Clarence Park – St Albans City

The ground is a largely an open one with terracing on three sides of the ground. On one side is the old Main Stand that was originally built in 1922. This small wooden stand is quaint looking, however, it doesn’t have many creature comforts for the paying customer. The six rows of seating sit behind a large number of supporting pillars running across the front of the stand and if that were not enough hindrance, the stand is set well back from the playing area and there also the bases of two floodlight pylons sitting between the stand and the pitch. There is a slope on the pitch that runs up from the Clarence Park End up to the York Road End and you can see how the Main Stand has been built in sections, each raised a bit higher, to climb up the slope. Part of the Main Stand towards the Clarence Park End, has been converted into a Director’s Lounge. Behind the stand the large brick building which is visible is the Club House.

Opposite the Main Stand is the East Terrace or perhaps better known as the Cricket Pitch Side. This largely open terrace does have a small covering in the middle. It is an interesting stand as it is cantilevered and is made of concrete, even its roof. The low roof does provide excellent protection from the weather. Both ends are small open terraces. If the crowd is segregated then the Clarence Park Terrace is allocated to away supporters. There is a small Club Shop situated inside the ground, next to the York Road Terrace. A set of four small floodlights, run down each side of the pitch. The playing surface itself has gained a reputation as being one of the best kept in the country and on my visit it did not disappoint.

The ground with a park on one side and a cricket ground on the other (which has an interesting looking Pavilion) is set in an attractive setting. This is enhanced with a number of trees being visible behind each side of the ground perimeter. Up until the late 90’s the ground was famous for having a large oak tree that sat in the middle of the Clarence Park Terrace. It was not unknown for visiting goal keepers to get the odd acorn thrown in their direction. Alas, the oak tree became diseased and was swiftly removed by the Club.

The Club has put forward plans to build a new 6,000 capacity stadium, on Noke Lane, near Bricket Wood. This is located near to the intersection of the M25 (J21A) and the M1 (J6A), to the South West of St Albans. The site is around five miles away from Clarence Park. The new stadium would be part of a wider generation scheme for the area, so expect it to be a long drawn out process.

If away fans are segregated then the Clarence Park Terrace is allocated to them. This small terrace is open to the elements so hope that it doesn’t rain. The gents toilets are also open to the elements and were looking their age. Refreshments are provided by a refreshment van, which sells the usual array of burgers, hot dogs and chips.  On the plus side the stewards were relaxed and it should be a hassle free day out. However, with the ground being largely open, then as you would expect it is difficult to generate a good atmosphere.

There is a simple club house at the ground, called the Saints Bar, which is open to all fans. The entrance to it though can be a little hard to find (unless you walk around the ground from York Road), as you need to follow the pathway through Clarence Park around the back of the Clarence Park Terrace to get behind the Main Stand, where the bar is located. It is then up the stairs to the entrance. If fans are not segregated then fans can use the bar at half time, although you do have to show your match admission ticket to gain entrance back into the ground for the second half. The nearest pub to the ground is the Crown pub, which is only five minutes walk away at the bottom of Clarence Road. This spacious pub, shows Sky Sports, serves real and food is also available. If you have time on your hands then the town centre is around a 15 minute walk away where there are plenty of pubs to be found. Personally I enjoyed the Farmer’s Boy on London Road. A nice comfortable pub with a beer garden, that has been recently refurbished. Apart from some reasonably priced food it is also serves Verulam Ales which are brewed on the premises.

From The North (M1)
Leave the M1 at Junction 7 and take the M10 towards St Albans. At the end of the motorway, proceed straight across the first roundabout that you reach and at the next roundabout turn left onto the A1081 towards St Albans. Proceed along the A1081, until you reach a small roundabout a which you turn right into Alma Road (sign posted St Albans City Railway Station). Proceed up to the traffic lights (with the ‘Horn’ pub on your right hand side) and turn right into Victoria Street. Go up this road passing the railway station on your left and continue to follow the road around to the left. At the next traffic lights (with the Crown pub on your right), go straight onto into Clarence Road. A short way up Clarence Road, turn left for the entrance to the Football & Cricket grounds. 

Car Parking
There is little parking at the ground itself, although if you arrive early then you may be lucky. Otherwise there is plenty of on street parking in Clarence Road and in York Road (which is the next left after the entrance to the ground). Beware though that at the bottom of Clarence Road, that car parking is restricted to one hour pay and display and the traffic wardens were out in force on my visit. There are no restrictions further up Clarence Road. Also there is a good sized car park at St Albans Railway Station which is a quarter of a mile away from the ground. It costs £2.50 to park there all day on Saturdays or after 5pm on weekday evenings.

The nearest station is St Albans City, which is served by Thameslink trains from St Pancras and further south of London. Slow trains from London normally terminate at St Albans but fast trains go on to Luton or Bedford. The station is about a 5-10 minute walk away from the Clarence Park ground. 

On coming out of the main station entrance (on the east side), turn left along Station Way. At the top of this road turn right into Hatfield Road. Go down to the traffic lights (where the Crown pub can be seen on one corner) and turn left into Clarence Road and then left again for the ground entrance. You may be interested to note the cricket pavilion on your right. 

Alternatively, from the traffic lights, you could enter Clarence Park and take a short cut directly to the turnstiles. Brian Scott has informed me that on his visit in September 2017 that he noticed that a new entrance to Clarence Park is being made in Hatfield Road up near the railway bridge at the top of Station Way. If this is open on your visit it will be an even quicker walk.

Booking train tickets in advance will normally save you money! Find train times, prices and book tickets with Trainline. Visit the website below to see how much you can save on the price of your tickets:

These prices below are for matchday. A discount is offered on these prices if bought in advance of matchday. An additional small discount is also offered to club members. Advance prices are shown in brackets.

Adults £18 (£16.50)
Concessions £12 (£11) 
Under 16’s & Students £8 (£6)  
Under 12’s Free**
Family Ticket: 2 Adults + 2 Under 16’s £30 (£27)

** Only one Under 12 admitted free per paying accompanying adult. Otherwise entrance is £3.

Concessions apply to over 65’s, Unemployed, Under 21’s, EPL or EFL season ticket holders, Emergency Services Staff and serving members of the Armed Forces.

Official Matchday Programme £2.50

St Albans City FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website).

Boreham Wood and Hemel Hempstead.

Record Attendance
9,757 v Ferryhill Athletic
FA Amateur Cup Quarter Final, February 27th, 1926.

Average Attendance
2018-2019: 842 (National League South)
2017-2018: 755 (National League South)
2016-2017: 703 (National League South)

If you require hotel accommodation in St Albans 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. Yes this site will earn a small commission if you book through them, but it will help towards the running costs of keeping this Guide going. 

Official Web Site: www.stalbanscityfc.com
Unofficial Web Sites
Saints City Trust
Fans Forum

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