Park View Road: Welling United Football Club

From Welling United

It is common for football grounds to take their names from things that are located nearby or the area that they’re located in. In the case of Park View Road, the name comes from a section of the A207 that is found in Welling, which certainly makes it one of the more bizarre things that a ground is named after. It is older than the clubs that play their games in it, as well as being older than Welling United’s predecessor, Bexley United. Having suffered bomb damage during the Second World War, it is fair to say that the stadium has undergone a number of changes and improvements since it first opened its doors in around 1925.

We say ‘teams’ that play their games at the stadium, which is owing to the fact that Welling United and Erith & Belvedere ground share Park View Road and have done since 1999. Obviously we’re most interested in Welling United, being the senior of the two sides, having been founded in 1963 by a former professional footballer named Syd Hobbins. The team actually began life as an Under-15s team, playing its matches in the Eltham & District Sunday League and playing games on a park pitch for the first few seasons of its existence. The club gained senior status in 1976 when playing in the London Spartan League.

Stats

Park View Road Photos

Park View Road Stadium, Erith and Belvedere Stand

Park View Road Stadium, Terraces

Park View Road Stadium, View of the Pitch

Park View Road Seating Plan and Where to Sit

Since Park View Road stadium is shared between Welling United and Erith and Belvedere, the stadium itself is a quirky one.

On one side of the ground is Welling’s covered main stand, complete with red seats to match the team’s colours. Directly opposite, is a smaller covered stand with blue and white seats, matching Erith and Belvedere’s team colours.

The rest of the ground is open to the elements, with leaning rails all around the pitch and a more traditional terrace behind one of the goals.

Welling United Ticket Prices

When it comes to the price that you’ll pay to attend a Welling United match, the most important thing is going to be your age. Here is a look at the ticket prices for the 2023-2024 season:

• Adult – £15
• Concession – £10
• Students – £10
• Blue Light / Armed Forces – £10
• Under 16-year-olds – £7
• Under 11s – Free

As you might imagine, the cost of ticket for cup fixtures and friendlies tend to vary. If you’re looking to take advantage of the prices for older people, students or those that work for the Blue Light organisations or the armed forces, do bear in mind that you might be asked to show proof.

How To Get Welling United Tickets

If you’re hoping to get tickets for a Welling United match then the best place to head is to the football club’s excellent website. Lower league sides know that their best hope of appealing to young people is to ensure that their websites are up to scratch, with Welling United being no exception. You can, though, buy tickets at the turnstile if technology isn’t really your thing.

Where to Buy

• Ticket Compare

Getting To Park View Road

Train – The closest train station to Park View Road is Welling, which is served by trains from London Victoria and London Charing Cross, as well as from the other direction. It is about 15 to 20 minutes from the train station to the ground, depending on your walking speed, so that is worth bearing in mind if you’re considering getting the train to watch a match.

Bus – There will be some of you considering getting the bus to the ground, perhaps because you’ve got your bus pass so it’s cheaper for you. If that’s the case, all of the buses can be caught from the train station and numbers 89, 486 and the B16 travel past the ground.

Car – Nowadays, it is not uncommon for people to want to drive to football grounds up and down the country. If that is the position that you find yourself in when heading to a Welling United match, you’ll want to take the M25 to Junction 2, then get on the A2 towards Central London. Leave at the Danson Interchange and look out for signs to the ground. The exception to that is if you’re travelling from Kent, when the directions would be slightly different.

By Air – Given the fact that Welling is on the outskirts of London, it means that you have a wealth of different airports available to you if you’re looking to fly in to watch a Welling match. London City Airport is less than four miles away, for example, whilst all of Gatwick, Heathrow and Luton are well within easy travelling distance.

Taxi – The 15 to 20 minute walk between the train station and the ground will mean that some people will want to get a taxi. If that’s the boat that you find yourself in then you can expect to pay between £10 and £15 depending on the traffic.

Parking Near Park View Road

There isn’t a car park at the ground itself, so it is worth bearing that in mind before you set off. Whilst there is plenty of on-street parking, you should consider the fact that you’ll need to look out for the usual restrictions that are in place on roads around the London area. Welling itself has a number of different car parks, if you’d rather be safe than sorry.

• See Available Parking Near Park View Road

Useful Resources

• Parking - Just Park

Pubs and Bars Near Park View Road

About Welling United

When Syd Hobbins created Welling United Football Club, he did so as a way to give young people in the area something to do with their time. It doesn’t tend to take long before folks get rather competitive, however, which might help to explain why it was that the team became a senior side in 1976. After just one season playing at that level, the league it was playing in was re-organised and Welling United found itself in the Southern League Premier Division. The club’s level improved year-on-year and in the 1985-1986 season they ended up as champions, which saw them promoted into the Football Conference for the first time.

The club remained in the Conference for 14 seasons, finishing above 11th just twice but enjoying some cup success. A relegation in 2000 saw Welling United return to the Southern League Premier Division, but in 2003 did well enough to end up in the newly formed Conference South. They remained there for the next seven years, but in 2010 was served with a winding-up order by HMRC. Supporters were able to do enough to clear the club’s debts, but it was a sign of just how close a lower league side can come to ceasing existing altogether. There have been some relative successes over the years, including winning the Kent Senior Cup.

Park View Road History

Currently known as the J Hearnden Skip Hire Community Stadium owing to sponsorship, Park View Road has been the home of Welling United since 1977. Prior to that it was where Bexley United played their games, but that club went defunct in 1976 and Welling United moved in a year later. Having played their games at a community sports ground at Butterly Lane in Eltham, moving to a proper football ground was a big thing for the club. The stadium itself has had football played at it in some form or another since the 1920s, with a grandstand being built to house supporters towards the end of the following decade.

German bombers en-route to London during the Second World War did some damage to the stadium, which then lay derelict for a number of years. A campaign was then launched to reform Bexleyheath & Welling FC, which saw crowds of more than 2,000 turning up. As you can imagine, there have been numerous improvements carried out at the stadium in the years since. Part of that was driven by the arrival of Erith & Belvedere FC, who had sold the site of their old ground after the main stand burnt down. They used some of that money to finance improvements at Park View Road, where their headquarters were to be located.