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York Road
(Maidenhead United)
Address: York Road,
Maidenhead,
Berkshire,
England,
SL6 1SF
Capacity: Approximately 4,500 (550 Seated)
Any ground with a world record is worth coming to check out, and that’s what York Road currently possesses.
Home to Maidenhead United Football Club since 1871, it is recognised by the FA and FIFA as the world’s oldest senior football ground that has been used continuously by one club.
The site was initially home to Maidenhead Cricket Club and Maidenhead United were able to play their first game here with their permission. The match against Marlow took place on 16th February 1871.
Between 2014 and 2016, Hayes and Yeading United Football Club shared York Road with Maidenhead United whilst they waited for construction of a new ground of their own.
Location and Getting There
York Road takes its name from the street out beyond its northern side and is located less than 0.5 miles south of Maidenhead Town Centre. The River Thames and Guards Club Island is around 0.7 miles away to the east, Bray Lake is 1.6 miles away to the southeast, and Grenfell Park is around 0.3 miles away to the west.
Coming to York Road by car is certainly possible.
The ground does not have a car park around its vicinity, but there are plenty to be found elsewhere in Maidenhead and near to the town centre.
Free parking should also be available to the east or west of York Road. Ensure that you are legally allowed to park where you find though and do not block the drives of any residents.
Maidenhead Station, served by TfL Rail and GWR, is less than 0.5 miles west of York Road and walking from here to the football ground takes less than 10 minute.
The route takes you out of Station Approach and onto King Street (A308). Cross both lanes of this road and head north up Queen Street, rounding the corner and turning right onto York Road. Continue along here and the ground will come into view on your right.
York Road has an exit gate on Bell Street that is outside its West Stand. You can use this exit gate as a quicker way of getting back to Maidenhead Station after full-time. Head all the way along Bell Street, cross both lanes of King Street (A308) and head along Station Approach.
Outside the Ground
If you walk along York Road from off Queens Street, the northern side of the football ground will eventually come into view on your right.
The side road leading up to it is marked for Home Supporters and heading down this will bring you to the North Stand.
Its exterior is admittedly quite bare, housing mainly the Club Office Buildings and the Main Entrance that allows fans to enter almost all four sides of the football ground. One thing of note here is a large concrete building by the ground’s northeast corner that is open at the sides and houses a 3G training pitch inside.
In a clockwise direction from the North Stand is the East Terrace.
Whilst there is a road running along behind it, this is a private road that leads to a St. John Ambulance Training Centre and you should not go down it on a matchday.
There is no need to anyway as the East Terrace doesn’t have any entrances along its exterior, with access into this side of the football ground coming via the Main Entrance outside the North Stand. Fans simply enter through here and then walk round to the East Terrace.
The South Stand is better known as the Railway Stand as the railway tracks are up behind it.
The close proximity of these tracks and rows of trees means that it is not possible to walk alongside the Railway Stand’s exterior.
Much like with the East Terrace, access to the Railway Stand comes via the Main Entrance outside the North Stand. Fans simply enter through here and then walk round the pitch to the Railway Stand.
The West Stand is otherwise known as the Bell Street End after the road that leads up to it.
Because of the houses located near it, you are limited as to how much of the stand’s exterior you can see. This exterior consists of a concrete base with black and white striped corrugated iron higher up and a slanted corrugated iron roof. A brick perimeter fence is in place at the end of Bell Street, with the space between this fence and the Bell Street Stand being treated as an outer concourse.
Access into the Bell Street End typically comes from the Main Entrance outside the North Stand, but on cases when away segregation is in use, the away fans are housed in the Bell Street End and enter it through the gates at the far end of Bell Street itself. There is a sign for the Away Supporter Entrance at the start of Bell Street from off King Street (A308).
Inside the Ground
The North Stand contains a few rows of uncovered standing terrace that are based next to the ground’s northwest corner.
Most fans on this side of the ground will congregate here, given a clear view of the action but having no protection from above or from the sides. A small black and white building next to this terraced area can offer refreshments on a matchday. Fans do also position themselves further along the North Stand, often leaning on the perimeter wall that surrounds the pitch.
York Road’s dugouts, changing rooms and tunnel can all be found on this side of the ground, and an elevated platform near to the dugouts holds the matchday camera. This side of the ground also has a very tall radio mast a little away from the pitch.
Views from within the North Stand are clear, but protection is minimal with no roof overhead for anyone stood in the terraced area or alongside the pitch.
The East Terrace is a few rows of standing terrace, with its central section covered by a roof overhead.
The roof has no supporting pillars coming down from it, offering clear views and a decent level of protection for those stood underneath it. Those stood elsewhere in the East Terrace will get clear views of the pitch, but their only protection will be provided by the stand’s back wall.
The Railway Stand is divided between uncovered terracing towards the southwest corner and covered seating in the centre. The seating area consists of a single tier that forms black and white vertical stripes. A flat platform down towards the front is also available for disabled supporters to use.
Your view from anywhere inside this seating area is perfectly clear as there are no supporting pillars coming down from the roof above.
There are no windshields in place at either end to allow visibility of the pitch.
Maidenhead United’s Club Shop can be found in a small building to one side of this seating area.
The uncovered standing terrace by the southwest corner offers a clear view of the pitch, but minimal protection from overhead or from the sides.
The Bell Street End consists of a few rows of standing terrace.
Approximately two thirds of this terraced area is covered by two roofed sections, which combined have the letters MAIDENHEAD UTD FC spelt out along the black and white striped back wall. There is space between these two roofed sections which enables access to the outer concourse behind as well as the gates that lead onto Bell Street itself.
Views from either the covered or uncovered sections of the Bell Street End are clear, and the uncovered terracing section will of course have no protection from overhead.
Away Fans
Away fans are typically housed behind the goal in the Bell Street End.
Depending on the away allocation, they can be given all of the stand, which is split between an uncovered terracing section by the southwest corner and two covered sections further along, or only part of the stand with the rest given to home supporters.
Views from this side of York Road are clear, but the uncovered terracing section will of course have minimal protection from overhead and from the sides. You’ll likely find the away crowd congregating under the covered sections of this stand on cold and wet matchdays.
Entrance to this away section comes via Bell Street which is immediately outside the Bell Street End.
There is a sign for the Away Supporter Entrance at the start of Bell Street from off King Street (A308), and it is located very close to Maidenhead Station for those coming to York Road via rail.
Matchday Pubs
Pubs available to supporters on a matchday include:
-The Bear (8-10 High Street, SL6 1QJ) (A JD Wetherspoon Pub, Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located north of York Road itself)
-The Corner House (43 Queen Street, SL6 1LT) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located near York Road itself)
-The Craufurd Arms (15 Gringer Hill, SL6 7LY) (Typically Home and Away Supporters)
-The Maiden's Head (34 High Street, SL6 1QE) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located north of York Road itself)
-Off The Tap (105 High Street, SL6 1EA) (Typically Home and Away Supporters)
-O'Neill's (95-97 King Street, SL6 1DP) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located near to Maidenhead Station)
Overview
York Road is a record-holding football ground. Home to the same team for more than 150 years, it still certainly carries a rather old-fashioned non-league feel, but developments in recent years have helped make the ground much more suitable for the modern game.
Its location makes its accessibility limited to just its northern and western sides, but with the town’s train station close by and plenty of street parking available, York Road is a ground that you can certainly get to with ease.
The attraction of visiting a ground with more than a century and a half of history means that you simply need to check this place out.
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