Stadium MK: MK Dons
From MK Dons
Milton Keynes Dons Football Club was officially founded in 2004 after the relocation of Wimbledon Football Club to Milton Keynes and the subsequent entering of the famous old club into administration. They initially played their games at the town’s National Hockey Stadium, eventually moving into Stadium MK in 2007.
The stadium itself began life without a club to play in it. No sooner had Milton Keynes been designated a new town did a consortium of businesses and businessmen envisage a football stadium for the place. It was first proposed in 2000 that a stadium be built, with offers made to a number of clubs such as Crystal Palace, Queens Park Rangers and Barnet.
Stats
| Stadium MK Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Opened | 2007 |
| Capacity | 30500 |
| Average Attendance | 6015 |
| Record Attendance | 30048 (Rugby World Cup Fiji vs Uruguay 2015) |
| Pitch Size | 105 x 68 (7140) |
| Nickname | Denbigh Stadium |
| Owner | Inter MK |
| Clubs Hosted | Milton Keynes Dons F.C. |
| First Fixture | MK Dons v Chelsea XI (18/07/2007) |
| MK Dons Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2004 |
| Nickname | The Dons |
| Club Mascot | Donnie, Mooie |
| Rivals | Peterborough United, Wycombe Wanderers, Northampton Town, Stevenage F.C., Luton Town |
| Previous Stadiums | National Hockey Stadium |
| Kit | White (Home) / Red (Away) / Blue (Third) |
| Training Ground | MK Dons FC Training Ground |
| Shirt Sponsor | Suzuki |
| Team Owner | Fahad Al Ghanim |
| Record Goalscorer | Izale McLeod (71) |
| Record Appearances | Dean Lewington (906) |
Stadium MK Photos
By Beechey604 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0]
Stadium MK Seating Plan and Where to Sit
Like with most modern stadiums, Stadium MK has a bowl design. It still has four separate stands, with three named after their geographical location and one named The Cowshed. The North Stand has two-tiers that house the away supporters, whilst The West Stand is the main stand in the ground and has the dressing rooms and managers’ dug-out. The Cowshed is where the most vocal MK Dons supporters sit and The East Stand has a pattern of ‘MK Dons’ on the seats.
MK Dons Ticket Prices
MK Dons do not categorise their matches, with the only things altering how much you’ll pay for your tickets being your age and where in the ground you’d like to sit. With both match tickets and season tickets you can get hospitality packages for not much more than the price of normal tickets thanks to what they call ‘Club Red’ and ‘Club Gold’ packages.
Here are the cheapest and most expensive tickets for adults and concessions, not including hospitality packages – they will be £2 more than this if bought on the day though.
- Adults: £24 – £28
- Concessions: £18 – £21
How To Get MK Dons Tickets
You can get tickets through the club’s official website, by calling the ticket office directly, by calling in to the box office at the stadium or at thecentre:mk.
Where to Buy
Getting To Stadium MK
Milton Keynes is a commuter town just outside London, so getting there is reasonably easy. Here are some of the more typical options you’ll want to consider:
Train – Bletchley Station is about thirty minutes walk from the ground, whilst Milton Keynes Railway Station is more like 45 minutes away. Fenny Stratford Station is the closest, though, at about 20 minutes walk.
Bus – Arriva service 1 runs from the centre of town to the ground.
Car – Whether you’re coming from the North or South take the M1 and exit at Junction 14 before taking the H6 then the V11. Take the A421 then follow the signs.
By Air – Nearby London is served by a vast amount of airports, with London Luton Airport being the closest to the town of Milton Keynes.
Taxi – It will cost you about £14 to get a taxi from Milton Keynes central to Stadium MK, taking just under ten minutes if the traffic’s favourable.
Parking Near Stadium MK
There are around 1,400 parking spaces at the ground itself and you can pre-book them through the club. There are other car parks near to the stadium, though, so don’t be put off if the official one is full.
Useful Resources
- Parking - Just Park
Stadium MK Hotels
London is not far away if you fancy the bright lights of the big city, but Milton Keynes itself had a number of excellent choices for hotels:
DoubleTree by Hilton Milton Keynes - £60+
Holiday Inn Milton Keynes - £76+
The White Hart - £100+
Pubs and Bars Near Stadium MK
Milton Keynes might be a reasonably young town full of commuters, but that doesn’t mean it’s short of places to enjoy a drink. There aren’t many near the ground but here are some of our choices in the centre of town and surrounding areas:
The Inn on the Lake
Slug & Lettuce
MK11 Sports Bar
Facilities
Stadium MK is one of the newest grounds in the Football League, so the facilities are excellent. Wide, clean concourses with kiosks and places to buy food and drink are on offer in each stand.
Prices
- Programme: £3
- Pie: £3.8
- Cup of tea: £2.2
- Beer: £5
Hospitality
There are a lot of hospitality lounges at the new stadium, with different packages offering different things. ClubPlatinum, for example, serves up a three-course meal, half-time tea and coffee and reserved padded seating in the Director’s Balcony. ClubBlack offers a two-course meal, half-time refreshments and access to the Man Of The Match presentation.
Private Hire
Stadium MK itself doesn’t advertise private hire opportunities, but the DoubleTree by Hilton is part of the ground and offers numerous event spaces as well as 127 bedrooms.
Stadium Tours & Museum
Tours of Stadium MK last about 45 minutes and cost £5 per person, though the club regularly offer free tours to season ticket holders and the like. They take in all of the usual behind-the-scenes sights such as dressing rooms and the players’ tunnel, but they don’t operate regularly so you’re best getting in touch with the club before you turn up. There’s a fun video trailer for them on the website too.
About MK Dons
Despite being established as a new town in 1967, Milton Keynes did not have a club to represent it until the disbanded and reformed Wimbledon moved there and rebranded themselves as the MK Dons in 2004. Their first season in the Football League ended in a close escape when they avoided relegation thanks to a ten point deduction issued to Wrexham after they went into administration.
During their short existence they have enjoyed a modicum of success. In 2008 they did something of a lower league double; winning the League Two championship at the same time as they won the Football League Trophy. They have also enjoyed a bizarre connection with Chelsea Football Club. The Blues put together a select XI to play against the Dons in the first match at Stadium MK, with the West London club’s first team also bringing the ground its highest attendance to date when the two teams met in the FA Cup in 2016.
Stadium MK History
The stadium has a two-tiered bowl style, though when it was first built only the lower tier was added as it was felt the local fanbase might not be able to fill the ground. The upper tier has been added since, of course. The stadium was officially opened by Her Majesty The Queen in 2007.
A stadium for Milton Keynes was initially the idea of a business consortium including both IKEA and Asda, with the megastores realising that they might not be able to persuade the local council to allow them to build a new out of town shopping centre unless they gave them something in return – thus a large stadium and sports arena were thought of as the perfect offering.
Future Developments
Having been built in 2007 and expanded in 2012, it’s unlikely that there will be much redevelopment of the stadium in the near future.