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Pride of the Championship

Official Review by Gary Foxall, Stadium Journey Special Correspondent

Pride Park Stadium is home to English Championship club Derby County, nicknamed the Rams, and the complex replaced their historic Baseball Ground stadium. Opened on the 18th of July, 1997 the stadium has an all seated capacity of 33,597 and was one of the first new stadium builds in England following the Hillsborough Disaster. The stadium has hosted one England Full International and a number of England Under 21 fixtures. Other than colour, the stadium is of nearly identical build to those at Leicester City's King Power Stadium and Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium and was officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen.

Food & Beverage    3

Once inside, the stadium is well served by food outlets selling a range of hot dogs, burgers, pies and stir fry noodles as the vegetarian option. A hot dog retails for £3.20 with tea and coffee priced at £1.50 per cup. Pepsi is slightly over priced at £2 a cup with lager costing £3 per pint. The kiosks also sell chocolate and crisps.

Atmosphere    3

Some locals will say that the atmosphere of the Baseball Ground can never be replaced, but when full and Derby County are on a roll, Pride Park comes a close second. Derby has good vocal support and singing and chanting can be heard from most parts of the stadium. As new builds go, Pride Park is one of the better for atmosphere.

Neighborhood    3

The Midlands city of Derby is most famous for being the home of Rolls Royce and British Rail Engineering. The city offers a wide range of Restaurants and Public Houses and also has a good range of shops. The Westfield's Shopping Centre is located right in the city centre with further high street stores within walking distance. The vicinity around Pride Park is also populated with Retail Parks and hotels. Local and world-wide chains of Frankie's & Benny's, Burger King, and Starbuck's have locations within walking distance. Travelodge has a hotel right outside the stadium.

Fans    3

Derby supporters after the heady days of the seventies have remained loyal to the club whilst they have languished in the lower divisions. Gates at Pride Park are always upwards of 20,000 for league matches and the club have a sound fan base. Games against arch enemies Nottingham Forest are massive grudge games when the two play each other.

Access    3

Pride Park stadium is handily placed on the outskirts of Derby adjacent to the A52 but within walking distance of the city centre and main line railway station. Derby is easily reached by all modes of travel from most places in the U.K. East Midlands Airport is twenty minutes away with Birmingham International also only one hour away by road.

Return on Investment    3

A visit to Pride Park is highly recommended, particularly to see the statues of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor outside the main entrance to the stadium. Admission costs are between £25 and £33 with reductions for O.A.P's and children.

Extras    3

There is a club shop within the stadium complex and bookmakers outlets inside the stadium. Stadium Tours are available for £6 on specific days of the year and these are announced on the club's website. A match day programme is produced for all home games priced at £3.


**Photos of Steve Bloomer bust courtesy of RamsTrust, the independent supporters' trust of Derby County FC.

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