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Wetherby Road
(Harrogate Town)
Address: 59 Wetherby Road,
Harrogate,
North Yorkshire,
England,
HG2 7SA
Capacity: 5,000 (1,000 Seated)
This is a place that looks noticeably different to what it did not too long ago, but the necessary changes have made this place a nice football ground that offers a little bit of everything.
Currently known for sponsorship reasons as the EnviroVent Stadium, Wetherby Road’s name comes from the road that passes by its southern side (also known as the A661).
The ground dates back to 1920, when it become home to its current tenants, Harrogate Town Association Football Club, who moved here from their previous home at Starbeck Lane.
The football ground has seen multiple redevelopments in the decades since, including the installation of an artificial pitch that was in use during Harrogate Town’s time in Non-League.
After Harrogate won promotion to the Football League for the first time in 2020, regulations required all stadiums to have a natural pitch, and so the turf at the ground had to be removed and replaced, along with notable renovations to the stands so that Wetherby Road could reach the required 5,000 minimum capacity.
Harrogate Town briefly played home matches at Doncaster Rovers’ Keepmoat Stadium whilst these renovations were taking place, and their first game back at Wetherby Road was a 1-0 win over Barrow on 17th October 2020.
Location and Getting There
Wetherby Road is based adjacent to Harrogate District Hospital on the A661, approximately 1.25 miles east of Harrogate Town Centre. The Stray, a large stretch of protected grassland, is less than 0.5 miles to the west of the football ground and Starbeck where Harrogate Town formerly played is roughly 0.75 miles away to the northeast.
Coming to Wetherby Road by car is certainly possible, but parking for free within close range of the football ground could prove difficult.
Because Wetherby Road is located next to Harrogate District Hospital, parking in the area is restricted to just two hours. You will likely need to travel further away from the ground to find free parking for a longer period. I would personally recommend trying the residential streets located east of the football ground.
Coming by train is certainly possible as well though.
Harrogate Station, served by northern rail, is based near to the town centre and walking from there, across the Stray and to the ground takes around 20 minutes.
Hornbeam Park, the next stop on the line south of Harrogate Station, is a 25 minute walk away from Wetherby Road to the southwest.
Starbeck Station is also on the same line and roughly a 20 minute walk northeast of the ground.
For buses, your best route is to use the Number 7 service that runs to the football ground from Harrogate Bus Station and stops outside Wetherby Road on its way to Leeds City Centre.
Outside the Ground
Wetherby Road has two main gates leading into its immediate vicinity, and both can be found off the A661 on the southern side of the ground. The North Gate is used by home fans and the South Gate is used by away fans.
The southern side of Wetherby Road holds the EnviroVent Terrace and the EnviroVent Stand.
The exterior of them is made up mostly of white corrugated iron, though most of that exterior is blocked from view by bushes that run alongside the A661. You can clearly make out a large corrugated iron gantry atop the EnviroVent Terrace though.
The north and south turnstiles, the two sets of turnstiles that are in use for the entire football ground, can be found at either end, with the Stadium Office and Reception based next to the north turnstiles.
It is not possible to walk around the immediate vicinity of Wetherby Road’s other three sides.
The West Stand, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Aon Terrace, has a large car park right outside of its exterior that is in use by Harrogate District Hospital.
You can reach the Aon Terrace though by first walking through the North Gate off the A661.
The northern side of Wetherby Road, which contains the Car Park Terrace, Main Stand and Corporate Seating Area, has the Harrogate Ambulance Station directly in front of its exterior and it is not necessary for fans to walk around to here on a matchday. Entry instead comes via the North Gate off the A661.
The eastern side of the football ground, currently known as the Myrings Terrace, has a row of houses directly behind its exterior.
You are able to access it through the South Gate where the 1919 Venue and Bar can be reached, along with Harrogate Town’s Club Shop.
Inside the Ground
The key thing to remember with Wetherby Road is this: If you are with the home crowd, use the North Gate, if you are with the away crowd, use the South Gate.
The interior of Wetherby Road’s southern side can essentially be split into three sections.
The smallest of these is over towards the southwest corner and just in front of the Club Offices. There is a small, covered stand here that is used by disabled supporters.
The EnviroVent Terrace is located next to this small disabled stand and takes up most of Wetherby Road’s southern side. It is a single tier of standing terrace with two rows of yellow metal bars in place for supporters to lean on. The EnviroVent Terrace is in turn divided into two around the middle by a large fence, and this is done for segregation purposes.
Wetherby Road’s dugouts can be found down in front of the EnviroVent Terrace and next to the pitch. Positioned in turn atop this part of the football ground is a large corrugated iron gantry which holds the matchday camera.
Your view from inside the EnviroVent Terrace is almost perfectly clear, though there are two poles coming down from the roof which have floodlights attached to them much higher up. These poles may restrict your view slightly if you are stood towards the back of the EnviroVent Terrace, but shouldn’t if you are stood down at the front or at either end of the terraced section.
The third part of Wetherby Road’s southern side is the EnviroVent Stand, a single tier of entirely yellow seating that offers a completely clear view of the action taking place on the pitch and has a large windshield in place at one end to offer good protection from the elements.
The disabled stand and EnviroVent Terrace is accessed via the North Gate off the A661, whilst the EnviroVent Stand is accessed via the South Gate.
The Aon Terrace is similar in height to the adjacent EnviroVent Terrace.
It is a single tier of standing terrace with two rows of yellow metal bars in place for fans to lean on. There are access points along the stand’s back wall and a yellow wall is in place at either end that features an image of a notable moment in Harrogate Town’s recent history.
Your view from inside the Aon Terrace is excellent as there are no supporting pillars coming down from the roof, and the yellow walls offer decent protection from the sides.
The northern side of Wetherby Road is split into three main sections.
Over by the northwest corner is the Car Park Terrace, a fairly tall single tier of standing terrace with three rows of black metal bars in place for fans to lean on.
Your view from inside most of the Car Park Terrace is perfectly clear, but there is a pole coming down through the centre of this section that one of the floodlights is attached to at the top. This pole could restrict your view slightly if you are stood in the rows behind it.
The Car Park Terrace does though have a windshield at the end next to the northwest corner that offers good protection from any wind or rain.
The central section of Wetherby Road’s northern side is the Main Stand, a single tier of entirely yellow seating.
Your view from most of the Main Stand, particularly the centre, is perfectly clear but there are two floodlight poles that come down through the roof and into the seating blocks. These may restrict your view somewhat if you sat in the back rows at either end of the stand.
The Car Park Terrace next to the Main Stand offers a decent level of protection on one side, but the other side of the Main Stand is left completely open and unprotected.
Over by the northeast corner is Wetherby Road’s Corporate Lounge and Seating Area. It is noticeably lower than the nearby Main Stand and Car Park Terrace, consisting of just a few rows of black and yellow seats with corporate boxes located behind them.
The Corporate Seating Area is also uncovered in some places and has supporting pillars running along the front of it in others, so the quality of views and protection here are the weakest of anywhere inside Wetherby Road.
The Myrings Terrace is single-tiered and only a few rows high, with no rows of yellow metal bars in place like other parts of the football ground.
Wetherby Road’s changing rooms and tunnel are located in this stand, with the tunnel based off-centre.
Your view from almost everywhere inside the Myrings Terrace is perfectly clear. The only issue will come if you are stood directly behind the goal as the stand itself is not much taller than the goalposts.
Both ends of the Myrings Terrace are well protected from the elements, however.
Away Fans
Away fans are housed on the eastern and southern sides of the ground in the Myrings Terrace, EnviroVent Stand, and part of the EnviroVent Terrace.
The majority of away crowds will be housed behind the goal in the Myrings Terrace, a few rows of standing terrace that offers a good view of the action and protection from either side, though part of the terraced area is unavailable for use as it is needed for access into the ground's tunnel.
The EnviroVent Stand offers seating to away supporters, providing a perfectly clear view of the action and being well protected via a windshield at one end.
On occasions when the largest of away crowds are expected, Harrogate Town will also open up the right side of the EnviroVent Terrace for away supporters, segregated from nearby home supporters by a large fence running across the breadth of the stand. This section of the EnviroVent Terrace remains closed if the away crowd isn't expected to fill it up.
To access the away area at Wetherby Road, supporters need to come through the South Gate off the A661 and use the South Turnstiles. Home supporters will be making use of the North Gate further up the road.
Matchday Pubs
Pubs available to supporters on a matchday include:
-Christies Bar (20 King's Road, HG1 5JW) (Home and Away Supporters) (Located near Harrogate Town Centre)
-The Den (Nidderdale House, Cambridge Road, HG1 1NS) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located within Harrogate Town Centre)
-The Empress (10 Church Square, HG1 4SP) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located east of the football ground)
-The Harrogate Tap (Harrogate Station, Station Parade, HG1 1TE) (Home and Away Supporters) (Located within Harrogate Station)
-The Nineteen Nineteen Bar (Wetherby Road, HG2 7SA) (Home Supporters Only) (The Clubhouse Bar located at Wetherby Road itself)
-The Winter Gardens (Unit 4, Royal Baths, Parliament Street, HG1 2RR) (A JD Wetherspoon Pub, Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located around Harrogate Town Centre)
-The Woodlands Hotel (110 Wetherby Road, HG2 7AB) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located east of the football ground)
Overview
Wetherby Road has undergone several notable redevelopments in a short space of time, and it has created a practical football league ground despite its small size.
Accessibility is perhaps the only real issue of note here, given that the only way into the ground is through one of two sets of turnstiles that can be found on its southern side. This is likely to stay the case as well given what surrounds the other three sides.
The views from inside Wetherby Road though are generally very clear, with a nice mix of terracing behind either goal and a large, newer Main Stand for those who prefer a slightly higher up view and prefer to be seated during a matchday.
All four sides of Harrogate Town’s home offer something different, and there’s sure to be at least one of them that suits your taste.
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