JobServe Stadium – Colchester United

The stadium was opened in 2008 after the Club left their old Layer Road ground, to move to their new home on the edge of town. The stadium is functional and well presented, but as with a number of new stadiums built in recent years, it lacks character and is nothing ‘out of the ordinary’.

The ground is comprised of four separate stands. The Main (West) Stand on one side of the pitch is a little taller than the other three stands, which are the same height. All the stands are covered single tiered, all seated stands. The Main Stand has a row of executive boxes/corporate hospitality areas running across the top of it, whilst the others are simply seating areas. The Weston Homes Stand though, at the South end of the stadium, does have a Police Control Box incorporated into it, on one side beneath the roof. All the stands have translucent panels built into their roofs as well as a perspex strip just below them, which allows more light and facilitates pitch growth.

Alison Wells informs me; ‘When the stadium was built the necessary foundations were put in place so that the capacity could be easily increased at a later date. This would include filling in the corners, which would increase the capacity to around 12,500. A second tier could also be added onto the Roman Cars (North), Weston Homes (South) and JobServe (East) stands, raising the total capacity still further to 18,000. There are no time scales as to when this may take place.’

Away fans are normally housed in the northern part of the JobServe Stand, which is situated on one side of the stadium. Around a thousand supporters can be accommodated in this area. For Clubs with a larger travelling support then the Roman Cars Stand (the North End), where up to 2,000 supporters can be seated, is allocated instead. As you would expect from a new stadium the facilities and view of the playing action are good. The stands are particularly steep, meaning that fans are kept close to the pitch and resulting in good sight lines. A varied range of food is available on the concourses, including; Cheeseburgers (£3.50), Hot Dogs (£3.25), Cornish Pasties (£3.25), Chicken Balti Pies (£3.25), Steak & Ale Pies (£3.25), Cheese & Onion Pasties (£2.90),  Sausage Rolls (£2.30) and Wedges (£1.50). Adam Hodson a visiting Stockport County fan tells me; ‘The ground is equipped with electronic turnstiles. The stadium is very similar to Shrewsbury’s New Meadow with all four stands being of similar height’. Peter Clark an Ipswich Town fan adds; ‘There is no facility to pay cash at the turnstiles, so you have to buy your tickets from the Ticket booth if you haven’t already bought them in advance’.

Mick Hubbard informs me; ‘The ground is not in a great place. Like Chester in the past, the club has been dispatched to a far-flung part of town, sitting the edge of a new business park, surrounded by wasteland.  Although the facilities were excellent, it is quite a depressing location for a “community” club’. Tony Cannan a visiting Plymouth Argyle supporter warns; ‘Be careful when climbing the stairs to your seat row in the stand itself. It’s very easy to misjudge these steps and lose your footing’. Whilst Sparky a visiting Bradford City fan adds; ‘We always look forward to going to a game in Colchester, as we stay overnight in Clacton-on-Sea and then take the train into Colchester and back. The train journey time from Clacton is around 30 minutes.’

The Club allows access to the bar and toilets located on the concourse area of the Weston Homes Stand, before each home game (12.15pm for a 3.00pm Kick-Off). Drinks can be taken back outside the stadium to enjoy the pre-match entertainment such as live bands which are often playing under the marquee. This bar is available to both home and away supporters. Alcohol available includes; Lager, Bitter, Wine, plus Whisky and Brandy (all at £3.80).

With the stadium being on the very outskirts of Colchester, then there is little in the choice of pubs. David Prior informs me; ‘The Dog and Pheasant on Nayland Road, is probably the closest to the stadium, although it is still around 3/4’s of a mile away. However, it is only admitting home fans’. Audrey MacDonald a visiting Hartlepool United fan adds; ‘We visited the Dog and Pheasant and were admitted okay, although we weren’t wearing colours. The pub had a good choice of beer and did food too. To find the pub, go down to the end of United Way, then at the end turn left into Boxted Road and at the mini-roundabout go straight over into Nayland Road. The Dog and Pheasant is on the right next to a fish and chip shop’. About one and half miles away on the Ipswich Road (A1232, off A12/A120) is the Balkerne Gate pub, which is part of the Brewers Fayre chain.

If you are arriving at Colchester North Station then directly opposite on Bergholt Road is the Bricklayers Arms, which normally has a good mix of home and away fans inside. This pub serves real ale from Adnams and Sharp’s, shows Sky Sports and also does food. Les Fry a visiting AFC Bournemouth fan adds; ‘We and a few other Cherries fans drank in the Bricklayers pub near to the station and experienced no problems.’

Alternatively, you can take the short train ride from Colchester (North) mainline station to Colchester Town, around which there are plenty of pubs to be found. Ed Aitken adds; ‘A decent bet for a pub near town station is the Odd One Out pub at the bottom of Mersea road (about a two minute walk). It is the most traditional real ale pub in Colchester, although swearing is banned!’ A 5-10 minute walk away is the Playhouse, which is a Wetherspoons outlet. This former theatre is a spectacular setting for a bar, as the original dress circle and stage of the theatre have been preserved and is well worth a visit. Alcohol is also available inside the stadium.

From The North and M11
Leave the A14 and then join the M11. Come off the M11 at J8 (Stansted Airport/A120) and follow the A120 towards Braintree & Colchester. The A120 then joins the A12 and after passing the stadium on your right, leave the A12 at Junction 28. Turn left at the first roundabout, then turn right into United Way from the second roundabout.

From the South
Leave the A12 at Junction 28. Turn right at the first roundabout. Go across the bridge and then go straight over the second roundabout, before turning right into United Way at the third roundabout.

Post code for Sat Nav
The postcode of the stadium is CO4 5UP, but you may find that your sat nav system does not acknowledge this postcode at present. It is recommended by the club to use CO4 5JS, which is the nearby Rapid Electronics factory.

Car Parking:

There are 700 car parking spaces at the stadium which cost from £6 to £10, depending on how close to the exit you are parked. It is essential that you pre-book your car parking space in advance via the Colchester United website, as for most games the car park sells out. In this event the club direct fans to an overspill car park located on the nearby industrial estate (about a 10-15 minute walk away from the stadium) which costs £8. There is also an extensive residents only parking scheme in operation around the stadium, so you may need to journey to over a mile away, before you can find a legitimate parking space. There is also the option of renting a private driveway near in the local area via YourParkingSpace.co.uk.

Park & Ride Car Park

A new Colchester Town Centre Park and Ride service has been recently introduced, the car park to which is situated on the opposite side of the A12 to the Weston Homes Stadium (signposted just off Junction 28). This car park has 1,000 spaces and fans attending games are welcome to use the car park. It costs £3 to park there and it closes at 7.30pm for Saturday games and 10.30pm for midweek matches. From the car park it is then a relatively short walk five minute across the A12 bridge to the stadium. There is also a McDonalds restaurant located next to the Park and Ride.

Robert Charnock warns; ‘Do not park in any of the side roads leading off Axial way, including the entrance to the Volkswagen garage. I and a number of others received £35 penalty tickets for parking there during a recent game. Apparently this side road and others are designated as a clearways, although there wasn’t any obvious signage to that affect.’

The nearest railway station to the ground is Colchester on North Station Road, which is just under two miles away from the stadium. From outside the station, you can take the Park & Ride Bus to Mile End. From there it is a short walk to the stadium. On Saturdays, this operates every 15 minutes and costs £3 per adult. See the Colchester Park & Ride website for more details. Alternatively, you can walk to the Jobserve Stadium which should take around 25 minutes. After leaving the station, you will come out by the North Station roundabout. Take the second left turning (with the Big Yellow Storage Building on one side) on to Mile End Road. Continue straight on this road and after around 15 minutes walk, you pass the Dog and Pheasant pub on your left (the closest pub to the ground) and the Myland Fish & Chip Shop (which closes at 2pm on Saturdays). At the next roundabout, take the second exit on to Boxted Road. After another 10 minutes, there is a turning to the right, called United Way, from where you will see the stadium. Thanks to Karl Wringe for supplying these directions.

Further away is Colchester Town Station, which is located nearer to the town centre, whilst Colchester is on the north side. There is a regular train service between the two Colchester Stations and the journey time is seven minutes. Alternatively, you can take the Park & Ride Bus Service from the High Street or St. John’s Street in the town centre up to Mile End, which is near the stadium.

Colchester United run a scheme whereby tickets bought well in advance of the game (2-3 weeks) are offered at an ‘Early Bird’ discounted price. The Club then increase the prices of the tickets in increments, so they cost more the week before the fixture and again on matchday. The different prices and how far in advance they need to be bought are shown below:

Roman Cars Stand

Adult
Super Saver (4 to three weeks before): £18, Saver (3 and 2 Weeks before): £20 Advance (1 Week): £22 Matchday: £24

Over 65’s/Concessions
Super Saver (4 to three weeks before): £14, Saver (3 and 2 Weeks before): £15 Advance (1 Week): £16 Matchday: £18

Under 18’s
Super Saver (4 to three weeks before): £9.50, Saver (3 and 2 Weeks before): £10 Advance (1 Week): £11.50 Matchday: £13.50

Under 14’s
Super Saver (4 to three weeks before): £4, Saver (3 and 2 Weeks before): £4.50 Advance (1 Week): £5 Matchday: £5.50

Under 11’s*
Super Saver (4 to three weeks before): £1.50, Saver (3 and 2 Weeks before):: £1.50 Advance (1 Week): £2 Matchday: £2.50

* Please note, under-11s are eligible for a free ticket with a paying adult (up to 4 per adult), otherwise additional under-11 prices apply.

Concessions apply to Over 65’s, the disabled and members of the armed forces.

Matchday Programme: Free with the entrance ticket.

Colchester vs Ipswich rivalry: Colchester fans will cite Ipswich as their most hated rivals and it’s not all that surprising considering the fact they’re just 20 minutes away from one another. That said, Ipswich don’t consider Colchester a derby game in the same way. Perhaps that is because Ipswich have often been the beneficiary of Colchester with managers and players seeing the Tractor Boys as a step up. That would stick in the craw somewhat!

Colchester vs Southend rivalry: A trio from Southend to the Colchester stadium is a short one with both clubs situated in Essex; that’s the main reason there is a dislike between them.

Colchester vs Wycombe rivalry: Colchester and Wycombe having a rivalry is something that stumps a fair few football fans. It’s as random as rivalries come but they do share an extra special hatred of one another. It all started when a non-league Wycombe humiliated Colchester in a cup competition before the two sides became league rivals in the conference for a couple of seasons battling for promotion back to the football league. High stakes and big results in both directions have seen a little bit of hatred stick.

The first place to be called home by Colchester United was Layer Road. The U’s moved in there on their formation and remained in situ through to the 2008/09 campaign. The stadium wasn’t exactly looked after over the years with the seventies and eighties bringing about news of a six figure renovation being required to simply meet the expected standards of safety. It was at this point relocation of the stadium was first considered. Despite that Colchester sat tight at Layer Road until a £14.2 new build project was discussed in 2006. Permission was granted for the age of town stadium development and in August 2008 Colchester moved in.

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

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

Record Attendance

10,064 v Norwich City
League One, 16th January 2010.

At Layer Road:
19,072 v Reading
FA Cup 1st Round, November 27th, 1948.

Average Attendance

2019-2020: 3,634 (League Two)
2018-2019: 3,522 (League Two)
2017-2018: 3,321 (League Two)

Official Web Sites: 
www.cu-fc.com
Stadium Website
Official Club Message Board
Unofficial Web Sites: 
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.

The aerial drone footage of the Jobserve Stadium Colchester United was produced by themrlife and made publicly via YouTube.