Away Fans Guide to Rochdale

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Away Fans Guide to Rochdale

Post by Dale Trust » Thu Aug 08, 2019 5:41 pm

Hi Folks

Ahead of next Tuesday, we at the Dale Trust have put together an Away Fans Guide to Spotland for no reason other than to make your trip as easy as possible for you. We know many of you will have visited Spotland before but hopefully it will be of some use to some of you. We'll come back next Wednesday with a 3 min survey if thats okay to gauge feedback and see if there is anything we can do to improve your visit / our away fans guide.


Getting to Spotland Stadium, Rochdale OL11 5DR

For 95% of car-based visitors to Spotland, it’s a case of leaving the M62 at Junction 20, and following the signs to Rochdale. It’s pretty much a straight road direct to the ground. Bear left with the retail park facing you, pass under the bridge which proclaims ‘Rochdale birthplace of co-operation’ and then it’s straight on all the way. After the traffic lights you’ll pass the sewage treatment works on the right, followed by Rochdale Cemetery on the left as you get closer.

We appreciate coming from Bolton, you might head through Bury. If you do, follow the road through Bury, passing the KFC and Fairfield Hospital before you reach the lovely town that is Rochdale. In this case you'll pass the Rochdale Cemetery on your left and then take a left at the immediate set of traffic lights.

If you’re coming by train, the best way of getting to the ground is by taxi. Costs around £4 to do so. There’s often Town Taxis waiting outside the station but sometimes it can be est to ring up in advance as you approach Rochdale and pre-book one. Best numbers are Streamline 01706 644104 or Millenium 01706 646465

If you are travelling through Manchester Victoria, you will have the option of Metrolink or Train. The train is about half an hour quicker as the Metrolink goes through Oldham which is definitely the long way around. Avoid at your peril.

Parking

On the whole, it’s a case of first come first served. There’s a couple of parking restrictions on the roads to the right as you approach the ground, and parts of Sandy Lane will be coned up but that aside, it’s help yourself. There’s plenty of sides streets with no restrictions in the vast majority of them. There’s no parking at the ground itself.

Eating
As you approach the ground from the motorway, there is a retail estate on the right-hand side. You will find your usual retail estate eateries there such as Pizza Hut, Frankie and Bennys, and McDonalds. There’s also a Brewers Fayre style pub there called the Sandbrookhttps://www.stonehouserestaurants.co.uk ... odanddrink and a really good curry house called the Copper Pot https://www.copperpot.com/ (opens 5-15 on Saturdays).

If grabbing a pre-match bag of chips is more your sort of thing, then the Willbutts Lane Chippy is something of a Football League legend. Its smack bang opposite the away turnstiles and if you weren’t hungry before, then you will be when the aroma hits you as you queue your way in. It’s a cracking chippy and comes thoroughly recommended.

Pubs
The closest pub to the ground is the Ratcliffe Suite / Dale Bar. http://www.ratcliffeevents.co.uk/ It’s built into the ground and accessible from the Sandy Lane end of the ground. You’d struggle to find a pub closer to a ground anywhere. Traditionally, the Ratcliffe Suite is aimed at away supporters and is massive. They have Sky Sports on a couple of big screens and TV’s all around the room. Despite its size, they serve pretty quickly. They don’t do food in there.

A little further away is the Cemetery Pub. https://www.facebook.com/cemeteryhotelrochdale/ This will be on the right-hand side if you are approaching the ground from the motorway. The Pub is CAMRA listed and was recently added to the “Champions Club” by the brewers Timothy Taylor due to how they tend to their beer. Those away supporters who are regulars to Spotland flock to the “Cem” year after year as part of their visit, with many preferring the pub to the game. Again, big screens and TV’s showing live sports. There will sometimes be football specials on in terms of food, but if not, there will be sandwiches and hot pies available. Season Ticket holders get a 20p discount on certain drinks and this applies to away supporters as well so don’t leave it at home.

If you are opting to drink in town rather than close to the ground, you have several options. There’s a big Wetherspoons called the Regal Moon https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all- ... n-rochdale and a Yates across the road from there (facing the town hall). There are a few really good independent places such as the Flying Horse https://www.theflyinghorsehotel.co.uk/ and the Medicine Tap http://www.themedicinetap.co.uk/ (both are also facing the town hall). A little further afield is the Baum. https://thebaum.co.uk/ It’s a former CAMRA National pub of the year, and is situated on Toad Lane – the historic birth of the Co-op.

Admission

We believe its pay on the turnstiles next week

Adult £15
Youth (20 and under) £5
Junior (11 and under) £1

The Away End

If you’ve never been to Spotland before, away fans are housed in the long stand down one side of the pitch on Willbutts Lane. It’s our newest stand (built in 1992) and offers an unrestricted view of the pitch. Dale fans often wonder why we give our best stand to away supporters, so it gets the thumbs up from us.

It will house up to around 3,500 away supporters, but if you’re not bringing that many, the end blocks may well be fenced off.

The club have recently invested in netting to cut down on the impact of local pigeons who used to, shall we say, left their mark on some of the seating in the away end.

There is a typical football concourse below the stand, selling beer, pies and everything else you’d come to expect at a football ground these days. We believe there’s a couple of screens in there showing you the latest scores.

Stewarding / Policing

Historically, some supporters (usually Scunthorpe) used to complain about the stewarding at Spotland but it’s been a long while now since there were any issues of overzealous stewarding to the best of our knowledge. We tend to rely on stewarding, though the more high-profile games will have Police in attendance. The only views we have had from away supporters in recent years about our stewards is when the Barnsley fans got one to wear plant pot on his head or Oldham supporters decided that one of them looked like Boris Johnson.

Stopping Over

There are a few places that offer overnight accommodation in town

The Flying Horse pub in town does accommodation. Rooms are above the pub and are perfect if you want somewhere cheap and cheerful after a night out down town. Fantastic value for money, and you’ll be well looked after. (http://www.theflyinghorsehotel.co.uk/accommodation/)

There are other hotels in the town. The Broadfield is based in the town centre, whilst the Royal Toby and the Norton Grange are a couple of miles away from the ground.

Further help

If you require any further help, you can email us at [email protected] or you can come and see us before the game in the Dale Bar / Ratcliffe Suite at our Trust desk.
Last edited by Dale Trust on Fri Aug 09, 2019 5:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Dave Sutton's barnet
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Re: Away Fans Guide to Rochdale

Post by Dave Sutton's barnet » Thu Aug 08, 2019 6:18 pm

Thanks for the help mate. Next Tuesday feels a long way away; at the moment we’re living day to day, even hour to hour. But good luck to Dale this season.

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Re: Away Fans Guide to Rochdale

Post by officer_dibble » Thu Aug 08, 2019 8:20 pm

I like your trust better than our trust

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Re: Away Fans Guide to Rochdale

Post by LeverEnd » Thu Aug 08, 2019 8:37 pm

Thanks DT, Shane I'm not around. Enjoyed the Cemetery pub a lot more than the league game a few years ago!
...

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Re: Away Fans Guide to Rochdale

Post by Prufrock » Thu Aug 08, 2019 10:32 pm

How did Clough get on last year?
In a world that has decided
That it's going to lose its mind
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind.

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Re: Away Fans Guide to Rochdale

Post by jimbo » Fri Aug 09, 2019 10:08 am

That’s a thorough guide he’s put together for a game that might not happen!

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Re: Away Fans Guide to Rochdale

Post by Bruce Rioja » Fri Aug 09, 2019 12:36 pm

The Timothy Taylor's Landlord in The Cemetery is sensational. THAT good in fact that you'll consider not going to the match at all.
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Re: Away Fans Guide to Rochdale

Post by Worthy4England » Fri Aug 09, 2019 12:42 pm

Bruce Rioja wrote:
Fri Aug 09, 2019 12:36 pm
The Timothy Taylor's Landlord in The Cemetery is sensational. THAT good in fact that you'll consider not going to the match at all.
In fairness, there's been the odd match in the past where all they've had is Carling and I've considered not going to the bloody match...

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Re: Away Fans Guide to Rochdale

Post by Bruce Rioja » Fri Aug 09, 2019 3:03 pm

Worthy4England wrote:
Fri Aug 09, 2019 12:42 pm
Bruce Rioja wrote:
Fri Aug 09, 2019 12:36 pm
The Timothy Taylor's Landlord in The Cemetery is sensational. THAT good in fact that you'll consider not going to the match at all.
In fairness, there's been the odd match in the past where all they've had is Carling and I've considered not going to the bloody match...
:lol:
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Re: Away Fans Guide to Rochdale

Post by Harry Genshaw » Mon Aug 12, 2019 8:55 am

We using this as the match thread then?

We could be playing an even younger side here if Parky/Spooner decide to rest a few with an eye on Tranmere at the weekend?

It's a very reasonable 15 quid to cheer on our young Lions. Who's going?
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Re: Away Fans Guide to Rochdale

Post by LeverEnd » Mon Aug 12, 2019 8:57 am

Harry Genshaw wrote:
Mon Aug 12, 2019 8:55 am
We using this as the match thread then?

We could be playing an even younger side here if Parky/Spooner decide to rest a few with an eye on Tranmere at the weekend?

It's a very reasonable 15 quid to cheer on our young Lions. Who's going?
FIFTEEN bloody quid!?!!
...

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Re: Away Fans Guide to Rochdale

Post by TANGODANCER » Mon Aug 12, 2019 9:22 am

LeverEnd wrote:
Mon Aug 12, 2019 8:57 am
Harry Genshaw wrote:
Mon Aug 12, 2019 8:55 am
We using this as the match thread then?

We could be playing an even younger side here if Parky/Spooner decide to rest a few with an eye on Tranmere at the weekend?

It's a very reasonable 15 quid to cheer on our young Lions. Who's going?
FIFTEEN bloody quid!?!!
Sounds good. Only needs a couple of hundred to turn up and that's the players week's wages sorted... :wink:
Si Deus pro nobis, quis contra nos?

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Re: Away Fans Guide to Rochdale

Post by TANGODANCER » Mon Aug 12, 2019 9:26 am

Harry Genshaw wrote:
Mon Aug 12, 2019 8:55 am
We using this as the match thread then?

We could be playing an even younger side here if Parky/Spooner decide to rest a few with an eye on Tranmere at the weekend?

It's a very reasonable 15 quid to cheer on our young Lions. Who's going?
No way. We might be in a spot of bother but we aren't having away fans writing our threads... :Jedi: I'll do one myself.
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