Stebonheath Park

Stebonheath Park is located one mile to the North East of Llanelli town centre. It is situated at the top of a hill, but even with its prominent position, it can be easy to miss, as it is partly hidden by surrounding houses. Entering the ground on Penallt Road through the car park entrance and social club side it soon becomes apparent that external appearances can be deceptive. Rather than being hemmed in by the housing estate, Stebonheath Park actually feels rather spacious. This is probably due to the oval shape that is formed by the athletics track which surrounds the pitch. Unusually the athletic is mostly only two lanes wide, with only the social club side being separated from the pitch by a four lane 100m sprint straight.

Looking across the pitch to the Bradford Street side, the Robbie James Stand takes pride of place on the pitch centre line. The stand is named after a former Llanelli player, who tragically passed away at Stebonheath Park whilst playing for the reds. It has a unique modern design with its angular roof and central gable has 700 plastic seats on a concrete deck which is raised above pitch level, with the ground floor dressing room and club offices situated below. The structure is flanked on the left and right by a tea hut and toilets which also continue the stadium design, having semi-circular gables on their roofs. On the right is the Jock Stein Bar (Jock Stein played for the Club early during the 1950-51 season), which is reserved for club patrons and visiting officials.

Looking to the right, the athletics track takes a rather unusual path. Despite all the space within the ground for a football pitch, the track itself is not a true oval, with space restricted at this end due to the proximity of the A484 road beyond the row of trees. The two lane track is, in fact, elliptical, so when balls go out of play it doesn’t take a long to retrieve them as you might think.

The same cannot be said for the track at the other end, where a full half circle athletic track and training area leads to a steep grass bank, which leads back to the corner of the social club. The social club side is essentially a former open terrace which was converted to seating to allow the club to fulfill European fixtures, which were up to then having to be played at other venues. This side is known as the Gilbert Lloyd Stand (named after a former player and manager) and has a capacity of 300 seats.

There is no segregation in force for away supporters, so all spectator areas are made available. Normally a warm welcome awaits visitors. The only slight gripe is that due to the presence of the athletics track, fans are set quite far back from the playing action.

There is a social club at the ground which admits away supporters and shows Sky Sports. The nearest pub is around a five minute walk away on Brynallt Terrace and is called the South Star. It too shows Sky Sports. Otherwise, Llanelli Town Centre is around a 10-15 minute walk away, where there are plenty of pubs to be found.

From The East
Follow the A484 North of Llanelli. At the large roundabout take the 3rd exit and turn into Frondeg Terrace. The road bears round to the right. Take a right turn into Penallt Road, follow over the bridge back over the A484, the entrance is on the right-hand side, with the car park leading to the social club side of the ground.

From The West
Follow the A484 North of Llanelli. On the outskirts of the town centre take the first exit at the big roundabout and continue north. At the second big roundabout take the 2nd exit and turn into Frondeg Terrace. The road bears round to the right. Take a right turn into Penallt Road, follow over the bridge back over the A484, the entrance is on the right-hand side, with the car park leading to the social club side of the ground.

Car Parking
There is a small car park at the ground which is free. Otherwise street parking.

Llanelli Railway Station is around one and a half miles away from Stebonheath Park and has an excellent weekend and weekday evening service for services between Swansea and Cardiff & London Paddington. Plus the North Wales service from Milford Haven to Holyhead.

A 30-45 minute walk. When you come out of the station building turn right into the approach road then turn left at the junction opposite the level crossing. Walk towards the town centre and after 10 minutes you will see a small park on your right hand aside in front of the Magistrates’ Court. Take the road to the right to lead you into the pedestrianised High Street. Follow into Park Street then just before the road ends in a row of houses take a right turn to lead you to the bus station. Look to your left and you will see a large roundabout. Take the 3rd exit leading into College Square, this will lead you into a suburban area, follow the road as is bares left into Glenalla Road, then at the crossroads turn right into Glenvering Street. Continue on the road for 5 minutes, go past the church and at the end of the junction turn left into Penallt Road. The car park and social club side of the ground is on the left hand side.

Booking train tickets in advance will normally save you money! Find train times, prices and book tickets with Trainline. Visit the website below to see how much you can save on the price of your tickets:

110 Swansea-Llanelli
195 Carmarthen-Llanelli

National Express 508 service London Victoria-Llanelli-Haverfordwest runs once a day.

A 20 minute walk. When you come out of the bus station turn opposite to the supermarket and you will see the large A484 roundabout. Take the 3rd exit leading into College Square, this will lead you into a suburban area, follow the road as is bares left into Glenalla Road, then at the crossroads turn right into Glenvering Street. Continue on the road for 5 minutes, go past the church and at the end of the junction turn left into Penallt Road. The car park and social club side of the ground is on the left hand side.

Llanelli Town FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website).

Adults £6
OAP’s £3
Under 16’s Free

Matchday Programme £2.

Carmarthen Town, Neath, Afan Lido and Port Talbot Town.

If you require hotel accommodation in Llanelli then first try a hotel booking service provided by Booking.com. They offer all types of accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets from; Budget Hotels, Traditional Bed & Breakfast establishments to Five Star Hotels and Serviced Apartments. Plus their booking system is straightforward and easy to use. Yes this site will earn a small commission if you book through them, but it will help towards the running costs of keeping this Guide going.

Official Website: www.llanellitownafc.co.uk

If there is anything that needs to be updated or if you have something to add to the Guide to Stebonheath Park Llanelli Town then please email me at: [email protected].

Special thanks to Owen Pavey for providing the ground photos and layout plan of Stebonheath Park Llanelli Town.