St James Park: Exeter City
From Exeter FC
Not to be confused with the home of Newcastle United which has the same name, St. James Park has been Exeter City’s stadium since it was built in 1904. The site on which the ground was built has an interesting history dating back as far as 1654 when it was owned by Lady Anne Clifford. She rented it as a place to fatten pigs, with the money made from this enterprise put towards the apprenticeship of a child from the nearby parish of St. Stephen ‘yearly to the world’s end’.
Even prior to the stadium being built in 1904 pigs were still resident on the ground and it was only when Exeter City, then called St. Sidwell’s United, leased the area of land that the pigs’ time was up. The lease for the land specified that ‘no menageries, shows, circuses or steam roundabouts’ be allowed onto it. Some Exeter fans have argued that a circus or two has performed there over the years, however… and as for the pigs, they were unceremoniously evicted and made to fend for themselves.
Stats
| St James Park Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Opened | 1904 |
| Capacity | 8219 |
| Average Attendance | 6800 |
| Record Attendance | 20984 (Exeter v Sunderland (1931)) |
| Pitch Size | 104 x 64 (6656) |
| Nickname | The Park, SJP |
| Owner | Exeter City Council |
| Clubs Hosted | Exeter City |
| First Fixture | Exeter v 110th Battery of the Royal Artillery (10/09/1904) |
| Exeter City Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1901 |
| Nickname | The Grecians |
| Club Mascot | Grecian the Lion |
| Rivals | Plymouth Argyle, Torquay United |
| Kit | Red & White (Home) / Grey (Away) |
| Training Ground | Cliff Hill Training Ground |
| Shirt Sponsor | HEL |
| Team Owner | Exeter City Supporters' Trust |
| Record Goalscorer | Tony Kellow (129) |
| Record Appearances | Arnold Mitchell (495) |
St James Park Photos
Credit: Peter Hughes Flickr
By Alonstoter (Own work) [CC0]
St James Park Seating Plan and Where to Sit
The The Cliff Bastin/Thatchers Big Bank Stand is a large single-tier terrace that houses the noisiest fans, The Stagecoach Stand runs along the side of the pitch and is an all-seater area and The Selco Stand is where the club’s main facilities are housed as well as some away fans. The Tracks Suzuki St. James Road Terrace also houses the away supporters.
Exeter City Ticket Prices
It will cost you a little more to watch The Grecians if you don’t book in advance, and you will also pay more depending on where in the ground you would like to watch the game from. As usual, your age will be another deciding factor. Below are the cheapest and most expensive ticket prices for adults and concessions:
- Adults: £22.00 – £29.00
- Concessions: £17.00 – £26.00
How To Get Exeter City Tickets
Buy tickets online, over the phone or in person. You can get your tickets posted to you if you want but it will cost slightly more.
Where to Buy
Getting To St James Park
Train – St. James Park Station is just a couple of minutes walk from the ground.
Bus – The E, F1, F2, 1, 1B, G, K, P, P2 Red and T bus routes all call near to the stadium from the city centre.
Car – Leave the M5 at Junction 29 onto the A3015 then the B3183 before following the signs. From the East take the A303 or A30 and follow the directions from the M5. From the West follow signs for Exeter City Centre then join the A3015 and follow the above directions.
By Air – The closest airport is Exeter International Airport.
Taxi – From Exeter Train Station to the ground it will take a little over ten minutes and cost about £15.
Parking Near St James Park
There is no parking at the ground itself on a match day but there may be limited residential parking available. Belmont Road car park is pretty close too.
Useful Resources
- Parking - Just Park
St James Park Hotels
Being as Devon is one of the most beautiful areas of the country, and being as Exeter is in Devon, Exeter has plenty of hotels to accommodate tourists and football fans alike:
The City Gate Hotel - £70+
Courtyard by Marriott Exeter Sandy Park - £75+
Leonardo Hotel Exeter - £90+
Pubs and Bars Near St James Park
Who likes pubs? We do. Especially these three that happen to be in Exeter:
Hole in the Wall
The Duke Of York
Bowling Green
Facilities
St James Park is a pretty swish joint for a league 1 stadium. Food stalls sell tasty grub including local produce and there are also places to grab a drink, and with the recent updates it’s a pretty comfortable place to watch the football.
Prices
- Programme: £3.5
- Pie: £3
- Cup of tea: £2
- Beer: £3.5
Hospitality
Hospitality cost changes depending on the opposition, which is a bit odd, but there is only one lounge which makes things a bit easier from our end. It’s called the Supporters Trust Suite and anyone who pays for it can expect access the lounge up to 3 hours prior to kick-off, a seat in the main stand, a two course meal, half-time tea and coffee, matchday programme, dedicated lounge host, pre-match player interview, MOTM interview and presentation. There’s also a cash bar with table service.
Private Hire
Conferences, business meetings, celebrations and parties can all be hosted at St. James Park, catering to anything from 2 to 150 people.
Stadium Tours & Museum
Not only is there a tour available every matchday at St James Park, but it’s free! How generous of them. Tours last around 90 minutes and start at 11am, and you can expect to see the board room, the players changing rooms, security hub and more. Just make sure you book a spot.
About Exeter City
Exeter City was actually an amalgamation of two other clubs from the area when it was formed in 1904. Exeter United incorporated St. Sidwell’s United and changed its name to Exeter City. The original Exeter United was formed from a cricket club that had the same name, whilst St. Sidwell’s United was made up of regulars from a nearby pub that was officially called The Foresters Inn, but was better known as The Drum & Monkey.
From 1920 until 2003 the club played in the Football League but it was relegated to the Conference for five seasons, not returning to League Two until 2009. The club is nicknamed ‘The Grecians’, in spite of the fact that there is no definitive reason as to why. Everyone needs a nickname we suppose. It has a number of celebrity fans, including Chris Martin from Coldplay, Adrian Edmondson and Noel Edmonds.
St James Park History
At the start of St. James Park’s life as a football stadium there were numerous complaints from visiting teams who believed that it was not of a regulation length. Indeed, both Stoke and Reading refused to play FA Cup matches there for this very reason. It wasn’t until additional land was purchased in 1920 that the club could extend the field of play.
In the 1990’s the club encountered a number of difficulties financially that resulted in the club being sold to Beazer Homes, who in turn sold it to Exeter City Council. Developments allowed the building of several new stands but in the early 2000’s financial issues resurfaced and further development was put on hold. Money raised from the 2005 FA Cup Third Round replay against Manchester United at Old Trafford brought the club out of administration and allowed for more redevelopment and maintenance work to be done.
Future Developments
In 2020 the club announced they were going to do a feasibility study exploring the possibility of moving to a new ground, although they were quick to assure fans that this was not a pre-curser to a move.
Since then, in 2021 it was announced that the club were buying the building next to the ground as well as installing large LCD screens, a new scoreboard, and paying for improvements to the pitch. All of this outgoing money suggests that the current ground will be in use for a long while yet.