Croft Park: Blyth Spartans

From Blyth Spartans

Arguably the most interesting thing about Croft Park, which is the home stadium of Blyth Spartans, is the fact that it was first opened by Mrs Clarke of Bellister Castle, Haltwhistle. That isn’t to damn it with feint praise, but rather to acknowledge that Bellister Castle, Haltwhistle is a fun place to talk about. As for the stadium, it was opened in 1909 and underwent extensive redevelopment in 2003 in order to modernise it as much as possible, with further changes happening in 2007 so as to ensure that the ground would meet the requirements of the Conference North. A further phase of redevelopment was concluded in 2009.

As for the club that plays its matches at Croft Park, Blyth Spartans Association Football Club was founded in 1899 by Fred Stoker, who is not, as far as we’re aware, any relation of Bram. He was, however, the first secretary of the club before he formed a practice as a physician in Harley Street, London. He had the idea of naming the club after the Greek Spartan army, with the hope being that the players would feel as though they were heading into battle every time they ran onto the football pitch. Though the club’s success over the years has obviously been relative, it was notable in the 1977-1978 campaign that they made it to the FA Cup fifth round.

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Croft Park Photos

Croft Park Stadium, Port of Blyth Stand
Credit: Richard Webb Geograph

Blyth Spartans Flag at Croft Park Stadium

Croft Park Seating Plan and Where to Sit

In essence, the Croft Park layout is such that there are three standing sections and one side of the ground with seats. That is the main section, known as the Port of Blyth Stand, where you’ll also find the players’ tunnel, and is split into lower and upper levels. It is based over the halfway line on one side of the pitch, with a terrace running alongside the opposite side of the pitch. There are also two terraced sections that are based behind the two goals.

Blyth Spartans AFC Ticket Prices

The cost of tickets for Blyth Spartans matches will be dictated by your own personal circumstance as well as where in the stadium you’d like to be located. The difference in price comes down to whether you’d like to be seated or you’re happy enough being in the terraced section, with the following being an example of prices from the 2023-2024 season to give you some sense of what to expect.

How To Get Blyth Spartans AFC Tickets

Lower league clubs know that they need to have a decent website in order to even hope to be able to compete with the sides higher up in the Football League pyramid for supporters. Blyth Spartans are no different on that front, so if you’re hoping to get to see a match at Croft Park then the club’s official website is the place to head. You will be able to get tickets at the ground if you need to.

Where to Buy

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Getting To Croft Park

Train – For those of you that are hoping to be able to take a train to the stadium for a match, you’ll be wanting to get a train from Newcastle Central or Morpeth to Cramlington Railway Station. The fact that that is about five miles away might put some people off, though, so you might instead want to get to Newcastle Central Station and then look to take a bus.

Bus – If you’re in the centre of Newcastle and looking to get out to Croft Park for a match, you’ll be wanting to take the X10 or X11 to Blyth. Do be aware that it takes about an hour to complete the journey, so leave yourself plenty of time. Alternatively, you can get the 308 from Whitley Bay to Blyth if you find yourself there.

Car – Anyone hoping to drive to a Blyth Spartans match will be looking to take the A189 from the north, taking the A193 exit and sticking with it as it gets into Blyth and becomes The Broadway. From there, you can look to follow the signs. If you’re coming from the South, the A19 will be the main A road to take, also exiting onto the A189 before getting onto the A1061. Follow that until you can get onto the A193 and again look out for signs to the stadium.

By Air – Perhaps unsurprisingly, the closest airport to Blyth is Newcastle Airport, located about ten miles away. If course, you might find it more convenient to travel to Leeds-Bradford Airport, which is around 85 miles away, or Edinburgh, which is a little over 90 miles away.

Taxi – If you’re planning on getting the train to Cramlington then you need to bear in mind that you will almost certainly be looking to get a taxi from there out to the ground. If that’s the case then you’ll have to add around £12 to your budget, depending on what the traffic is like.

Parking Near Croft Park

There is no specific car park for Blyth Spartans supporters to use at the ground, although there are a few decent car parks in Blyth itself. The good news is that there is on-street parking around the stadium that you can look to take advantage of. The important thing is to be respectful of the locals with your parking decisions.

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Pubs and Bars Near Croft Park

About Blyth Spartans AFC

In the wake of Fred Stoker’s decision to form a new football club in Blyth and name it after the Greek Spartan army, the new side played friendly games against other sides in the local area. In 1901, however, the side joined the East Northumberland League, enjoying its first success by winning it in the first season. The club then joined the Northern Football Alliance, staying in it for six seasons and winning it a couple of times. In the decades that followed, Blyth Spartans made their way through the ranks of the football pyramid in England, eventually having to turn amateur and join the Northern League when there were no semi-professional divisions to play in.

The 1977-1978 proved to be a massive one for Blyth, defeating Chesterfield in the second round of the FA Cup and making it past Enfield in the third round. This produced a tie against Stoke City in the fourth round, who had only recently been relegated out of the top-flight. Another win saw Blyth Spartans playing in the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time. They were drawn to play Wrexham, who had defeated Blyth’s neighbours Newcastle United, with the winners set to play Arsenal. The first game ended in 1-1 draw after the match referee ordered a last minute Wrexham corner to be re-taken, which they scored from, with the Welsh side winning the replay 2-1.

Croft Park History

Blyth Spartans played their games in numerous different locations prior to the opening of Croft Park on the first of September 1901. The ground remained largely untouched over the years that followed, with the first major redevelopment coming in 2003. Extensive redevelopment resulted in a lot of the ash terracing being levelled in order for concrete terracing to replace it. A wheelchair enclosure as well as new dugouts were also added, with earlier work having seen the seating in the Main Stand better accessed thanks to new stairwells. At the end of the 2006-2007 season, more changes took place to ensure the ground was suitable for Conference North football.

this resulted in the extension of the Port of Blyth Main Stand roof so as to cover the bottom tier, which then had new seating installed. The dugout also got repositioned, which was done in order to ensure that the bottom tier seats had unobstructed views. The Plessey Road terrace also had a roof installed, meaning that the 1,200 or so people that watched from there were given some cover. By 2009 another phase of redevelopment was completed, seeing a roof added to the Croftway terrace in a similar manner to the one that had been put in place at the other end. The West Stand was also given an overhaul to bring the ageing terrace up to date.