By Groundhopper, MKDSA Roving Reporter
In this episode Groundhopper got to visit Vale Park for the first time since October 2018. Let’s see what they thought about it.
| Port Vale | ||
| Category | Score | Comments |
| First Impressions of the stadium, parking, ease of entry. | 8 | This was our first visit to Vale Park since since 2018. This is another stadium located in a residential area but there is parking available at the ground and nearby. The current capacity with safety restrictions is 15,036. The coaches park adjacent to the away end. |
| Food & Drink, range, quality, price. | 9 | Turnstiles didn’t open until 2pm but the stewards pointed us in the direction of the home pub ‘Tommy Cheadles’s’ which is by the away end and welcomes home and away supporters. The prices inside were very reasonable with hot food also on sale. Inside the ground the kiosk on the concourse sold hot & cold drinks, food & alcohol. |
| View from your seat, any poles in the way, obstructed view, seat broken? | 7 | We were located in the Hamil Road Stand behind a goal where the view was partially obstructed by the roof support pillars and the overhanging scoreboard. Leg room was “tight”. |
| Home team support, was it a library, good banter between the fans? | 6 | The attendance for this fixture was 6,696. There wasn’t a great deal of noise from the home fans, except for a cheer when they scored, and no exchange of banter. |
| What were the stewards like, helpful and friendly or jobsworths? | 8 | The stewards were very friendly, welcoming and helpful and there was more banter with them than the home fans. |
| Toilet facilities, clean and well equipped with hot water, disgusting. | 8 | The toilets were clean and there was hot water. Free sanitary products available in the ladies. |
| Ticket pricing, did the price reflect the facilities of the ground? | 6 | An adult ticket was £24 and it was reasonable for the facilities. |
| Ground facilities, half time service, did they let fans outside at halftime? | 7 | The concourse area is under cover, the area was clean, well lit and queues were quick. Yes, fans were allowed out to smoke and even drink beer, rather welcoming. |
| Match atmosphere, did the Dons fans give good support? | 7 | There were 314 Dons fans in attendance for this fixture who tried to get behind their team but understandably found it difficult preferring to be negative. Port Vale do not allow drums in their ground. |
| Ease of exit, did the carpark clear quickly, traffic around the stadium? | 8 | Exit from the ground to the waiting transport was easy. Departure from the immediate area was initially slow. |
| Any other observations or comments that may have affected your scoring? | ||
| Name – Groundhopper | Total Score out of 100 | 74 /100 |
