On Sunday afternoon Walsall Football Club will travel to Wembley Stadium to take on Bristol City, in the Final of this season's Johnstone's Paint Trophy Competition. Once again we have teamed up with tothe92.co.uk, to bring you all the latest stadium information.
STADIUM INFORMATION
Wembley's 90,000 capacity makes it the second largest stadium in Europe (after Camp Nou) and the largest and tallest for size, in the world, with every seat under cover. It is one of the most expensive stadia ever built, costing close to £800 million. The land has been used for football since as early as the 1880s. The previous Wembley Stadium (originally known as the Empire Stadium) was one of the world's most famous football grounds, being England's national home for football, and, because of the geographical origins of the game, was often referred to as "The Home of Football". Though the original structure was closed in 2000, it was not demolished until 2003, after which construction began on the new stadium, originally intended to open in 2006. This was later delayed until early 2007. The final completion date of the stadium was 9 March 2007.
AWAY SUPPORTERS
Visiting supporters are advised that there are no bad seats in the entire stadium. The middle tier is at the best level but as such its also the most expensive and therefore, most of these are sold to corporates. The back of the lower tier and front of the upper tier are considered the best places to be as you'll more than likely be in amongst the 'real' supporters and the view is still superb.
WHERE TO DRINK
Saddlers supporters will be located in the West of Wembley Stadium, and as a result, Saddlers fans will have The Green Man Pub and Hotel as a Walsall only drinking hole.
The Green Man Pub and Hotel sits charmingly at the top of Wembley Hill, with scenic views of the famous Wembley Stadium, London and its surrounds.
The Green Man is a popular venue for pre/post match and concert drinks. Being only 5 minutes from Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena, its well known for its fun and lively atmosphere on concert and match days.
The pub includes a restaurant, function rooms, a spacious bar, beer garden and event parking.
Along with the above there's also a selection of pubs near to the stadium, with the Greyhound and a selection of others on Harrow Road, south of Wembley Stadium Station. Wetherspoon’s JJ Moons and Eddies, are on High Road, between Wembley Central Station and the stadium.
Wembley Park Station has a McDonalds and Wimpy as well as several chicken and pizza places on Wembley Park Drive. Wembley Central has KFC, McDonalds, Burger King and a Wok’s Cooking all situated on High Road on the walk up to the ground. There's also a couple outside Wembley Stadium station. All are within a mile of the ground and for the difference in price compared to what you'll find inside, make it well worth the effort.
CAR PARKING
Parking is as much of a nightmare here as I've found at any other stadium on my travels as street parking is simply non existent. For that reason, since my very first visit back in the early 90's I've taken the train. If coming from a distance, a lot of fans tend to park at one of the stations on the outskirts of north London and get the tube down. This really isn't a bad idea and it guarantees avoiding match day traffic after the game as well. However, there are a few private car parks in the neighbouring streets though you'll need to be prepared to pay up to £12 per vehicle.
TRAVELLING BY TRAIN
The closest train/tube station to Wembley Stadium is Wembley Park. The station serves Olympic Way, Club Wembley entrances and northern entrances E – K and lies on both the Jubilee (Grey) and Metropolitan (Purple) line. The main interchange stations are Waterloo and London Bridge on the Jubilee Line and Liverpool Street and Kings Cross St Pancras on the Metropolitan Line. The journey takes 26 – 32 minutes from those stations with the exception of Kings Cross which only takes 18 – 23 minutes. Services run regularly with additional services on event days which means you shouldn't have to wait any longer than 10 minutes for a train.
From the station, lifts take passengers from platform level to the ticket hall. Cross the ticket hall to enter the lifts which will bring you down to Olympic Way. From there, it's approximately 600 metres to the Stadium. Alternatively, Brent Community Transport are operating a shuttle bus service on major event days from Wembley Park to the Stadium.
From the station, lifts take passengers from platform level to the ticket hall. Cross the ticket hall to enter the lifts which will bring you down to Olympic Way. From there, it's approximately 600 metres to the Stadium. Alternatively, Brent Community Transport are operating a shuttle bus service on major event days from Wembley Park to the Stadium.