Heritage Park

Heritage Park was the temporary home of Darlington FC during the early 2010s while the club awaited a move to Blackwell Meadows back in Darlington itself.

Heritage Park is a tidy modern stadium, which is relatively fresh, having only opened in 2010 and away fans, generally speaking, used to enjoy their visits here.

For starters, visiting fans were largely allowed to sit/stand where they wanted to as segregation was rarely enforced. If segregation was in place, then the East End, which has room for 450 fans, was used.

One issue with this was the fact that this part of the ground was completely open, meaning fans were open to the elements, come rain or shine.

Heritage Park is located next to a large Retail Park, so there are plenty of eating places to choose from, such as McDonald’s, KFC, Starbucks, Subway and Domino’s Pizza. Plus, the nearby Sainsburys and Tesco stores both have cafes.

On one side is the Main Stand, a covered seated stand that runs for around a quarter of the length of the pitch and sits astride the halfway line. Its high roof is cantilevered, meaning that it is free of any supporting pillars.

Above the seating section is a glassed area, which houses, amongst other things, the club bar. The Main Stand has a capacity of 250 seats. On either side of the Main Stand are open flat standing areas. The other side of the stadium is most notable for the large Sainsbury’s store that overlooks it. The team dugouts are located on this side of the pitch.

The players’ tunnel and dressing rooms are located in the Main Stand opposite, which leads to quite a procession of players and club staff at half and full time. Otherwise, on this side of the stadium, there are no facilities for spectators apart from a flat open standing pathway running alongside the pitch perimeter fence.

At the West End of the ground is a covered terrace, which at around seven steps high, houses up to 500 fans. It runs for around half the width of the pitch and is situated directly behind the goal. It is set back a little from the pitch, but again, it is free of any supporting pillars, ensuring a good view of the playing action.

The opposite East End is comprised of two blocks of temporary open seating. The sections of six rows of seats are raised above pitch level, meaning that you have to climb a small set of stairs to access them. The stadium has a set of four floodlight pylons, one in each corner.

There was a club bar at the ground itself, which used to be open for visiting fans. However, when crowd segregation was in force, only Darlington fans were allowed in. The bar, which was located at the top of the Main Stand, enjoyed fine views across Heritage Park. More or less next door to the ground is the March Hare pub – a Marstons pub, which also serves food.

By car

Heritage Park is located to the South West of Bishop Auckland, adjacent to the Bishop Auckland Retail Park. From the South (A1) Leave the A1(M) at Junction 58 and take the A688 towards Bishop Auckland. After passing across one roundabout then at the next, take the fourth exit onto the A688 towards Bishop Auckland. Go straight across at the next roundabout and you will reach the stadium on your left.

From the North (A1) Leave the A1(M) at Junction 61 and take the A688 towards Spennymoor and Bishop Auckland. After around seven miles and after passing the Top House pub on your left and a Jet Garage on the right, then at the next roundabout take the third exit continuing on the A688 towards Bishop Auckland. Go across four roundabouts, staying on the A688 (following signs for Castle Barnard and West Auckland) and you will reach the stadium on your right.

By public transport

Bishop Auckland Railway Station is located around one and a half miles from Heritage Park, or around a 25-30 minute walk away.