Haig Avenue: Southport FC

From Southport FC

Known as the Big Help Stadium because of sponsorship, Haig Avenue was originally known as Ash Lane. It is actually situated in an area called Blowick, which just within the east boundary of Southport, close to the A570. That is the main road from Southport to Ormskirk and the access to the M58. Located close to a residential area, it is next to some school playing fields. The stadium has stood since 1905, with both Liverpool and Everton reserves having played matches in it over the years. It has also played host to Women’s FA Cup matches, with Everton Ladies playing the start of the 2018-2019 campaign there.

For their part, Southport were founded as Southport Central in 1888, playing in the likes of the Lancashire League, Lancashire Combination and the Central League for the club’s more formative years. The club has enjoyed some relative success over the years, with the 1930-1931 campaign seeing them go all the way to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. In the end, they lost 9-1 to neighbours Everton at Goodison Park, but the journey there was something special. The choice to re-name the club to simply Southport came about in 1921, which was when the side joined the Football League and were one of the founding members of the Third Division North.

Stats

Haig Avenue Photos

Haig Avenue Stadium, Terraces

Haig Avenue Stadium, Main Stand

Haig Avenue Stadium, Dugouts

Haig Avenue Stadium, Corporate Seating

Haig Avenue Stadium, Blowick End Away Terrace

Haig Avenue Seating Plan and Where to Sit

The main stand on the North side of the ground and the Jack Carr stand to the West are both seated areas, accounting for 1,537 of the 6,008 capacity.

Running directly opposite the main stand is what’s known as The Popular Terrace, which is an uncovered standing area, and behind the goal at the Eastern side of the stadium is another uncovered terrace known as the Blowick end, where the away fans generally watch from.

Haig Avenue is typical of the stadiums at this level of English football, although it does boast some fancy corporate seating.

Southport FC Ticket Prices

There are three main factors that will influence how much you end up paying for tickets to Southport matches, which are your age, where you want to sit and when you choose to buy them. As you might imagine, you will end up paying more if you’d like a seat and you leave the purchase of your tickets until the day of the match itself.

Here is a look at how much tickets cost depending on each of these factors for the 2023-2024 season, which will give you some sense of costs:

All those attending under the age of 17 must be accompanied by an adult. There is also a Flexi-Ticket option, which is for five games and makes the cost per game cheaper.

How To Get Southport FC Tickets

If you’ve read about any of the other lower league sides on this site then you will no doubt be aware that one of the ways in which they try to appeal to football fans nowadays is by having an excellent website. Southport are no exception on that front, so it’s where you’ll want to head if you plan to buy tickets for their games. You can also buy them at the turnstile but, as you’ll discover, you’ll pay more.

Where to Buy

• Ticket Compare

Getting To Haig Avenue

Train – If you’d like to get the train to a Southport match then you’ll be heading to Meols Cop. That is located on the Manchester to Southport line and is located about ten minutes away from the stadium on foot. You can get a train to Southport Railway Station if you wish, which is located in the town centre, but obviously it is further away.

Bus – Bus number 44 leaves the town centre every 20 minutes or so, taking around ten minutes to get to Haig Avenue, so is definitely an option if you don’t want to walk.

Car – Anyone planning to drive to Southport will be looking to get onto the M6, leaving at Junction 28 if you’re coming from the north or Junction 26 if you’re arriving from the south. Northerners will be looking out for the B5248, which then turns into the A59/A565, following the signs once you’ve reached Southport. If you’re a southern traveller then it’s the M58 you’ll get onto initially, leaving at Junction 3 for the A570, following the signs as you get closer.

By Air – The closest airport is Liverpool John Lennon, which is ideal as it gives you the perfect excuse to avoid Manchester Airport, which was designed as some sort of modern torture chamber for those foolish enough to travel through it.

Taxi – If you want to get a taxi from Southport’s train station out to the ground, you’ll be looking at paying around £10, depending on how heavy the traffic is.

Parking Near Haig Avenue

There is a small car park at the ground, but it is limited to players and club officials. There are streets that can be used in the local area, but you should obviously look out for any parking restrictions that are in place as you might end up getting a ticket if you’re not careful. If you’d rather be safe than sorry then you can look out for car parks in the centre of Southport.

• See Available Parking Near Haig Avenue

Useful Resources

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Pubs and Bars Near Haig Avenue

About Southport FC

There was an amateur football club called Southport that formed in 1881, largely to give the players from the local private schools a focal point. It was initially a rugby club before Welshman Thomas Blundell Burnett encouraged the switch to football. Another amateur side called Southport Wanderers formed in 1884, helping to demonstrate the manner in which there was a desire to see some football played in the town. It was in 1888 that Southport Central formed, though, being a professional club from the off. The club made it into the Football League in 1921, making the decision to re-name as simply Southport as a result.

Southport played non-league football from 1978, in part thanks to the fact that the players were only part-time. In 2006 this changed, with Southport becoming a full-time football club. In spite of this, they couldn’t make the jump from the Conference North into the upper echelons of non-league football, so in 2008 the decision was taken to return to being a part-time side. In 2023, Big Help Group took over as the owners of Southport, with promises that they would work with fans to ensure that there was a better relationship with them. One of the key promises was a move to get off-the-field things right in the hope that the club could make it into the Football League in the future.

Haig Avenue History

The Big Help Stadium, as Haig Avenue has been known since the new owners came in in 2023, was originally called Ash Lane. That is because that was the name of the road on which the stadium was built back then, but in 1921 both the road and the stadium itself were re-named as Haig Avenue, which was done in honour of Earl Haig. The stadium was relatively basic for quite a long time, with the grandstand that exists now not being built until 1968. That was because the original main stand had burned down two years earlier, seeing the dressing rooms, offices and stands all destroyed, requiring a new structure to be built.

Whilst the area of Liverpool and Merseyside in general is thought of as being decidedly Labour-centred nowadays, with many also having a healthy scepticism of the Royal Family, the same was not true during the more formative years of the English game. As a result, around 15,000 people were in the stadium for the coronation of King George VI in 1937. In 1973, Red Rum, the Grand National winning horse, was paraded in front of the crowd ahead of a game against Lincoln City. Red Rum had, of course, run along Southport beach in order to get rid of problems in his hooves, hence the link to the stadium.