Crawley
Broadfield Stadium
Capacity 4,996
Address Broadfield Stadium, Brighton Road , Crawley, West Sussex, RH11 9RX
Ticket Prices £13 for visitors (terracing).
www.crawleytownfc.com
The Broadfield Stadium is one of the nicer grounds you will visit in the Conference. It is a fairly modern stadium having been built in 1997. The new stadium replaced their old Town Mead ground and has seen the club move through the non-league pyramid since its opening.
I first went there in 2010 when Boro beat Steve Evans’ side 3-1 as they pushed for the Conference title. Goals from Yemi Odubade (2) and a Joel Byrom effort from the half-way line were enough to give the Hertfordshire side the 3 points.
The ground is dominated by its main stand, which is a neat seated stand that is raised above pitch level. It reminds me of the away end at Cambridge, with the only difference being that Crawley’s one goes alongside the pitch. This stand also has 3 floodlight pylons on top of it. Both ends of the ground are identical. They are terraced stands that are covered and have a capacity of about 1500 supporters each. Away supporters are located in the north end of the ground.
The East side of the ground is an open area. There are a couple of steps and a scoreboard, but that is about it. It’s a shame because it lets the ground down a bit. It would be a really nice little ground if they could finish it off with a new stand on this side. The food at the ground was of good quality when I went there and can be accessed within the entrance/exit area.
Getting to Crawley
By car
Sat Nav reference: RH11 9RX
Crawley is the opposite end of London to Stevenage, so getting there involves negotiating the M25. Which way you go round is up to you really, although last time I went I took the Watford/Heathrow way. Leave the M25 at junction 7 and merge onto the M23. Follow the M23 before exiting at junction 11. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto the A23 (Brighton Road). Follow this road down to the next roundabout and the ground will be on the left hand side. You won’t miss it as there is a giant football on this roundabout.
By train
Getting to Crawley means getting into London first and making your way to London Victoria, where you can catch a South Central train into Crawley station. From there, the ground is about a mile away. Come out of the station and turn left. Follow the road down to a T junction that has an Indian opposite it called the Taj Mahal. Turn left here onto Brighton Road and after about 15 minutes, the ground will be on the right.
