Hollingsworth Group Stadium

What Is The Hollingsworth Group Stadium Like?

The Hollingsworth Group Stadium or better known as the Airfield sits on the approach road entrance to the large Airbus UK factory near the small town of Broughton. The ground can be entered through one of two modern wooden turnstiles blocks immediately before the factory entrance barriers. This leads out onto the flat and narrow Approach Road End behind the goal. Looking to the left, the modern Main Stand sits on the pitch centre line with a shallow concrete seating deck holding six rows of seats, with an overall capacity of 300. It has wide flat standing areas to either side. Looking across the pitch to the factory side of the ground, there is a low modern building, known as the Sports Pavilion. Sitting on the pitch centre line, it has a shallow bungalow style pitched roof and is overlooked by the tall factory building behind. The structure incorporates the clubhouse bar, changing rooms, as well as three rows of blue plastic seats located either side of the players tunnel, which are mostly covered by the overhang of the building. Press and Directors are also housed in this area. To one side of this Pavilion are a pair of dug outs, as well as an odd looking tall structure, that resembles something of a pigeon loft and is used as a television gantry. At the far side of the ground, known as the Runway End there is the newest addition to the stadium. A new 200 seat covered stand was opened in 2015. It sits directly behind the goal and runs for about half the width of the pitch. Unlike the Main Stand, it is free of any supporting pillars giving an unobstructed view of the playing action. One interesting feature is that some of the floodlight pylons are retractable, due to their close proximity to the aircraft runway. The stadium also has an artificial 3G playing surface.

In 2012 the Airfield was renamed the Hollingsworth Group Stadium in a corporate sponsorship deal.

What is it like for visiting supporters?

Segregation of supporters at Airbus UK is virtually unheard of, which is a testament to the Club. I would guess that if fans needed to be segregated, then the Runway End would be allocated. Unlike the Main Stand, the covered seated stand at the Runway End is free of any supporting pillars which could impede your view. Inside the stadium there is a club shop that has quite a range of stock, including a fair number of programmes and club badges, from a large number of teams. Food on offer inside is the standard football fayre, of burgers, hot dogs and chips, but alas no pies. The stadium is modern and well maintained, with reasonable facilities.

Where To Drink?

There is a small Social Club at the ground which welcomes all fans. Whilst across the road from the stadium is the much larger Broughton Wings Social Club, which also admits visiting supporters. If your are after a ‘pub’, then five minutes walk away is the Mill House Inn. This pub is located on the nearby Broughton Shopping Park and is part of the Fayre and Square chain, which also offers food. Also in the Shopping complex is a McDonalds, Frankie & Benny’s, Nandos and a Pizza Express. To find the Shopping Park then from the stadium walk up to the main road and turn left at the traffic lights. Turn right at the next roundabout for the Retail Park.

Directions and Car Parking

From The East
Follow the A55 South of Chester, heading towards North Wales. Exit junction 35a,at the small roundabout take the 1st exit, turning left into Chester Road. At the next big roundabout take the 3rd exit. You will see the floodlights of the ground on the left hand side. Take a left turn into Fairford Road, the car park is to the left, the stadium lies in front of the Airbus factory entrance gates.

From The West
Follow the A55 from North Wales towards the outskirts of Chester. Exit at Junction 35a and at the small roundabout take the 1st exit, turning left into the A5104 Mold Road. At the end of the road you will see a big roundabout. Take the 2nd exit into Chester Road. You will see the floodlights of the ground on the left hand side. Take a left turn into Fairford Road, the car park is to the left, the stadium lies in front of the Airbus factory entrance gates.

By Train

The nearest railway station is Hawarden, which is around two miles away. To reach Hawarden take the “Borderlands line” service from Wrexham General to Bidston Services run once every hour. Please note that Hawarden is a request stop.

Alternatively, take a train to Chester station (around six miles way) and then catching a local bus from outside Chester Railway Station to either Broughton Chester Road, which is directly outside the stadium, or alight at Broughton Shopping Park, which is half a mile away from the ground. See below for bus routes.

If you decide to walk from Hawarden, then it will take at least 30 minutes. Exit the railway station and bare left, following Station Road. At the junction turn right and follow the B5125 through the town centre. After 20 minutes walk the road becomes more rural as it heads towards Broughton. At the first big roundabout take the 1st exit left into Chester Road. You will see the floodlights of the ground on the left hand side. Take a left turn into Fairford Road, the stadium is to the left in front of the Airbus factory entrance gates.

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:

By Bus

Broughton has a regular supply of buses since the town is fairly close to Chester.

The Airfield sits to the north of the town centre.

X44  Chester Railway Station-Chester-Broughton-Ewloe-Mold (one every hour)
X55  Chester Railway Station-Chester-Broughton-Buckley-Mold (one every hour)
24    Chester-Broughton (Every 15 mins)

If you alight at the Broughton Shopping Centre bus stop, then with Tescos on your right and McDonalds on your left you will see a roundabout with a large white factory behind it in the distance. This is the Airbus factory. Head towards the roundabout and take the 1st exit left into Chester Road. After a three minute walk you will see the ground floodlights emerge on the right hand side. Take a right turn into Fairford Road, the stadium is to the left in front of the Airbus factory entrance gates.

Admission Prices

Adults £6
OAP’s/Students £3
Under 16’s £1*

*An Under 16 accompanied by an adult can gain admittance for just £1.

Programme Price

Official Matchday Programme £2.

Fixture List

Airbus UK Fixtures (takes you to the Airbus UK Website)

Local Rivals

Chester FC is actually the nearest football club, however Connah’s Quay is the nearest rival Welsh League club.

Record and Average Attendance

Record Attendance
625 v The New Saints Welsh Premier League
23rd February 2013

Average Attendance
2016-2017: 271 (Welsh Premier League)
2015-2016: 264 (Welsh Premier League)
2014-2015: 260 (Welsh Premier League)

Find and Book Your Local Hotel Accommodation And Help Support This Website

If you require hotel accommodation in Chester 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.

Map Showing The Location Of The Airbus UK Stadium

Club Website and Social Media Links

Official Web Site: www.airbusfc.com

Official Social Media

Facebook www.facebook.com/Airbus-UK-Broughton-FC
Twitter: twitter.com/airbusukfc

Airbus UK Broughton FC Feedback

If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail me at: [email protected] and I’ll update the guide.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Owen Pavey for providing a lot of the information about Airbus UK FC for this page.

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