Mariners Park: South Shields FC

From Stadium Solutions

It is fair to say that Newcastle as a general area has a well-known football team that garners the attention of most of the local people. There are plenty who like to broaden their horizons however, which doubtless increased in the wake of the Magpies being taken over by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. One of the places that they might choose to go to instead of St James’ Park, given supporting Sunderland will be off-limits for the majority, is Mariners Park, the home of South Shields. Located on Simonside Industrial Estate in South Shields itself, it is currently known as the 1st Cloud Arena because of sponsorship.

Playing in claret and blue shirts with white shorts, a team called South Shields Adelaide Athletic was formed in 1888 and then re-formed in 1974, which was the same year that the former club had failed, but this time called South Shield Football Club. As you might imagine for a lower league side, South Shields has spent most of its existence bouncing around the lower divisions of the English game. Known as The Mariners on account of where the club plays its games, it has enjoyed some relative success over the years, such as winning the FA Vase in the 2016-2017 campaign and defeating Murton Colliery Welfare 14-0.

Stats

Mariners Park Photos

Mariners Park Stadium Corner Flag

Mariners Park Stadium Stands

Mariners Park South Shields FC Entrance

Mariners Park Seating Plan and Where to Sit

It is fair to say that Mariners Park is quite basic in nature, in keeping with the majority of lower league grounds. Away supporters tend to be housed in what is known as the Sima Shed and is a low, covered terrace at one end of the ground. On one side of the pitch a small, two-tiered stand with seats in the upper section and a terrace below. Next to it is another small, covered terrace with the tunnel running between the two structures. There is yet another small, covered terrace opposite the Sima Shed that tends to house the most vocal local supporters, whilst the New Main Stand that was completed in 2021 runs along the other side of the pitch.

South Shields FC Ticket Prices

The ease of buying tickets online is good news for supporters who wish to attend a South Shields match, but knowing how much you’re going to be asked to pay is something else entirely. Here is a look at how much they charged in 2023-2024 to give you some idea of what to expect, with the cost of tickets depending on your personal circumstances and where you want to be located:

If you buy your ticket in advance of a match day, either online or through the ticket office, it will be £1 cheaper for adults and concessions.

How To Get South Shields FC Tickets

If you spend a bit of time looking at the websites of the lower league teams you will soon realise that many of them have better sites than the country’s top clubs. This is often a realisation that young people do everything online and having a good website is the best way of attracting them. South Shields is no exception, with a good site that allows you to buy discounted tickets online. You can also get tickets on the turnstile if you’re a bit of a technophobe.

Where to Buy

• Ticket Compare

Getting To Mariners Park

Train – If you’re heading to a South Shields game then you can do so getting the train to either Newcastle Train Station or Sunderland Train Station. If you head to Newcastle you can get the Metro heading towards South Shields and get off at Bede station, from where it is an easy walk. If you’re coming from Sunderland then you’ll want to get the Metro towards Newcastle, alighting at Pelaw station and changing onto a Metro towards South Shields in order to get off at Bede.

Bus – Metro is definitely the easiest way of getting to Mariners Park, but if you want to get a bus then local services 10, 11, 525, 542, 816 and 820 all stop reasonably close by.

Car – Anyone thinking of driving to a South Shields match will want to get on the A1(M) if you’re coming from the South, which will take you towards Newcastle. You will then change to the A194(M) before following the signs towards South Shields and then eventually the ground itself.

By Air – Newcastle Airport is just 11 miles or so away from South Shields, so that will be the obvious one that you’ll be aiming for. You could instead head to Leeds Bradford, Manchester or Edinburgh if you particularly wanted to, but with all of them being significantly further away it doesn’t feel like the wisest of choices.

Taxi – A taxi from Newcastle Train Station out to the ground might cost you more than £10, so it definitely makes sense to get the Metro instead if you’re able to.

Parking Near Mariners Park

When match days roll around, there is car parking available on Shaftesbury Avenue. Failing that, there id an overflow car park at the nearby Barbour store that you are allowed to use.

• See Available Parking Near Mariners Park

Useful Resources

• Parking - Just Park

Pubs and Bars Near Mariners Park

About South Shields FC

In 1888, a football team was founded in South Shield called South Shields Adelaide Athletic, later becoming Gateshead AFC after relocating in 1930. Six years on and another South Shields club was formed, again relocating to Gateshead in 1974. It was at this point that the team that we know today as South Shields Football Club was created in order to offer football to the locals. The club won the Wearside League in 1977, remaining at that level for a period of 15 years before moving on. As is often the case with lower league sides, South Shields have had numerous trials and tribulations over the years.

In the 1990s and 2000s, for example, the Chairman at the time, John Rundle, twice threatened to shut the club down, going so far as to lock the gates of the home ground ahead of a match. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t last much longer in the role and a new committee was formed, breathing new life into the club. New owners came in in 2015, with players also arriving to freshen up the playing squad. As you can imagine, success at South Shields has always been relative, winning several lower league championships and the FA Vase, twice making it to the first round of the FA Cup but also losing 11-0 to Shildon in the 2012-2013 season.

Mariners Park History

John Rundle might have been a difficult Chairman during his time in charge of the club, but he and his family did give supporters their wish for a ground in the form of a space next to the rundown and vandalised Filtrona factory, refurbishing it and getting it ready for use by 1992. When Geoff Thompson came in as the owner in 2015, he re-named it to become Mariners Park, with more than 650 people turning up to see the club play against Darlington. Located on South Shields’ Simonside Industrial Estate (until 1974, they actually played at a stadium called Simonside Hall), it took on sponsorship in 2020 to become the 1st Cloud Arena, with the sponsorship later being expanded until 2025.

With room for around 4,000 and boasting 1,100 seats across two stands, it is fair to say that the ground is more than big enough for South Shields’s needs. Having previously been home to the works team of Filtrona factory, the club was forced to leave the ground in the wake of the 2012-2013 season when the former Chairman wanted to sell. Being just a two-minute walk from Bede Metro Station, it is a popular venue with locals if neither Sunderland nor Newcastle are playing and a decent atmosphere can be achieved from time to time. It is, of course, very basis in nature and would likely have to be improved if South Shields ever worked their way up through the divisions.