Last Update:
September 29, 2020
Considering that it wasn’t so long ago that the ground was part of a school playing field, then it is remarkable what the Club have achieved. Considerable work has been done in 2017 to improve spectator facilities, but they still remain quite basic. On the West side, sitting on the halfway line is a simple looking seated stand that has quite a low roof and serves as the Main Stand. This has four rows of seats, with 268 in total, and it has a number of supporting pillars running across the front of it. It runs for about half the length of the pitch. On either side of this are brand new metal terraces, six steps high which go completely down to the corner flags.
The North (School) End of the ground has new metal terracing, once again six steps high. The centre part of this behind the goal has a new metal stand over the terracing complete with windshields at each end. This means that a very good amount of noise can soon be created by only a small group of fans. The rest of the ground is open flat standing areas paved throughout in spring 2017. The team dugouts are located on the opposite side to the Main Stand, with no standing allowed in that area. On this side of the ground, green tarpaulins have been attached to the perimeter fence to try and stop people from watching the game for nothing. Although practical it doesn’t enhance the overall look at the ground. Whilst behind the Clubhouse end are the team dressing rooms and other small buildings. This means that the teams enter the field of play from one corner of the ground. The ground is fairly open and a few houses overlook the ground from both ends. The stadium has a set of four slim floodlights which do a very good job.
Poole Town plays in the BetVictor Southern League Premier Division South. This is at Step 3 below the Football League and one League below the National Leagues North and South.
There is a clubhouse bar at the ground which welcomes visiting supporters. The closest pub is probably the New Inn on Fernside Road, which is around a ten minute walk away. Otherwise around a half a mile away there is a Toby Carvery (further along the main road next to the ground, going in the direction opposite to the Town Centre). Otherwise if you have a bit more time on your hands then there are plenty of pubs to be found in the Town Centre and along the Quayside. However the Quayside is located around one and a half miles away from the Tatnam Ground.
From the North (M3/M27)
From the M3 take the M27 towards Bournemouth. At the end of the M27 continue onto the A31 towards Poole, Bournemouth and Ringwood. After passing the Ringwood exit, continue on the A31 towards Dorchester and Poole (A349). Then at the Bear Cross Roundabout (passing a BP garage on the right), go straight ahead onto the A349 towards Poole. Go straight across the next two roundabouts and at the third take the second exit onto the A3049 towards Poole. At the next roundabout take the second exit towards Poole (A3049) and Channel Ferry. Continue across the next roundabout. Then leave the A3049 by taking the second exit slip road signposted Wimborne (A349) and Poole General Hospital. At the bottom of the slip road take the second exit onto Fleet Lane (signposted Fleet Industrial Estate).After half mile turn left just past Druckfarben on the right and opposite Poole Motorcycles, into Palmer Road. Then take the next right into School Road  This leads down to the school/club car park. To walk through to the Tatnam ground, then at the far end of the car park by the tennis court, look for the pathway through.
The school car park is quite small so fills up quite quickly, however there is plenty of street parking available in the local area, although the Club ask supporters not to park in Well Lane by the ground as access is required by the Club itself.
Poole Railway Station is around one mile away from the Tatnam Ground and is served by trains from London Waterloo (via Southampton) and Weymouth. There is a taxi rank at the station otherwise to walk: Exit the station on the seaward side and turn right. At the first set of traffic lights turn hard right and remain on this road (Sterte Road) crossing over the railway line and you will see the Tatnam ground at the bottom on the right. It’s a comfortable 15 minute walk (3/4 mile). Thanks to Anthony Hanley for providing these directions.
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:
Adults £12
OAP’s/Students £8
Under 18’s £5
Under 13’s £1 (when accompanied)
Official Mtachday Programme £2.
Poole Town FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website).
Weymouth, Dorchester Town and Wimborne.
Record Attendance
2,203 v Corby Town
Southern Premier League Play Off Final 25th April 2015
Average Attendance
2018-2019: 470 (Southern League Premier Division South)
2017-2018: 408Â (National League South)
2016-2017: 570 (National League South)
If you require hotel accommodation in Poole 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. Just input the relevant dates and click on “Search” below or on the hotel of interest on the map to get more information. The map is centered on the football ground. However, you can drag the map around or click on +/- to reveal more hotels in the town centre or further afield.
Official Website: www.pooletownfc.co.uk
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 Alex Manners for providing the photos of the Tatnam Ground Poole Town.
Poole Town v Farnborough
Southern League Premier Division South
Saturday 4th January 2020, 3pm
Lewis Wright (Neutral)
Poole Town v Truro City
National League South
Saturday 21st March 2017, 7.45pm
Brian Scott (Neutral fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Tatnam Ground?
As Hungerford were playing on the Monday night before, I took the opportunity to combine this with a visit to the Tatnam Ground too. Staying overnight in a Bed and Breakfast. I was also looking forward to seeing a little of Poole Harbour.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
I had an easy journey down from Hungerford by train arriving about 12.30 which gave me plenty of time to look around.
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
It was a beautifully sunny, but windy, spring afternoon and armed with my map I set off on a long walk around part of Poole Harbour eventually finding myself in Upton Country Park. Here there is a walled garden, tea shop and toilets. The large inlet to the north of the main railway line is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) nature reserve and there was plenty of wildlife around. On returning I checked into The Towngate Guest House in Wimborne Road which is convenient for the railway station and Tatnam Road. I had a meal in The George pub which is on the big roundabout at the south end of Wimborne Road, close to the station. I can highly recommend this for good food at very reasonable prices, and as it was early in the evening, it was quiet with quick service.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Tatnam Ground?
I was not disappointed at all with my first impressions of the Tatnam Ground as I knew it was a small club. However, I was rather surprised that the turnstile operator had no electricity in his little box! He had to step outside to check the money I handed to him. When I commented to him about the lack of light he was very upbeat, "Never mind, I expect they will install a light fairly soon. I've got a torch on my phone". This brilliant 'can do' attitude seemed to be prevalent at this club. Everyone I spoke to was very friendly and willing to talk at length about the ground improvements and how they saw the club moving forward, and dare I say it, achieving promotion via the play-offs AGAIN! One local pointed out two gentlemen and informed me that they were local multi millionaires, and he wished that they would build a new ground for the club! I chatted to a young steward for some time and he told me that he was making a career out of stewarding and worked also at Bournemouth, Swindon, Southampton as well as other events. There is no away end as such, but those fans in the new covered North Stand were able to make the most noise. Given the distance they had to travel and as it was an evening game I was impressed that there were approximately 30 fans from Truro.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
The first half was very enjoyable and entertaining from a Poole supporters point of view. Poole scored a good goal following some excellent build up work after about 30 minutes and it was 2-0 about ten minutes later. Truro came back into it in the second half to contain Poole, but they couldn't score themselves. This win took Poole into the play off positions replacing Hungerford who had crept in the previous night. The home fans were singing about a tour of the National League next season!
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
An easy five minute walk back to my Guest House. The following morning it was wet, but as I had time to kill before my train back home, I had a walk down to the Quay area passed the Headquarters of the RNLI and I saw many multi million pound cruisers in the harbour. Plenty of money here!
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
My trip overall, combining Hungerford and Poole was very successful and I enjoyed the matches and looking round the two towns.
Poole Town v Weston-super-Mare
National League South
Saturday 11th February 2017, 3pm
Anthony Hanley (Neutral fan)
Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Tatnam Ground?
Poole Town are doing well this season and are a good outside bet for promotion to the National League itself. I also thought the town and harbour might be an interesting place to visit.
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
For me it was a straight forward train ride from Waterloo followed by what I expected to be a shortish walk from the rail station using the directions on this website. However I was completely thrown by road works and land development by the station and ended up following the dual carriageway (A350) to a deserted industrial estate. I hailed down a passing white van to ask directions and the driver kindly drove me the half mile to the stadium making kick-off with ten minutes to spare. So if you wish to avoid my error do the following. Exit the station on the seaward side and turn right. AT THE FIRST SET OF TRAFFIC LIGHTS TURN HARD RIGHT and remain on this road (Sterte Road) crossing over the railway line and you will see the ground at the bottom on the right. It's a comfortable 15 minute walk (3/4 mile).
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
Poole is a mixture of the quaint and the downright dreary. To their credit the local council have put up plenty of town maps and signs indicating points/places of interest. I headed for the quay which has a cluster of ancient and interesting pubs and a free local history museum. There are plenty of independent cafes if you want a bite to eat.
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Tatnam Ground?
This truly is community football and the Tatnam 'stadium' is very basic. Essentially it's a pitch surrounded by six-foot high garden fencing. The Main Stand (and the only stand!) is around 4-5 rows deep. There is cover behind one goal and no terracing at all simply a narrow walkway around the pitch. So if it were raining, then shelter would be at a premium. If they made it to the National League they'd struggle to accommodate an ex-League side with a decent following.
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
To their credit both sides did try to play football rather than hoof it back and forth albeit a high percentage of passes went astray. Much less holding and pushing (sneaky fouling in other words) than you get in League football. Weston played in a kit of turquoise and blue which surprisingly worked. Poole hit the woodwork in the first half as did the visitors who struck the inside of the post from a fee kick. (It's amazing how good free kicks are at all levels now – it never used to be the case). The home side took the lead in the first minute of the second half when stand-in striker Marvin Brooks picked up a long clearance and his low and accurate drive deceived the keeper. Weston then spent the next 40 minutes striving to equalise but Poole repelled their attacks comfortably and in the last minute of normal time scored a decisive second on the counter.
The only hot food in evidence were trays of chips available from the pavilion which is a little building separate from the pitch area. Didn't see anyone drinking beer. There was a small shed (probably thrown in when they purchased the fencing) in one corner serving hot drinks and little snacks like chocolate bars. Both teams had knots of fans trying to get behind them but the lack of roofing hindered the noise level. The biggest (and most welcome surprise) was the absence of a public address system. Didn't have one. Bliss. Usually they come with two settings – muffled or ear-splitting. And boy do football clubs like to use them. The only thing I missed were the team line-ups beforehand and substitutions during the game but I pretty much worked out the personnel from the programme.
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
Now I knew the correct route back to the railway station it was straight forward and swift. By the time my train service reached London Waterloo it was almost full. This route can be pretty busy and I have stood all the way from Southampton before now. As seat reservations were not available when I booked my tickets, faking a medical emergency is a perfectly acceptable way of getting a seat.
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
The Tatnam Ground and Poole itself were a bit under whelming all round to be honest.