The Citadel: Farsley Celtic AFC
From Farsley Celtic
There aren’t many football grounds that sound as cool as ‘The Citadel’. It was previously known as the Throstle Nest, which is proof that funky ground names are par for the course in Farsley. Located in the Metropolitan District of the City of Leeds, there is obviously a much more famous football club that supporters could go to watch if they want to, yet plenty of people turn up to The Citadel on a weekly basis. It is relatively basic in nature, with just two stands to speak of, with many of those turning up to the area actually doing so in order to make use of the indoor sports arena that is located nearby.
Farsley Celtic, meanwhile, have been around since 1908, sharing the stadium with Albion Sports AFC since 2012. The club was created as Farsley Football Club, playing in amateur leagues around the Leeds area during the more formative years of its existence. There is some debate about whether the side that plays today is the same one as was created more than 100 years ago, given that Farsley went into administration in 2009 and was disbanded in the March of 2010. It was re-formed as Farsley AFC and became Farsley Celtic in 2015. All of that was the driving force of Paul Barthorpe, who bought the club and re-named the stadium in 2019.
Stats
| The Citadel Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Opened | 1948 |
| Capacity | 3900 |
| Average Attendance | 665 |
| Record Attendance | 1527 (Farsley Celtic v Marine (30/04/2019)) |
| Pitch Size | 101 x 64 (6464) |
| Former Name | Throstle Nest |
| Owner | Leeds City Council |
| Clubs Hosted | Farsley Celtic, Albion Sports A.F.C., Leeds United Women |
| First Fixture | Farsley v Frickley Colliery (1948) |
| Farsley Celtic Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1908 |
| Nickname | The Celt Army, The Celts |
| Rivals | Curzon Ashton, Bradford Park Avenue |
| Kit | Green & White (Home) / Blue (Away) |
| Shirt Sponsor | IntaCapital Switzerland |
| Team Owner | Paul Barthorpe |
| Record Appearances | Adam Clayton () |
The Citadel Photos
The Citadel Seating Plan and Where to Sit
There are just two stands at the rather grandly named Citadel; the main stand which is all seated and runs along the South side of the pitch, and ‘the shed’ which is at the West end of the ground behind one of the goals.
The Shed is a covered terrace, and is the chosen position of the more vocal supporters of the wings.
The rest of the ground is available for standing to watch the game, but there are no uncovered terraces as such, it’s just open space.
Farsley Celtic Ticket Prices
Farsley Celtic have a pretty set way of paying for their matches, with the price dictated by your personal circumstances, such as your age. Here is a look at what they were changing during the 2023-2024 season, which should give you a sense of the sort of price you’ll be asked to pay:
- Adults – £15
- Concessions – £10
- Students – £10
- Juniors (11-16) – £6
- Child (4-10) – £3
- Under 4s – Free
You will need to be over 60 in order to be considered a concession, whilst students will need to have a valid NUS card. You can pay for your ticket with either cash or card on the turnstiles, with prices being the same whether you buy on the day or in advance. It is also worth mentioning that there are a range of Family Ticket options, which see the price become a little cheaper when you buy the tickets together.
How To Get Farsley Celtic Tickets
Lower league clubs often tend to have really good websites, with the aim being to appeal to younger people who look to live their life online and wouldn’t be keen to go to a watch football team that doesn’t have an online presence. Farsley Celtic are no exception to this way of thinking, with their excellent website being the first place to go if you want to get tickets to see them play. That being said, you can also get tickets on the turnstile if you’re that way inclined.
Where to Buy
Getting To The Citadel
Train – New Pudsey Station is on the Cross Pennine Line and is just ten minutes away from The Citadel on foot. You can get there on trains from either Leeds or Bradford, so if you’re hoping to take a train to a Farsley Celtic match then that’s what you’ll need to do.
Bus – If you’re in Leeds or Bradford then you’ll be looking for the 9, 16, 16A or 72 in order to get to The Citadel by bus. Anyone in Horsforth can look out for the number 9 bus, which is the same for those of you in Pudsey.
Car – The Citadel is located in between Leeds and Bradford, around a mile from the Leeds Out Ring Road’s junction with the A647. If you find yourself there then you’ll want to get on the B6157 to Leeds, turning left at the New Street junction, at which point you’ll see The Citadel up ahead.
By Air – If you’re looking to fly into the country in order to see a Farsley Celtic match then you’ll be wanting to land at Leeds Bradford International. As you can imagine, given the airport’s name, it is easily the closest.
Taxi – With the walk from the train station only being about ten minutes, the vast majority of people will look to walk it. Obviously not everyone is able to do so, however, with a taxi costing a little over £5 depending on what the traffic is like.
Parking Near The Citadel
There is a car park at the stadium, which should definitely be your first port of call if you’re planning on driving to a Farsley Celtic match. Should the car park be full or unavailable for some reason, you might instead decide to park on the street nearby. This is mostly fine, but obviously be on the lookout for any parking restrictions that are in place.
Useful Resources
- Parking - Just Park
Pubs and Bars Near The Citadel
Bay Horse Inn
numberthirtythree
The Nest Bar & Kitchen
About Farsley Celtic
Is the Celtic Farsley team that is playing its games now the same one that existed back in 1908? That is certainly a matter for some debate. If you think it is then it has been around for more than 100 years, having been founded as an amateur side called Farsley Football Club that played matches in the Leeds area prior to joining the West Riding County Amateur League in 1926. That side played an FA Cup match against Tranmere Rovers at Elland Road in the 1974-1975 season, with more than 11,000 people turning up to watch. There was limited success over the years, but enough to keep people turning up to watch them play.
If, on the other hand, you think that the fact that the club was forced to disband after going into administration in 2009, then the club’s history is a lot less colourful. That side is something of a phoenix club, rising from the ashes of Farsley Celtic AFC and being placed in the NCEL Premier Division, achieving a league and cup double in its first campaign. When it returned, the club was initially known as Farsley FC, only becoming Farsley Celtic again in 2015. It is fair to say, then, that the history of Farsley is a dramatic one, whichever way you choose to look at the club and when it came to be the side that we know today.
The Citadel History
The Citadel opened its doors for the first time in 1948, when it was known as Throstle Nest. The club purchased the land from the local council not long after the end of the Second World War, with Farsley having plans of making changes in order to bring it inline with how it would need to be in order to host Football League matches. The thought process was that this would allow the club to attract supporters from the wider Leeds area, but when they were relegated from the Conference Premier after just one season the plans were abandoned. The ground has been owned by Leeds City Council since the original club disbanded in 2010.
when Paul Bathorpe took over the club, numerous changes were put in place. The team started playing in green and white instead of blue, whilst the stadium was re-named from Throstle Nest to The Citadel. That was in 2019, but the ground itself has remained very basic even since then. There are just two stands in operation at the ground, with the Main Stand being located on the south side and the West Stand, affectionately known as the Shed End by supporters, is situated behind one of the goals. There is an indoor sports arena located just outside the stadium, featuring a gym and an indoor sports pitch. There is also an outdoor pitch located next to the ground.