Blundell Park: Grimsby Town
From Grimsby Town FC
Blundell Park opened in 1899 as a replacement for Abbey Park, Grimsby Town’s previous stadium. They didn’t completely abandon their old home, however, taking with them all of Abbey Park’s fixtures and fittings, plus the Hazel Grove and Abbey Park Stands. Only one of the original stands is still in working order, with the ground’s capacity being reduced from 27,000 to 9,052 when it became an all-seated affair in 1995.
The record attendance at Blundell Park was 31,651, set during the club’s FA Cup game against Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1937. An interesting fact about the two teams is that they also hold the attendance record for Manchester United’s ground Old Trafford, with 76,962 people turning out to watch them play against each other at The Theatre Of Dreams in the FA Cup semi-final of 1939.
Stats
| Blundell Park Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Opened | 1899 |
| Capacity | 9052 |
| Average Attendance | 6281 |
| Record Attendance | 31651 (Grimsby Town v Wolvers (1937)) |
| Pitch Size | 101 x 68 (6868) |
| Owner | Grimsby Town FC |
| Clubs Hosted | Grimsby Town |
| First Fixture | Grimsby Town v Luton Town (02/09/1899) |
| Grimsby Town Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1878 |
| Nickname | The Mariners, Mighty Mariners, Town |
| Club Mascot | Mighty Mariner |
| Rivals | Hull City, Scunthorpe United, Lincoln City |
| Previous Stadiums | Abbey Park, Clee Park |
| Kit | Black & White (Home) / Red (Away) / White & Blue (Third) |
| Training Ground | Cheapside Training Ground |
| Shirt Sponsor | myenergi |
| Team Owner | 1878 Partners, Mike Parker, The Mariners Trust |
| Record Goalscorer | Pat Glover (180) |
| Record Appearances | John McDermott (755) |
Blundell Park Photos
Credit: Sam Wilson
Blundell Park Seating Plan and Where to Sit
The Main Stand was replaced in 1925 and has a capacity of just over 2,000, The Pontoon Stand is behind the Northern goal, The Youngs Stand has two-tiers and The Osmond Stand is where away supporters are housed. Historically sponsorship deals have often been relevant to the towns fishing/seafood heritage.
Grimsby Town Ticket Prices
Tickets are £2 cheaper if you buy them in advance, unless you want to sit in the upper tier of the Main Stand where prices are the same regardless. Apart from that it is only your age that will affect the cost, with the prices listed below:
- Adults: £22.00 – £24.00
- Concessions: £15.00 – £17.00
How To Get Grimsby Town Tickets
You can get tickets over the phone, online or in person from the ticket office.
Where to Buy
Getting To Blundell Park
Grimsby is on the coast so it’s at the end of all the roads and railway lines. It’s not that tricky to get to though.
Train – Cleethorpes Railway Station is about twenty minutes walk from the stadium.
Bus – Stagecoach operates several services you can use, including the 9, 13 and 46 bus routes.
Car – Get onto the M180 and follow signs to Grimsby, staying on it when it becomes the A180. You’ll see the ground opposite the McDonald’s drive-thru.
By Air – Humberside Airport is around seventeen miles away from Blundell Park.
Taxi – From Cleethorpes Station to Blundell Park a taxi will take around five minutes and cost about the same number of pounds. The driver will probably be a thoroughly nice chap too.
Parking Near Blundell Park
There is no parking at the ground itself with the exception of twelve disabled parking spaces. On-street parking is what you’ll be looking for here, so keep your eye out for any restrictions. There are car parks close to the train station in Cleethorpes, but it’s a bit of a walk.
Useful Resources
- Parking - Just Park
Blundell Park Hotels
A haven for mariners, businessmen and football fans alike; here are a few good options for a place to stay in sunny Grimsby:
Holiday Inn Express Grimsby - £50+
Dolphin Rooms - £84+
Clee Hotel - £71+
Pubs and Bars Near Blundell Park
The people of Grimsby and Cleethorpes are a welcoming lot as long as you don’t try and show off, so why not join them for a pre match pint in one of these little gems:
The Coach House
Rutland Arms Old Mill Brewery
The Coliseum Picture Theatre
Facilities
As an older stadium Blundell Park is showing its age a little, but you can still get something nice to eat or drink on the day – or both if you enjoy hot Bovril. There’s also a McDonalds right outside the stadium. McPerfect.
Prices
- Programme: £3
- Pie: £3.3
- Cup of tea: £2
- Beer: £3.5
Hospitality
There are several different hospitality packages available at Blundell Park, though aside from the cheap one with a chippy tea, they all take place in the McMenemy’s Suite and come with executive seating. The Silver Package has a three-course meal, complimentary wine and half-time refreshments; whilst The Gold Package nets you the same thing but with a 3 course meal and optional extras, like a tour of the ground.
Private Hire
The McMenemy’s Suite is also the Function Suite at Blundell Park, meaning it’s where you’ll go if you want to hire a room at the home of the mighty Grimsby Town. From weddings breakfasts to exhibitions, Christenings to conferences, the options are endless – as long as you aren’t bringing more than 250 people with you.
Stadium Tours & Museum
There isn’t currently an option to tour the stadium without buying a matchday VIP package, and there is no museum either – unless you count the National Fishing Heritage Centre. It has nothing to do with football but it’s a blinding little museum.
About Grimsby Town
The mighty Mariners were formed in 1878, under the name of Grimsby Pelham, after a meeting in a local pub called The Wellington Arms. During their long existence they have enjoyed a degree of relative success, being the only team from historic Lincolnshire to compete in the top-tier of English football. They’ve won the second-tier on two occasions, the third-tier once and and the Football League Trophy once. In the 97/98 season they had a double success at Wembley in what is arguably the clubs most memorable and successful season ever. They travelled to the capital twice, winning on both occasions, and bagging themselves the Auto Windscreens Shield and promotion to the old Division One via the play-off’s.
In 2023 they made it to the the quarter finals of the FA Cup, a huge achievement considering they were in League 2 at the time and had been in the National League only a season before. They became only the 5th team from the 4th tier of football in the history of the sport to get so far, and even more impressive, they were the first team in 151 years to defeat teams from higher leagues 5 rounds in a row, even knocking out Southampton 2-1. They may not have won the cup, but their fans won the hearts of the nation as they sang, cheered, and supported their team through a 5-0 drumming by Premier League team Brighton and Hove Albion, even hanging around and celebrating the Mariners’ incredible run long after the final whistle.
Grimsby Town and Hull City are the only teams in the English game who have been given permission to play matches on Christmas Day. This is because of the strain put on the fixture list by the fishing trade, though it hasn’t occurred for a number of years because of how trawler fleets have been reduced. Bill Shankly, who is considered to be the ‘father’ of Liverpool Football Club, managed Grimsby from 1951 until 1953.
Blundell Park History
Blundell Park is only the third stadium that Grimsby have used in their entire existence, built as it was to replace Clee Park in 1899. It wasn’t exactly a complete re-build, however, with several parts of the old stadium simply moved to the new location. It wasn’t until 1939 that the final stand from Clee Park was knocked down and replaced.
Floodlights were installed at the ground in 1953, letting the club play night-time fixtures for the first time. In 1980 The Main Stand was demolished and replaced as was The Barrett’s Stand, which had stood since 1925. The ground became an all-seater venue in 1995 following The Taylor Report into the Hillsborough Disaster. Interestingly, Blundell Park is actually in Cleethorpes rather than Grimsby, but the line between the two towns is indistinguishable these days. Even more interestedly, Blundell Park is the lowest football stadium in the country, sitting just 2 feet above sea level.
Future Developments
The club have wanted to move away from Blundell Park since the 1990s, and there was progress being made around the table that would have seen the town get a £20 million new stadium behind Freeman Street, once the beating heart of the town. The old docks at the end of Freeman Street was another proposed location, as it would bring regeneration and make this once great area a destination for locals and tourists alike, but as of 2023 both locations had been taken off the table with the club preferring to upgrade Blundell Park instead. Many fans would prefer somewhere new though, and it would be no sooner than they deserve.
Chairman, Jason Stockwood, stated that a new stadium was not in their 10 year plan during a 2023 interview, so it’s probably not going to happen.