Bramall Lane – Sheffield United

Bramall Lane is one of the most underrated grounds in the country.

The construction of three large modern looking stands, plus the filling in of the corners (albeit one corner is filled with administrative offices) makes it a great ground and one that has character. Both sides of the ground are large single tiered stands.

What are the stands at Bramall Lane called?

The four stands at Bramall Lane are: John Street Stand (North), Kennedys Kop Stand (East), Tony Currie Stand (South) and HE Barnes Bramall Lane Stand (West).

Which is the loudest stand at Bramall Lane?

The Kennedys Kop Stand tends to attract the more vocal supporters, while the John Street Stand is a popular choice with families.

Bramall Lane description

Tony Currie Stand and John Street Stand

Whilst the Tony Currie Stand is a fairly plain looking stand, the John Street Stand, which sits opposite, is probably the smartest looking stand at Bramall Lane. This stand which was opened in 1996, has had the corners to either side of it filled in, by offices on one side and a family seated area on the other.

At the back of the stand are a row of executive boxes and on its roof is a small gable, reminiscent of when many older grounds featured them.

Kop Stand and Bramall Lane Stand

At one end is the Kop Stand, which is slightly disappointing as it has two large supporting pillars. Opposite is the Bramall Lane Stand, which during the summer of 2006 was extended around one corner of the stadium to meet the Tony Currie Stand. Also, the roof was replaced with a new cantilever structure, allowing the supporting pillars of the old roof to be removed, giving fans more cover and an unimpeded view of the playing action. This stand is two-tiered and also has an electric scoreboard, perched between the two. The stadium is balanced, with all four stands being of the same height.

Outside the stadium behind the Tony Currie stand is a statue of former club chairman Derek Dooley and another of former playing legend Joe Shaw.

Dave Croft adds: “A lot of Blades fans sentimentally call the ground ‘Beautiful down town Bramall Lane,’ as a match day announcer uses this description to welcome the away fans.”

The capacity of Bramall Lane is 32,050 after expansions in 2001 and 2006. A future expansion is set to the take the capacity of the world’s oldest in-use professional football stadium to around 40,000.

What is the oldest football stadium in England?

Well, Bramall Lane isn’t literally the oldest football stadium in England, but it is the oldest football stadium still used to host professional football matches. And with that criteria, it’s the oldest in the world, too. It has been home to Sheffield United since 1889.

What is the oldest football stadium in the world?

The true honour of the world’s oldest football stadium goes to another site and side in Sheffield. The home of Hallam FC – the second oldest football club in the world, behind Sheffield FC (the two sides faced off on 26 December 1860) – is Sandygate Stadium. With a capacity of 1,300 (250 seated), it now hosts the semi-professional Hallam FC. So, when disregarding the need to be currently hosting professional football, the oldest football stadium in the world is Sandygate Stadium, first opened in 1804 and used by its current tenantss since 1860. 163 years of football at one ground.

The club have announced their intention to further develop the capacity of Bramall Lane to over 40,000. The club have applied for planning permission to add an additional tier onto the South Stand that would contain an additional 5,400 seats. In a separate development, the club also have plans to add another 3,000 seats to the Kop End by extending it backwards. The stand would be cantilevered (so no supporting pillars) with a video screen built into the front of the roof.

An Artists Impression Of The Extended South Stand

Image courtesy of Sheffield United FC

Where do away fans sit at Bramall Lane?

Away fans are housed in the lower tier of the Bramall Lane Stand at one end of the ground.

What is the away allocation at Sheffield United?

Around 3,000 supporters can be accommodated. For cup games, if the demand requires it, then the upper tier can be made available too.

Is Bramall Lane a good away day?

Bramall Lane is a great place to watch football as the stands are located close to the pitch, the views are generally good, as well as the atmosphere too. And it’s a historic location.

On the concourses, there are television screens showing the game going on inside as well as a betting outlet. Food is available in the form of a range of Pies (Meat & Potato, Chicken Curry, or Cheese & Onion and Henerson’s Sausage Rolls. Prepare to be searched on entry into the ground by the stewards. The club have automatic turnstiles, meaning that you have to insert your ticket into a bar code reader to gain admittance.

Pay By Card For Food and Drink? Yes

Russ Moore, a visiting Coventry City fan, informs me: “Please note that unless you have a flag that has got a fire certificate, it won’t be allowed in. I was prevented from taking a flag into the ground that I had brought from the Coventry City Club Shop, but it was returned to me by the stewards at the end of the game.”

Chris Bax adds: “Any tickets still available for the away end can be purchased from two dedicated away ticket windows just up from the turnstile entrances.”

What’s the atmosphere like at Bramall Lane?

The United fans are particularly passionate and vocal about their club. This makes for a great atmosphere at games, but also can make it somewhat intimidating for the away supporter. It was one of those grounds that by just listening to the crowd you could tell what was happening on the pitch. I found it quite amusing as having to go for a leak just before half time, I could hear the home crowd shout Goo-on as a Sheffield United attack began. Then this got louder & louder as the United team got closer to the goal, Goo-on, Goo-on, Goo-On! and then the air turned blue as whoever it was missed the chance!

Pubs close to the ground tend to be for home fans only. About a ten-minute walk away at the bottom of Eccleshall Road is a Wetherspoons Outlet called the ‘Sheaf Island‘. This good sized pub tends to have a mix of home and away fans.

Nearby behind the Waitrose supermarket is the Beer Engine pub on Cemetery Road. This pub offers up to six real ales and serves food too. Whilst a little further away on Wellington Street is the Devonshire Cat. This pub has 12 hand pulled beers on offer, serves food, has a large screen tv, welcomes families (until 7pm)  and is listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. Although there are bouncers on the doors, away fans are allowed into the pub wearing colours.

Where do away fans drink in Sheffield?

Near to the railway station is the Globe, which Simon a visiting Chelsea informs me: “I found that the Globe pub around a five-minute walk from the station and a 15-minute walk from the ground welcomed home and away fans as long as there was no singing. The majority of fans there were Chelsea and the doors where policed two hours before the game but it was a nice friendly pub serving good ale.”

Simon Cumming, a visiting Barnsley fan, recommends: “The Howard is a good pub for away fans. Service was very good and it’s well policed.”

This pub is also located near to the railway station, on Howard Street opposite.

Dave Barraclough informs me: “In the station itself is the Sheffield Tap which serves real ales and is run by the Thornbridge Brewery (please note though that no football colours are allowed). Also worth a visit is the Rutland Arms on Brown Street. A real ale place only a few minutes from the train station and around a 15 minute walk then to Bramall Lane.”

If walking down to the ground from the station along Shoreham Steet, then you will pass the recently opened Sentinel Brewing Company. This pub brews its own beer on site and offers a mixture of real ales, craft beers in a modern environment. It also offers food too.

The pubs near to the ground such as the ‘Sheaf House’, ‘Railway Hotel’, the ‘Golden Lion’ and ‘The Cricketers’ are for home fans only. Otherwise, alcohol is available inside the ground in the form of plastic 500ml bottles of Heineken (£4) or 330ml bottles of Bulmers Cider (£4) or Cans of John Smith’s (£4).

Sheffield United were actually born out of their city rivals, Sheffield Wednesday, turning their back on their home ground due to financial implications and disagreements over the lease. As such, Bramall Lane has always been home to the Blades. That, however, does not mean the ground has always been in the same way we see it now.

The stadium was originally built for cricket way, way back in 1855, with a bonafide stand being built in 1896. A second quickly followed a year later and then 12 years on, the first roof was seen. World War Two brought about some stadium damage but renovations fixed those issues and, structure wise, things stayed fairly static for 20-odd years. From the sixties onwards, the ground slowly moved to adopt more seating with the 2000s seeing the Shoreham Street corner filled in to tweak the capacity with other changes since then seen very much as ‘modernisation’.

From The North

Leave the M1 at Junction 36 and follow the A61 into Sheffield. Follow the A61 into Sheffield passing Hillsborough Stadium on your right. Continue along the A61, which becomes the ring road around the western side of the city centre. You will eventually reach a roundabout at the junction with the A621. At the roundabout turn right onto the A621 Bramall Lane. The ground is a short way down on the left.

From The South

Leave M1 at Junction 33 and take the A630 into Sheffield City Centre. On reaching the inner ring road follow signs for A621 Bakewell, the ground is about a 1/4 of a mile the other side of the city centre. It is located on the A621 (Bramall Lane).

Where is the best place to park near Bramall Lane?

There is some street parking to be had in the area, but roads close to the ground are for residents only. Further along Bramall Lane itself (going away from the City Centre) is the Ant Marketing Building (S2 4RN) which offers matchday parking at a cost of £5. However, it is normally full 90 minutes before kick off.

Alternatively, if you want to avoid Sheffield City Centre, then you may find it easier to park at Meadowhall Railway Station, near to the well known Shopping Centre (unless of course it is in the run up to Christmas or the January sales, when the shopping centre is very busy), just by Junction 34 of the M1, where you can park for free. You can then take a yellow tram to the City Centre and then walk to the ground. The tram journey time is around 20 minutes and costs £4 return. Mark Needham adds; ‘it’s worth noting that if you are coming up from the South, that you can leave the M1 at Junction 29 (Chesterfield) and follow signs for Sheffield A61. This is particularly useful if the M1 is slow around J30, as it often is!’ There is also the option of renting a private driveway near Bramall Lane via YourParkingSpace.co.uk.

Post Code for SAT NAV: S2 4SU

Sheffield Railway Station is located just under a mile away from Bramall Lane. It is around a 15 minute walk away. As you come out of the railway station, walk up the slope and cross over at the traffic lights, then turning to your left. Walk straight along Shoreham Street passing BBC Radio Sheffield and the University Engineering Centre on your right, until reaching the large traffic light junction and crossover. Turn up to the right along St Mary’s Road, past the Church to the next junction and turn left into Bramall Lane. The visiting supporters’ turnstiles are about 200 yards along this road on the left. Thanks to Sue Forbes for providing these directions.

As per an agreement with all Premier League clubs, away fans will be charged a maximum price of those shown below for all League games:

Away Fans (Bramall Lane End)

Adults £30
Over 60s £25
Under 22s/Students £20
Under 18s £16

Official Programme £3.50

Sheffield United vs Sheffield Wednesday rivalry: Most fans will know that the Steel city derby is a big one in the football calendar with both clubs coming from the same city but the roots of the rivalry go much deeper than that. Nowadays, the game can be fierce but, generally speaking, things are quite balanced amongst the fans. That’s not always been the case. Bramall Lane, which is obviously the Sheffield United ground, was once home to Wednesday. It was only when the Owls turned their back on the lease agreement that United were born. Why? Well, the land owner of the Lane missed the income so created a club off the back of it. The derby has been their ever since.

Sheffield United vs Leeds rivalry: From a Blades perspective, Leeds are second in the ‘most hated’ ranks. Why? Sheffield and Leeds are the two biggest cities in Yorkshire and with both located in the south of the county, a simmering of heat is to be expected. Leeds, however, consider Wednesday to be the bigger rival.

Sheffield United vs Rotherham: Sheffield and Rotherham are separated by just six miles so it’s fair to say bragging rights on the line when the two teams clash. Despite that, the two clubs have spent most of their time at different levels, which takes something out of the fixture. Even so, it still has a bit extra compared to a ‘normal’ game.

Sheffield United FC fixture list

For details of disabled facilities and club contact at the ground please visit the relevant page on the  Level Playing Field website.

Derek Dooley was a former of chairman of the club, who passed away in 2008. He was popular, too, in the blue half of Sheffield, where he played for Wednesday, scoring 62 goals in 61 appearances, before his playing career was prematurely ended by injury.

Joe Shaw made his debut for Sheffield United at the tender age of 16 in 1945. No one could have thought then that he would go on to make a record breaking 714 appearances for the Club, including 632 in the league, over the next 21 years. The influential centre-half passed away in 2007.

Record Attendance

68,287 v Leeds United
FA Cup 5th Round, 15 February 1936.

Modern All Seated Attendance Record
32,604 v Wigan Athletic
Premier League, 13 May 2007.

Average Attendance
2022-23: 28,746 (Championship)
2021-22: 27,611 (Championship)
2020-2021: N/A (COVID-19)
2019-2020: 30,869 (Premier League)
2018-2019: 26,177 (Championship League)
2017-2018: 26,854 (Championship League)

Official Web Site: www.sufc.co.uk

Unofficial Web Sites:
Red & White Wizards
Sheff-Utd.co.uk
Blades Mad (Footy Mad Network)

If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail me at: [email protected] and I’ll update the guide.