Warrenpoint Town
Milltown
Capacity:
2,000 (Seats 250)
Address:
Upper Dromore Rd, Warrenpoint BT34 3PN
Telephone:
0759 4784548
Pitch Type:
NULL
Club Nickname:
The Point
Year Ground Opened:
1997
Home Kit:
Sky Blue and White Stripes
After spending a season ground sharing with Dugannon Swifts, Warrenpoint Town have returned home to their Milltown ground. Although largely an open stadium, it has modern facilities after seeing some much needed investment. On one side is a small Main Stand, which sits astride the halfway line. The stand which runs for around half the length of the pitch, contains a couple of covered rows of seating. This seating area is elevated above pitch level, meaning that spectators have to walk up some steps to enter it. There are also flat standing areas to either side of the stand.
Opposite are two smaller covered seated stands that are separated on the half way line by a small press box and team dug outs. There is also a scaffolded platform that acts as a television gantry situated above the media area. This side of the ground backs on closely to an industrial estate, that gives is a bit of a bleak look. Still the ground is redeemed by the fine rural views on the other sides, especially at the open end of the ground, where there is a small flat standing area around the perimeter fence. There are some tennis courts that sit beyond this end and there is a sizeable fence in place to prevent stray balls going either way. At the opposite end is a small covered terrace that runs the full width of the playing area. The teams come onto the pitch from one corner of the ground, near to the main entrance. The stadium has a set of four modern floodlights, that unusually are not housed in each corner of the stadium, but instead have two on each side of the ground.
William McKnight a visiting Kilmarnock fan informs me; 'Everyone at the ground was really friendly and welcoming, including the turnstile operator and bar staff. Although the bar was housed in portacabin, the drinks were reasonably priced and it was open at half time too. Food was on offer from an excellent and equally friendly burger van'. Normally segregation is not in force, however if it is required then effectively the ground is split into two with the open terrace at one end and the small stands on the industrial estate side, being given to away fans.
There is a small bar inside the ground. Otherwise due to the ground's location there are no pubs nearby. If arriving early at the game, then it may be an idea to drink beforehand in the Warrenpoint town centre, which is just over a mile away from Milltown.
Warrenpoint is a coastal port, located in the South East of Northern Ireland, on the border with the Republic. It lies six miles south of the city of Newry. Milltown itself is situated in the North West outskirts of Warrenpoint, just under a mile away from the town centre.
From Newry
Through Newry city centre, follow signs for Dublin A1 and Warrenpoint A2 (Ferry). This will lead you onto the Abbey Way (dual carriageway). You will then reach a crossroads with traffic lights, where there are two churches with spires on the right. Turn left at these traffic lights onto Kilmorey Street. Keep straight on this road and it becomes the A2 Warrenpoint Road, passing on your right, 'The Show Grounds', the home of Newry City FC. On entering Warrenpoint you will reach a mini roundabout with a branch of Ulster Bank on the left. Turn left here into Duke Street, which becomes Upper Dromore Road. Keep straight on this road, passing on the right St Marks' School and then a petrol garage, before reaching the stadium entrance on the right, just before Milltown industrial estate.
Car Parking
There is a car park available to the ground. However with around 35 spaces it fills up quickly. Some street parking is available in the adjacent industrial estate.
There is no railway station in Warrenpoint, with the nearest being in Newry, around seven miles away. Newry Railway Station is served by trains from Belfast Central (which is just under one hour travelling time away). The station is situated just outside Newry and you can get a free shuttle bus to Newry Bus Center, where you can catch service number 39 to Warrenpoint Square. A No.39 timetable can be downloaded from the Ulsterbus website. Alternatively, it may be a better idea to take a taxi straight to the ground.
Adults £11
Concessions £7
Official Matchday Programme £2.
Newry City.
Northern Ireland Premier league fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website).
2017-2018: 266 (Northern Ireland Premiership)
If you require hotel accommodation in the area then first try a hotel booking service provided by Late Rooms. They offer all types of accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets from; Budget Hotels, Traditional Bed & Breakfast establishments to Five Star Hotels and Serviced Apartments. Plus their booking system is straightforward and easy to use. Yes this site will earn a small commission if you book through them, but it will go to help with the running costs of keeping the Guide going.
If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, then please e-mail me at: [email protected] and I'll update the guide.
Special thanks to Marley McKnight for the photos and to Owen Pavey for the ground layout diagram of Milltown, Warrenpoint Town FC.
Warrenpoint Town v Institute
Northern Ireland Premier Division
Saturday 19th January 2019, 3pm
Max Loy (Neutral)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Milltown Ground?
I am living in Dundalk, just south from the border and as I am a passionate ground hopper (don’t do that much grounds though) I try to see quite a lot of matches son Northern Ireland as the season down here in the Republic will commence in mid-February. I have never managed to go to Warrenpoint before but was told often that it was a nice town. So I took the chance to combine a visit to the town with a match.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
The journey was quite straightforward. I took an Eireann Bus from Dundalk to Newry and then an onward Ulsterbus service to Warrenpoint. The total journey time was around 45 minutes. When I got to Warrenpoint I had to hurry up though, as I walked to the wrong direction first and had to go back to the Square in the Town Centre, where the bus dropped me off. From there it was a bit of a walk (I’d say 1.5-2 miles) to the ground. I barely made it for kick off.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
As I described, I walked the wrong direction first, so just managed to get to the ground in time for kick off. I talked to a few Warrenpoint Supporters, all very very friendly and welcoming people.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Milltown Stadium?
Milltown is a nice small ground. It is fairly modern with some nice stands around the sidelines and behind one of the goals. One of the two small seated stands at the industrial estate end (across the pitch from the Main Stand) was occupied by the 20 or so visiting supporters.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The game in result was, despite being very one-sided in terms of the result, a very entertaining affair. There were chances on both sides. Institute missed two penalties, however, Warrenpoint ran out winning the match 4:0. The atmosphere was kind of a family based one, otherwise not much in terms of that. A few youngsters in casual outfits around the ground, supporters banging against the back walls of the stands when anything exciting happened, a few random shouts, that’s it more or less. There were a total of if say 5-8 stewards around the ground, I didn’t really notice them though. In terms of pies: didn’t try any (don’t know if the burger sells any ) but I can say they have quite good beef burgers, wouldn’t pay any more than the £4 they called for it though, but still very very decent burgers. Overall the facilities were pretty nice.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
I walked back into town straight after the match. I had another look around the town afterwards and then finally settled in a pub just two minutes walk from the bus stop to have a pint while watching the London Derby on television.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
Overall a really nice and relaxed day out, I definitely will be back some day.