Huish Park (Yeovil)

Huish Park is a football stadium located in Yeovil, Somerset, England. The stadium became home to Yeovil Town F.C. after its completion in 1990, following their relocation from Huish. Huish Park has a capacity of 9,565 (of which two stands are all-seated, totaling 5,212 seats) with terraces behind each of the goals.

General information

Arena capacity: 9,565 spectators

Address: Lufton Way, Yeovil, Somerset, England, BA22 8YF

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 50°57′0.94″N 2°40′25.84″W

Year of construction: 1989–1990

Construction cost: £3.5 million

Field: grass lawn with dimensions of 105 × 66 m

Seating plan of Huish Park

The Tamburino Stand

The Tamburino Stand consists of a single tier of green seating with the letters YTFC spelt out in white across the blocks. There are executive boxes and hospitality suites up behind the back row, and the area holding the matchday camera can also be found up here. The very central seating block is for directors and executives, whilst blocks G and GG by the ground’s southwest corner form the designated Family Area.

Huish Park’s dugouts and tunnel are located down at the very front, with the changing rooms housed inside the stand. There is also a small electronics scoreboard housed within this side of the ground.

Your view from anywhere inside the Tamburino Stand is perfectly clear because of the cantilever roof above, and large windshields at either end provide protection to every row inside.

The Radio Cabs Stand

The Radio Cabs Stand is a single tier of uncovered standing terrace, which has several rows of green metal bars running along it for fans to lean on. You can find an electronic scoreboard in place above the back wall, which can best be seen by those at the opposite end of the stand.

Your view from anywhere inside the Radio Cabs Stand is perfectly clear, but with no roof overhead you can be left very exposed to any wind or rain that is present. Only the walls at the back and ends of the stand can provide protection to those inside.

The Screwfix Community Stand

The Screwfix Community Stand is similar in design to the Tamburino Stand opposite. It consists of a single tier of green seating with the letters YTFC spelt out in white across the blocks. There are no executive boxes or dugouts present in this stand, though you can find a press box in place right up at the back. There are also a few covered platforms down at the very front of the stand for disabled supporters to use. These are based in pairs either side of the outermost concourse entrances.

Your view from anywhere inside the Screwfix Community Stand is perfectly clear because of the cantilever roof above, and large windshields at either end provide protection to every row inside.

The Thatchers Gold Stand

The Thatchers Gold Stand is a single tier of covered standing terrace, which has several rows of green metal bars running along it for fans to lean on. These metal bars are also coloured white rather than green at the edges next to each staircase.

Your view from anywhere inside the Thatchers Gold Stand is perfectly clear, and large windshields at either end provide protection to every row inside.

Away Fans

Away fans are mostly housed behind the goal in the Radio Cabs Stand. This is a single tier of uncovered standing terrace, which has rows of metal bars running along it for fans to lean on and an electronic scoreboard up above the back row.

Views from inside here are clear, but protection from any wind or rain is minimal as there is no roof in place overhead. Only the back and side walls can provide limited protection for those stood inside.

Gates 13-16 allow access into the Radio Cabs Stand.

Yeovil Town can also offer blocks P and PP in the adjacent Screwfix Community Stand. This is a single tier of covered seating that offers perfectly clear views and a large windshield to offer protection from the side. A covered platform for disabled supporters is also available down the front, with rows of stewards used to segregate this away crowd from any home supporters sat nearby. Around 600 seats in total are made available in this away section, coupled with the roughly 1,500 people who can be housed in the Radio Cabs Stand.

Gate 12 provides access into this seating away section from the outside.

Where to buy tickets?

The cheapest way to get tickets is to buy them in advance and online, but the other things that will alter the price you’ll pay for your ticket are your age and where in the ground you’d like to go.

You can get your Yeovil Town tickets online, over the phone, from the club shop or from the stadium itself.

How to get there?

Yeovil is down towards the bottom of the country, so if you’re heading there from the North then you’ve got a long journey on your hands! Here are some of the typical modes of transport for your consideration.

Train

Yeovil has two railway stations: Yeovil Junction and Pen Mill Junction. Both of these stations are located quite a distance from Huish Park, with Pen Mill Junction just under three miles away and Yeovil Junction almost five miles away. From both stations, it is advised to get a taxi to the stadium or alternatively if you arrive at Yeovil Junction, then you can catch the ‘Hopper’ minibus to the bus station in the town centre.

Bus

Bus No.68 runs from both Yeovil Junction & Yeovil Pen Mill stations to the town centre. You can then take the regular First Traveller No.1 service (every 15 minutes), which drops you near the stadium at the Abbey Manor Park Housing Estate. The No.68 connects with the No.1 at the Lloyds TSB Bank, located on the town centre High Street (make sure you catch the No.1 with ‘Abbey Manor Park’ on the front). Just a few yards away from this, changing point is the Mermaid pub with excellent food and beer. Anybody coming in by rail can buy a “Plus Bus” ticket with their rail ticket for an additional £2.80, which is valid on both the 68 and 1 services. For bus, timetables see the First Group website.

Car

Brown directional signs are provided from all the major routes for both home and away fans. Home and away supporters traffic is split at the roundabout at the bottom of Western Avenue and Lufton Way (ASDA Roundabout). Home fans are directed via the Western Avenue to the stadium and visiting fans (including coaches) via Lufton Way to the stadium.

From the Midlands and North: Take the M5 south to junction 25 (Taunton). Take the A358 signposted Ilminster until joining the A303 at Horton Cross. Continue along the A303 in an easterly direction, which is signposted Andover and London until the Cartgate roundabout and then take the A3088 which is signposted Yeovil.

At the first roundabout, turn left; at the second roundabout go straight on (past the Crematorium) then at the third island, take the first exit again at the Asda roundabout into Lufton Way. The main entrance to the stadium is approx. half a mile along on the right.

From London and the Home Counties: Take the M3 and the A303 until the Cartgate roundabout, junction with A3088 sign-posted for Yeovil. At first roundabout take the first exit along Bunford Lane, go straight over the next roundabout and take the first exit – again the Western Avenue roundabout into Lufton Way.

From the South via A30: Take the A30 into Yeovil until the Kingston roundabout, and then follow signs for Taunton (A358) along Preston Road to roundabout at Western Avenue.

From the West Country via the A30: Take the A30 into Yeovil, at the first roundabout in West Coker Road take the first exit. At the bottom of the hill, take the first exit again at the roundabout, the second exit at the following roundabout and then straight over the next. This will lead you to the Western Avenue roundabout. Take the first exit at this roundabout into Lufton Way and the stadium is on the right hand side.

From the West Country via A303: Take the A303 to the Cartgate Roundabout and take junction A3088 sign-posted for Yeovil. At the first roundabout, take the first exit along Bunford Lane, go straight over the next roundabout and take the first exit again at the Western Avenue roundabout into Lufton Way; the main entrance to the stadium is on the right.

Taxi

A taxi from Yeovil Junction to Huish Park will cost £15 and take about fifteen minutes.

For night games, taxis can be scarce at Yeovil Junction, so if you intend going by taxi to the ground it may be an idea to look up the number of a local taxi firm and pre-book one.

Parking

There is a fair sized car park at the ground (located behind the away end), which costs £3. However, as can be expected, it can take quite sometime after the game has ended to exit.

Otherwise, there is plenty of street car parking to be had on the roads leading down to the ground. Make sure you arrive at the official car park, early in winter as you may end up in the overspill car park, which actually is a field which doesn’t drain nearly as well as the pitch!

As there is only one road out of the official car park, it takes 35 minutes to travel the half mile to the Preston Road roundabout. There is also the option of renting a private driveway near in the local area via YourParkingSpace.co.uk.

Where to eat and sleep?

As a town that is difficult to reach if you’re not coming from the local area it’s fair to say that Yeovil is used to putting people up. Here are some of the best hotel options.

1. The Masons Arms. Perhaps not the typical place for rowdy football supporters to lay their head, but this delightful thatched country retreat is a real gem, with free parking, Wi-Fi, breakfast, and a traditional old pub thrown into the bargain.
• New predictions for soccer, tennis, hockey, basketball, etc. are created every hour.
2. The Preston Hotel. This 3-star hotel has a restaurant on the grounds and thirteen rooms. It’s only a mile from the stadium, too, so it’s a decent option if you like free continental breakfasts, free Wi-Fi and free parking.
3. Halfway House Inn Country Lodge. This 3-star Inn has nineteen rooms, a garden and a meeting room. It is just over a mile away from Huish Park and promises a free English breakfast, free Wi-Fi and free parking.
• Take a look at the freebets offered by the bookmaker.

Somerset is cider country, so make sure you try a glass of Scrumpy whilst you’re there. Here are some of our favourite haunts.

1. The Arrow. The Arrow is a family friendly pub that has undergone a refurbishment. It has brilliant food, loads of drink options and plenty of TVs for those sports lovers amongst you.
• What can you bet on today? The answer is here.
2. The Airfield Tavern. Named after the nearby aerodrome, The Airfield Tavern serves tasty home cooked food and has a lovely bunch of people working the bar. There’s a strong drinks selection and more than a couple of TVs, too.
3. The Armoury Inn. Not exactly next to the ground but worth the trip because it’s a sports-centric pub with loads of good stuff on offer. Plenty of drinks, a cracking menu and a good laugh is almost guaranteed here. Plus the sport on TVs, of course.
• No questions? Place a bet now.

Facilities

It’s not the best stadium in the Football League but neither is it one of the worst. All of the usual places to buy food and drink exist behind the scenes, and the views are generally reasonably good from inside the ground.

You can enjoy either the hire of the Executive Suite at Huish Park for up to 10 guests, or you could opt for the Alec Stock/Legends Lounge Package, which is less exclusive. With the latter, you get a car parking space, a two course carvery meal, access to a pay bar and you’re able to hang around in the Legends Lounge.

Huish Park is a ‘unique conferencing and banqueting centre’, according to the club, so you know that if there’s an event you’re hoping to put on then they’ll do their best to cover it. They promise to tailor the package to suit your individual needs. Anything from a Christmas party through to a small business meeting can be hosted here, as long as you don’t need to host more than 130 people as that seems to be the limit.

History

The most interesting part of Huish Park’s history actually came about before it was built, thanks to the protracted nature of the negotiations over the sale of its predecessor, Huish Athletic Ground, and the purchase of the ground the stadium was to be built on. The club had earmarked the site of an old army camp as the place they wanted their new stadium to be built.

The first competitive goal at the new home of Yeovil Town was scored by Mickey Spencer on the 18th of August 1990. The Glovers were up against Colchester United and ran out 2-0 winners in their new ground. The first season at the stadium ended with it hosting an England v Wales Under-18 match in front of just over 6000 people.