Brunton Park – Carlisle United

The Pioneer (East) Stand on one side of the pitch, is a covered all seated stand, which looks quite smart. This stand was opened in 1996. The other side is an old partly covered (to the rear) Main Stand, which has seating at the back and a terraced paddock to the front. The central part of this stand was built in 1954 and the wings added at a later stage. The Warwick Road End is a covered terrace that has a peculiar looking roof, which consists of three triangular sections. The other end, the Petterill End (aka The Waterworks End), is largely a small open terrace, which oddly contains a small section of seating on one side. This end is only used for the bigger games. On one side of this end is a Security Control Box, which also has a small electric scoreboard mounted below it. There is also a video screen situated at the back. The ground also has some strange looking floodlights that don’t have the normal bank of lighting on top of the pylon, but instead have the lights mounted up the side. Outside the ground entrance is a statue of former Carlisle favourite Hughie Mcllmoyle, who over three separate spells at the club, scored 91 goals in 189 appearances.

Another unusual aspect of the ground is that the central point of the East Stand, is located just off the half way line. This means that one side of the stand extends past the one goal line, whilst the other side falls short of this. This was due to the fact that the Club were intending to re-build the whole ground and move the pitch a few yards further north, but alas the development funds ran dry…..

The Club have announced that they are looking at the possibility of leaving Brunton Park and moving to a new stadium. Originally it was proposed that this might be built in the Kingmoor Park area, in North Carlisle (near to Junction 44 of the M6), but this seems to have stalled. More recently moves have been made to find an alternative site that is more centrally located. The proposed capacity of the new stadium is around 12,000.

The latest news on the Carlisle stadium move though is that it’s very much hit the buffers; the move is very much off with development of any kind unlikely any time soon.

Away fans are housed on one side of the Pioneer (East) Stand (towards the Petterill End) where around 2,000 fans can be accommodated. This all seated, covered stand is located at one side of the pitch. It is fairly modern and the facilities within, plus the view of the playing area are good. For larger games then the Petterill End terrace can also be allocated which houses around 1,700 supporters. Please note though that this end is open to the elements. On the concourse food on offer includes; Steak Pies (£2.80), Meat and Potato Pies (£2.80), Cheeseburgers (£3.60), Burgers (£3.50), Hot Dogs (£2.50), Cheese Slices (£2.60) and Sausage Rolls (£2). I personally found the Carlisle fans to be friendly and helpful. The atmosphere was also particularly lively and had an enjoyable afternoon there.

The Carlisle Rugby Club next to Brunton Park on the Warwick Road, has a club bar which allows in away supporters and is family friendly. Also near to the ground on Warwick Road is the Beehive, which serves a real ale. The pub does employ doormen on matchdays and for certain games away fans may not be allowed entrance. Barrie Mossop recommends the Howard Arms, which is on Lowther Street. This is just off Warwick Road, towards the Town Centre, down from the White House. It serves a good pint of Theakstons. Simon Tunstall adds; ‘At the back of the main football club car park there is the Stoneyholme Golf Club, which has a bar, serves food and welcomes fans on matchdays’. Paul Sawyers adds; ‘I would recommend the Lakeland Gate for a drink on match days, which is a family friendly pub and part of the Brewers Fayre chain’. Around ten minutes walk away on Victoria Road is the Magpie Inn as Adrian Hurst a visiting Sheffield Wednesday fan tells me; ‘The Magpie Inn is a brilliant pub with a mixture of home and away supporters, cheap beer and very tasty homemade burgers priced at just £2.50. There is also plenty of street parking available nearby’. Also if you leave the M6 at Junction 43 and take the A69 towards Carlisle, then you will pass a recently opened Toby pub/carvery, which is not that far from the ground.

If arriving by train then on Platform 4 then there is the recently opened ‘301 Miles From London’ bar that offers a range of real ales.

Steve Ellis a visiting Exeter City fan adds; ‘You can get a beer inside the ground at a cost of around £3.80 a pint. Also a bit like a theatre you can also pay and pre-order half time drinks before the game starts. At half time the drinks are already poured and there is no need to queue. Just go to end of bar and hand over your receipt’

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The ground is easy to find. Leave the M6 at junction 43 and take the A69 towards Carlisle. After a mile, you will reach Brunton Park on your right. The club car park which costs £3, can be found by turning right immediately before Brunton Park (it is well advertised). Otherwise street parking. There is also the option of renting a private driveway near in the local area via YourParkingSpace.co.uk.

Post Code for SAT NAV: CA1 1LL

James Prentice informs me; ‘Brunton Park is situated about a mile from Carlisle Citadel Railway Station, but is relatively easy to get to. Upon exiting the station’s main entrance, walk the short distance around the Crescent until reaching Warwick Road. You will be able to see the old Main Stand and the strangely-shaped roofs of the Warwick Road End after walking for about twenty minutes. Walk past the club shop and take the next left into Thirlwell Gardens. Walk behind the stand and the away turnstiles are located at the far end.

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When Carlisle were formed they played their games out of the Millholme Bank ground but quickly outgrew the stadium. Eventually – after a brief spell at a nearby rugby ground – they moved into Brunton Park. Development of the Carlisle stadium have been few and far between with calamity like instances prompting most of the works. The early fifties saw the biggest rebuild as the original main stand went up in flames. Much smaller – but still highly infuriating issues – occurred in 2005 and 2015 as floods forced the club to play games elsewhere.

Carlisle haven’t held too much in a sense of rivalry with anyone over the years although the occasional match with teams like Preston North End have taken on a derby feel. The emergence of Barrow into the football league might see that change though with both sides located in Cumbria. Only time will tell for sure though.

Carlisle United FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website)

If you require hotel accommodation in the Carlisle area then first try a hotel booking service provided by Booking.com. They offer all types of accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets from; Budget Hotels, Traditional Bed & Breakfast establishments to Five Star Hotels and Serviced Apartments. Plus their booking system is straightforward and easy to use. Just input the dates below that you wish to stay and then select from the map the hotel of interest to get more information. The map is centered to the football ground. However, you can drag the map around or click on +/- to reveal more hotels in the Town Centre or further afield.

Home Fans*

Main Stand Seating:
Adults £19, Over 65’s £16, Under 22’s £13, Under 18’s £10, Under 11’s £7, Under 7’s Free
Pioneer Stand: Adults
£19, Over 65’s £16, Under 22’s £13, Under 18’s £10, Under 11’s £7, Under 7’s Free
Main Stand Terrace:
Adults £16, Over 65’s £13, Under 22’s £10, Under 18’s £7, Under 11’s £4, Under 7’s Free
Warwick Road End Terrace:
Adults £16, Over 65’s £13, Under 22’s £10, Under 18’s £7, Under 11’s £4, Under 7’s Free

Away Fans*

Pioneer Stand Seating:
Adults £19, Over 65’s £16, Under 22’s £13, Under 18’s £10, Under 11’s £7, Under 7’s Free
Petterill End Terrace:
Adults £16, Over 65’s £13, Under 22’s £10, Under 18’s £7, Under 11’s £4, Under 7’s Free

In addition the Club make a number of family tickets available, but only in advance and not on the day of the game. Under 11’s & Under 7’s must be accompanied by an adult.

* The ticket prices quoted above are for tickets purchased prior to matchday. Tickets purchased on the day of the game can cost up to £3 more.

Matchday Programme: £3

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

The Lake District is located to the South of Carlisle. Plenty of breathtaking scenery, so if you are going to travel half the country to get there why not make a weekend of it? If you choose to stay in Carlisle there are quite a few bed and breakfast establishments located on the Warwick Road near to the football ground.

Record Attendances

27,500 v Birmingham City
FA Cup 3rd Round, 5th January 1957.

27,500 v Middlesbrough
FA Cup 5th Round, 7th February 1970.

Average Attendance

2019-2020: 4,140 (League Two)
2018-2019: 4,712 (League Two)
2017-2018: 4,609 (League Two)

Official Web Site: www.carlisleunited.co.uk

Unofficial Web Sites:
Reeves Is Offside Again!
Vital Carlisle (Vital Football Network)
Carlisle United blog

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

Special thanks to Owen Pavey for providing the photo of the Main Stand.