Blackwell Meadows: Darlington FC

From Darlington FC

Despite how closely linked football and rugby are as sports, not least thanks to their origins, it is actually quite unusual to see a stadium that caters to both on a regular basis. That is exactly what you get with Blackwell Meadows, however. As well as being the home of Darlington Football Club, which is obviously what we care about, it is also where Darlington Rugby Football Club play their matches. The stadium opened in 1994 after around £1.7 million was spent building it and was initially just for the rugby team. It was only in 2016 that renovations took place in order to welcome the football club to play in it too.

As for the football club, the Quakers, as Darlington are sometimes known, began playing matches in 1883 and became one of the founding members of the Northern League six years later. As you can imagine, the side has enjoyed some ups and downs over the years, although it has mostly bobbed around the lower leagues. There is some debate about whether or not this Darlington is the same one that formed in 1883, on account of the fact that the club was expelled from the Football Association in 2012 and a new club with a new name was formed instead. That was Darlington 1883, which became just Darlington again in 2017.

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Blackwell Meadows Photos

Blackwell Meadows Stadium, Terraces

Blackwell Meadows Stadium, Welcome Sign

Blackwell Meadows Stadium, Main Stand

Blackwell Meadows Seating Plan and Where to Sit

Most of the Darlington supporters will congregate in the Tinted, which is behind the goal at the town end of the ground. This is a standing area that is covered and has enough room for 900 supporters. There are barriers around the side of the pitch where other supporters tend to stand. For those looking to have a seat, there is enough room for just shy of 600 people in a covered seating area, which is where season ticket holders and disabled supporters tend to be housed. If it’s a segregated match, around 800 away fans are housed in the western part of the ground.

Darlington FC Ticket Prices

Darlington look to keep things simple enough when it comes to their ticket prices, with one price for standing and another for seating. There is also a different cost depending on your personal situation. Here is a look at what tickets cost in the 2023-2024 season to give you a sense of what you might be asked to pay:

Concessions are considered to be those aged 65 and over, students, registered disabled people and young adults. Juniors are those aged under 18, whilst children are under 12 and a only free when accompanied by an adult or concession ticket holder.

How To Get Darlington FC Tickets

Lower league sides realise that they are really up against it when it comes to persuading people to head along to one of their games rather than watch the Premier League, for example. As a result, it isn’t uncommon for them to have excellent websites to make it as easy as possible to get a ticket. Darlington’s site is the best place to head as you’ll be able to see exactly what options are available to you. That being said, you can buy tickets at the ground on the day if you’d prefer.

Where to Buy

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Getting To Blackwell Meadows

Train – If you are planning to get the train to Darlington in order to head to Blackwell Meadows then you’ll be aiming for Darlington Railway Station. Do be aware that it is around 40 minutes from the ground on foot, so include that in your planning.

Bus – Anyone wanting to get the bus to the ground will need to head to Stand M outside the Town Hall. From there there are a few buses that head towards the stadium, which are the X26, the 12, the X27 and the 34.

Car – Obviously the route that you take to get to Blackwell Meadows will depend on where you’re coming from. Those heading from the South will look to take the A1(M) and leave at Junction 57 before getting onto the A66(M) towards Darlington. Blackwell Meadows itself is off the A167. If you’re coming from the West then it will be the M6 North onto the A685 at Junction 38, which will get you two the A66. If you’re coming from the North then the A1(M) is the best way to get onto the A167 at Junction 59, whilst anyone heading from the East will want the A19 onto the A66.

By Air – Should you be planning to fly in to see a Darlington match at Blackwell Meadows then the best airport for you will be Durham Tees Valley Airport.

Taxi – If you’re looking to get the train to Darlington but don’t fancy that 40 minute walk to the ground then a taxi will be your best bet. You will be unlucky to pay much more than £7-£8 for the journey, with £4 being the more typical fair if there are only a couple of you.

Parking Near Blackwell Meadows

Should you be driving, you’ll need to park your car somewhere. The good news is that there is a match day car park that operates a first-come-first-served policy and costs £5 per car at the time of writing. There are car parks within Darlington town centre, too, whilst parking on the street close to the ground is possible as long as you obey the restrictions that are in place.

• See Available Parking Near Blackwell Meadows

Useful Resources

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Pubs and Bars Near Blackwell Meadows

About Darlington FC

A meeting was called at Darlington Grammar School in the July of 1883, with the purpose being to address some concerns that not many Darlington-based sides were entered major football competitions in the region. The outcome of the meeting was to form a side that would do just that, with Darlington Football Club being formed as a result. Within two years the newly formed side had won the Durham Challenge Cup, entering the FA Cup the following year. The side chose to turn professional in 1908, joining the North Eastern League and by the 1910-1911 season the team reached the last 16 of the FA Cup.

Unfortunately, there have been more downs than ups during Darlington’s history. This is perhaps best summarised by the fact that the club went into administration in 2003, then again in 2009 and once more in 2011. The club was nearly liquidated before being bought by supporters, but a failure to agree a creditors voluntary agreement meant that the Football Association expelled it from the Football League and said it needed to have a new name if a new club was to be formed. This ended up being Darlington 1883, returning to being Darlington in 2017, having become 100% fan-owned in the February of that year.

Blackwell Meadows History

Part of the problem that led Darlington into having such major financial troubles was the decision of the then-owner George Reynolds, to build a stadium for the club to play its matches in that would be known as Reynolds Arena. The stadium had been partly financed with high-interest loans and there was no realistic hope that the club would be able to fill it with supporters. This was after the club had chosen to play in Feethams, where Darlington Cricket Club formed, but that was demolished after the construction of Reynolds Arena had begun. It was confirmed they would no longer play there in May 2012.

Darlington initially ground-shares Bishop Auckland’s Heritage Park and then in the December of 2013 a deal was struck to share Blackwell Meadows with Darlington RFC. It took until the start of the 2016-2017 season for Darlington to actually move there, however, largely because the stadium needed to be altered and expanded. Further extensions happened in the years that followed, such as in 2018 when the seated stand was able to welcome 588 people. That allowed the club to be promoted to the National League, with the club having been stopped from enjoying their promotion in 2017 thanks to too few seats in the ground.