would be a lot of Portsmouth fans travelling so the atmosphere would be good. All the reports on the stadium that I have read, have all been very positive.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Very easy up the A34 then the M40 getting off at the Cherwell Valley junction following the signs to Buckingham then Milton Keynes. We were at the ground before 12 noon so parking was very easy on the road in an industrial estate opposite the stadium.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy…. home fans friendly?
Having a bit of time on our handsm we followed the advice on this website and walked to Fenny Stratford. We went to the Red Lion pub, which is close to Fenny Stratford railway station. This pub had a great selection of real ale, but no food. However there was a chippy down the road and the landlady was happy for fans to eat their fish and chips in the beer garden. There were more away fans than home, but not so many that it started to become difficult to get served. The pub is probably about a 20 minute walk from the ground.
Around the stadium there is more food than you can wish for. On the site there is a KFC and a McDonalds. There is also a Domino’s opposite the away end. Plus there is an Asda opposite the home end and a Tesco close by as well, both of which have cafes.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
The ground from both outside and in has an unfinished feel. The top tier is still unfinished, with no seating in place. Outside there is still a lot of temporary fencing around the site.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
I didn’t eat or drink at the ground. Atmosphere was good in our end. Seats were big with loads of leg room, not that it mattered as everybody stood most of the game. The view is great, and if you went for a drink or food you could still watch the game from the concourse. Stewards seemed understated. They did ask a couple of guys to leave, I heard they threw a couple of fans out for smoking in the toilets. The man in front of us was totally hammered to the extent that he vomited. You did wonder how he got through, in the first place in that state, but he was left with little or no fuss.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Fantastic because we were so early and parked so close, we were in our car and gone while most people were still walking back to theirs. We got away very quickly indeed.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Really enjoyed it, it will be a first class stadium when it is finished. But you don’t get a lot of atmosphere from the home fans.
Milton Keynes Dons v Oldham Athletic
League One
Saturday, August 18th 2012, 3pm
Robert McNeil (Oldham Athletic fan)
Having seen Oldham play at Milton Keynes two seasons ago, I was familiar with Milton Keynes. So having got the train from Manchester Piccadilly and a 90minute train ride later, I arrived at Milton Keynes Central Station and I walked up to the Wetherpoons pub for a bit of breakfast. Then it was back to the station for the five minute journey to Bletchley station. On my previous visit I went to the Eight Belles pub which was good, but this time I went to the Enigma Tavern, which is only a short five minute walk from the station. (5min walk). This very friendly family pub had a good selection of beers and reasonably priced pub food. I spoke to a few MK fans who were very friendly. At around 2.30pm I embarked on the 20 minute walk up to the stadium along the bypass just behind Ikea.
The area around the stadium had changed a bit since my last visit with an Asda store, KFC and McDonalds having been built around it. There were also a lot of materials lying about as the club is in the process of fitting out the upper tier to raise capacity to 32,000. Stadium looked half built on my last visit but a lot has been done to it since then. Inside its very comfortable, with a great view and good facilities. There was also a good selection of food and drink. Okay the usual footy prices, but the hot dogs were particularly nice. There's also a separate bar area. The stewards were both friendly and helpful.
The game itself wasn't great. Played in soaring 30c heat, the players were wilting. Oldham were quite dreadful and ended up losing 2-0 to slick MK side. Not really great atmosphere with only 7,500 inside ground and home fans spread about. Imagine it could be a lot better if it was more fuller.
After the game I managed to get a taxi outside the nearby Asda store (only 5 quid to get back to MK Central Station). Got a few cans for the journey from a handily placed off-licence at the station then back to Manchester for 7.30pm.
All in all a very pleasant day out. A very welcoming ground to visit.
Milton Keynes Dons v Brentford
League One
Saturday, March 31st 2012, 3pm
Sam Ferguson (Brentford fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
I was looking forward to travelling up to Milton Keynes for this game, I had heard a lot about the stadium, having heard such things as it being a "mini Wembley" I was very excited for this game.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Journey was very easy, a 1 hour train journey from London Euston to Bletchley, then a 5 minute walk to the bus station, then a 10 minute bus ride to the stadium, in all cost me about £17 for the entire thing, return.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy…. home fans friendly?
Looked inside the club shop before the game, got some strange looks from home fans but did not feel threatened in any way.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
From outside, the ground looks like a prison, but once inside, my opinion changed. Electronic turnstiles and a very nice open concourse were the first things I saw, very nice. The away section which is mostly in one corner, holds around 2,500 fans, and we brought up about 2,000. Seats were extremely wide and comfortable with a lot of leg room.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The game itself was enjoyable, with Brentford winning 2-1 with two superb goals. The atmosphere in the away end was fantastic. Brentford fans not stopping the singing the entire game, shame that the home fans were not the same, only really making noise when they equalised. The stewards were friendly and tolerant, allowing fans to stand if they wish. The food inside the ground was plentiful, but only two small catering facilities and one small toilet created a huge queue of fans all the way along the top of the concourse.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Home fans were a bit more unfriendly on the way back. The loud, singing Brentford fans didn't help, by somewhat intimidating some of the the home fans on the walk to the bus stop. But other than that the journey was just as easy as the outbound journey.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
A great away day, will definitely be making my way back to Bletchley next season.
Milton Keynes Dons v Tottenham Hotspur
Pre-Season Friendly
Tuesday, July 26th 2011, 7.45pm
Kristian Ramsingh (Tottenham Hotspur fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
Couldn’t wait for the start of the new season, so I thought, lets jump on the train to Bletchley and see MK Dons play.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
I was lucky enough to get a lift from the train station to the ground, but if not a pricey cab ride will get you there, finding the ground is easy and car parking was amble, with an Asda next to the ground.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy…. home fans friendly?
I was in a Spurs shirt and went the small bar inside the ground, plently of MK dons fans but they were civil enough! A beer and 2 cokes cost around £6, if memory serves me right.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
I first thought WOW ! This ground is stunning to look at, like a dome of twisted black metal! Away end was nice enough, very comfy seats padded and wide! The ‘Cow Shed’ end also had plenty of MK Dons fans singing for a pre-season friendly.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, toilets etc..
Brilliant game 3-5 to Tottenham at full time! Both groups of fans sung there hearts out and everyone was generally good natured. Toilets were extremely busy and luckily left 1 minute before half time and skipped the queues! Sadly didn’t have a pie! Steward were helpful, showed me to my seat and were polite.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Little bit of traffic exiting after the game, I remember their being lots of round-a-bouts, and this didn’t help the flow of traffic!
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Brilliant day (night) out great game, great atmosphere and only spent £10 on the ticket! Bargain!
Milton Keynes Dons v Plymouth Argyle
League One
Tuesday, January 18th 2011, 7.45pm
Richard Furse (Plymouth Argyle fan)
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
It was a new ground to visit. However with my club (Plymouth Argyle) having lost the last three games and in financial turmoil and with MK Dons having just lost one home game all season, it's probably fair to say I expected little from the match.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
Other than some traffic on the M25 my journey up was very straightforward. The ground is outside the main town and is very easy to find. I parked at the stadium (which costs £5). However I'm told there is free parking on the adjacent trading estate.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy…. home fans friendly?
There is a McDonalds outside the stadium and I stopped for food there. The few home fans I spoke to seemed friendly enough. Then I went inside the stadium and drank at the bar in the away end.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
It is an impressive stadium, high tech automatic turnstiles, wide spacious concourse for fans to mingle and chat. Also excellent facilities and toilets. The away end looks no different to rest of the ground and sits behind the goal. Seats offer a very good view of the pitch, amazing legroom and are padded. I can't recall a more comfortable seat at a football ground. The pitch itself looked an excellent playing surface.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, toilets etc..
Stewards were relaxed, friendly and helpful and the toilets are spacious, clean and well equipped. Home fans are dwarfed by the size of their stadium and I had to strain to hear them at all. Little banter between the home and away supporters. Atmosphere in the away end was good, a certain 'gallows' humour has developed among Argyle fans in recent years. So no-one was more surprised than the away fans when we were 2-0 up after 25 minutes with 2 contenders for goal of the season including a spectacular 35 yard strike from Kari Arnason. In the end the result was a welcome 3-1 win for Plymouth.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
There were no problems or delays getting away from the ground. I was out of the car park in minutes and on my way home.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
I really enjoyed the game and the stadium. Easy to get to and definitely one of the best grounds in this league. Satisfying win and a stadium I would have no hesitation in visiting again.