CNG Stadium
Capacity: 4,108 (Seated 600)
Address: Wetherby Road, Harrogate, HG2 7SA
Telephone: 01423 210600
Pitch Type: Artificial 3G
Club Nickname: Town
Year Ground Opened: 1920
The CNG Stadium has seen quite a sizeable investment in its facilities and this has continued into 2019 with two new terraces and a small seated stand being erected. These works have expanded the capacity of the stadium to 4,000 with 500 seats, which meets Football League standards.
On one side is the modern looking Main Stand, which is called the Greene King IPA Family Stand. This covered seated stand comprises six rows of seating and runs for around half the length of the pitch. The view is good from this area as there are no supporting pillars or floodlight pylons to hinder your view. On the roof of this stand is a platform for television cameras. On one side of this stand is a sizeable covered terrace that is taller than the Main Stand as was opened in April 2019. It is around 15 rows high and although pre-fabricated it is fairly steep. It gives this side of the ground a unique look. Unfortunately, this terrace does have the base of a floodlight pylon located near the middle of it and the roof only extends over the back rows.
Opposite is the Wetherby Road Terrace which is covered and is free of supporting pillars, although it does have the bases of two floodlight pylons protruding through it. On one side of this terrace (towards the 1919 Venue end of the ground) is a new small covered seated stand, which has around 150 seats in six rows. Again there is a base of a floodlight near the centre of this stand. At the Hospital End of the ground, a new covered terrace was opened in 2014, which is called the Henderson Stand. Although it has developed that area of the stadium, the terrace itself, although being practical, isn’t the most attractive of stands. At the other end, there is a small covered terrace that was also opened at Easter 2019. Although only four rows high it does have a roof and extends almost the full width of the pitch. An unusual feature is that around two thirds along this stand, almost in line with the 18 yard box, is the Player’s Tunnel, which can be extended outwards towards the pitch and retracted as needed. On one side of this terrace is the 1919 Clubhouse Venue Bar. The stadium has a set of six floodlights, three of which run down each side of the ground. In the Summer of 2016, a new 3G artificial surface was installed at the CNG Stadium.
For most games, fans are not segregated inside allowing the traditional non-league procession of fans swapping ends at half time. If segregation is in force, then away fans are housed in the Henderson Insurance Stand at one end of the ground. This covered terrace is comprised of six steps and its low roof means that away can really make themselves heard. The only downside is that there is quite a sizeable perimeter fence running along the front of it.
One of the highlights of visiting the CNG Stadium is the catering which is provided by a local company called Burgers & More. Not only do they offer a number of gourmet burgers (£4-£4.50) and Pies (£3), but also a tasty Beef Stew (£5) and the intriguingly named Wellington Burger (£5). The latter being more of a pastry which has a filling beef, blue cheese, garlic mushrooms and red wine gravy. Certainly, a cut above catering at most grounds and that includes the Premier League!
Seating*
Adults £17, Concessions £13, Under 16’s £7
Terrace*
Adults £16, Concessions £12, Under 16’s £6
Concessions apply to Over 65’s, Under 22’s, Members of the Armed Forces and Emergency Services.
* A £2 discount per Adult ticket and £1 per Concession/Under 16 ticket can be gained if your ticket is purchased online.
Record Attendance
3,000 v Brackley Town
National League North Play Off Final 13th May 2018
Average Attendance
2017-2018: 1,134 (National League North)
2016-2017: 896 (National League North)
2015-2016: 689 (National League North)
There is a Clubhouse bar inside the ground called the ‘Nineteen Nineteen Bar’ (1919 was the year that the Club was founded) which allows in visiting fans unless crowd segregation is in force. Otherwise, the nearest pub is the Woodlands, which is a short distance back down the A661 Wetherby Road, heading away from town. About a ten minute walk in the opposite direction along the Wetherby Road (heading towards the town centre and just set back from the roundabout is the Empress which also offers food.
If arriving by train then just off Platform 1 is the Harrogate Tap that has up to 11 real ales on offer.
Harrogate town centre is around a 20 minute walk away from the ground, where there are plenty of pubs to be found including the Winter Gardens on Royal Baths Road, which is a Wetherspoons outlet.
DIRECTIONS AND CAR PARKING
Leave the A1(M) at Junction 47 and take the A59 towards Knaresborough. Then take the A658 towards Bradford/Harrogate. At the second roundabout turn right onto the A661 towards Harrogate. You will pass a Sainsburys and then after the lights with the Woodlands pub on one corner, then the entrance to the ground is just a bit further down on the right. Please note that traffic can be quite congested along the A661, so you may wish to allow more time for your journey.
Car Parking
There is no parking available for supporters at the ground and to make matters worse there is a residents only parking scheme in operation on roads close to the stadium. However, there is the nearby Kingswood Surgery on Wetherby Road (HG2 7SA) which offers parking at £5. Otherwise, you will need to street parking further away or in a town centre car park, around one mile away. I have been informed that the Sainsburys Store has free parking for up to three hours, but if using this please double check any signage in the car park to ensure that this is still the case.
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