Kingfield Stadium: Woking FC

P L Chadwick / <i>Woking Football Club - ground and Leslie Gosden Stand</i>

Owing to sponsorship reasons, the Kingfield Stadium is known as the Laithwaite Community Stadium. It has been known as that since 2015, which was when the club signed a sponsorship deal with with a local financial services company. The club did submit plans to built a new stadium where the current one stands, but that was blocked by Michael Gove in 2021 and isn’t currently in the process of being built, so it is the original Kingfield Stadium that we’re tell you about here. It is a basic football found, albeit one with a relatively modern looking single-tier stand that is situated behind the goal at one end of the ground.

Woking Football Club, meanwhile, was founded in 1887 and has spent most of its existence in the lower leagues of the English football pyramid. There have been various different sojourns into competitions, such as during the 1990-1991 campaign, in which they made it to the fourth round of the FA Cup before somehow managing to be beaten by Everton. They have played their games at Kingfield since 1922, which has seen a number of matches between the home team and their fierce rivals, such as Stevenage and Aldershot Town, played there over the years. At the time of writing, Woking have won the FA Trophy three times.

Stats

Kingfield Stadium Photos

Woking FC Mascots

Bramhall Lane History
From Sheffield United FC

Kingfield Stadium from Outside

Kingfield Stadium Seating Plan and Where to Sit

For those heading to the Laithwaite Community Stadium in order to watch a Woking match, it can be a slightly confusing experience. That is because the stands are seemingly colour coordinates, with the Jewson Family Stand being yellow compared to the green Director’s Stand and the orange ‘Moaners’ Corner’. There is a red Seymours Community Stand, as well as a blue Kingfield Road End.

Woking FC Ticket Prices

You can save £3 by buying your tickets in advantage using the club’s online system, but if you are determined to pay in person then here is how much tickets would’ve cost you during the 2023-2024 campaign:

• Adult: £23
• Concession: £18
• Next Gen (17-22): £15
• Under-17: £11
• Under-14: £5

As a point of record, concession tickets are available to those over the age of 65, or people who are in the military or the emergency services.

How To Get Woking FC Tickets

If you want to get tickets for a Woking match, the best way to do so is via the club’s official website. It isn’t that you can’t buy tickets in person on the day of the game, it’s just that those bought online in advance are £3 cheaper than if you buy your tickets on the turnstile.

Where to Buy

• Ticket Compare

Getting To Kingfield Stadium

Train – If you’re hoping to get the train to Woking then Woking Railway Station will serve you will, located as it is around a mile away from Kingsfield Stadium.

Bus – When it comes to buses, there are a number of the that stop within a short walk of the stadium. Bus numbers 34, 73, 445, 462, 462, 690 and 856 all stop within a stone’s throw of the ground, for example.

Car – How you’ll get to Woking by car will largely depend on where you’re coming from. If you’re heading in from the East then you’ll be on the M25 until junction 10, at which point you’ll head towards Guilford on the A3. You’ll then want to make it onto the A320 for Woking, keeping your eye out for signs. Those heading from the West, meanwhile, will come off the M25 at junction 11 and following the A317 and then the A320 towards Woking.

By Air – The closest airport to Woking is London Heathrow Airport, which is less than 20 miles away, but you won’t go too far from with any of the London-based airports.

Taxi – A taxi from the train station to the football ground is likely to cost you somewhere between £10 and £20, traffic dependent.

Parking Near Kingfield Stadium

Parking is tricky near to the ground, with restrictions in place. Woking Leisure Centre allows you to park for free for up to three hours, but obviously make sure you’re not breaking any rules by being there.

• See Available Parking Near Kingfield Stadium

Useful Resources

• Parking - Just Park

Pubs and Bars Near Kingfield Stadium

About Woking FC

Founded in 1887, Woking Football Club joined the West Surrey League eight years later, winning the title by a single point at the first time of asking. Within 21 years of opening, however, financial problems meant that the club was close to having to fold. In the January of 1908, however, they made it through give qualifying rounds of the FA Cup and faced Bolton Wanderers in the first round proper. In spite of the fact that they lost 5-0, they made the national news, welcoming a group of new supporters into the fold. Bolton had also been impressed with the club, travelling to Woking for a friendly that helped to keep them solvent.

From there, the club continued to enjoy minor successes in the likes of the Isthmian League and the 1958 FA Amateur Cup, which they won 3-0 against Ilford. There was something of a decline at the start of the 1980s, culminating in the relegation of Woking at the end of the 1982-1983 campaign. Within two seasons they’d dropped down even further, eventually bouncing back. There have been some good seasons, such as in the 1991-1992 campaign when the club earned promotion to the Conference. With a team mascot known as K.C. Kat, Woking’s fans have been able to watch their club enjoy some wins over rivals such as Torquay United and Stevenage.

Kingfield Stadium History

The Laithwaite Community Stadium, as it has been known since 2015 thanks to sponsorship, first opening its doors in 1922 as the Kingfield Stadium. In fact, the majority of fans still call it Kingfield and probably will do forever. The Leslie Gosden Stand, which was opened in 1995, is the tallest structure in the stadium and boasts entirely covered seating. It was completed thanks to financing from Woking Borough Council. During the 1957-1958 campaign, Woking played Finchely in the FA Amateur Cup and an official attendance record of 7,020 was set. It is believed more than 8,000 people turned up to see Charlton play in 1927, but it wasn’t official.

In the modern era, 5,171 people were in attendance when Woking defeated Aldershot Town in a National League match on the second of January 2022. That beat the previous record of 4,900, which had been set in 1992 when Woking played Wycombe Wanderers in the ground. It has been used for more than just Woking matches, with Hayes & Yeading United share use of the stadium from 2011 to 2014 and an FA Women’s Cup semi-final being held at the ground in 2014. In 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, Sheerwater used the ground whilst their own new stadium was being built, adding another team to the list of those that had played there.

Future Developments

The club did submit plans for a new 9,026 capacity stadium to be built on the site of the current Kingsfield Stadium. It was to be part of a wider development, which includes a residential area, medical centre and retail shops. In the December of 2021, however, it was confirmed that Michael Gove, the Housing, Community and Local Government Secretary at the time, had blocked plans to expand the stadium and revitalise the area. That came after Woking Borough Council had refused planning permission in June 2020. As things currently stand, it looks as though the redevelopment will not be going ahead.