King Power Stadium – Leicester City

Official Web Site:

www.lcfc.com

Unofficial Web Sites:

Filbert Way For Fox Sake  FilbertStreet.Net Foxes Talk Forum Supporters Club Hinckley Branch Leicester Till I Die Swedish Fan Site

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In August 2002 the club moved into its new home, only a stone’s throw away from their old Filbert Street ground. Then called the Walkers Stadium, it was renamed the King Power Stadium in 2011, under a sponsorship deal. However, some of the home fans refer to it as ‘Filbert Way.’ The stadium is completely enclosed with all corners being filled with seating. The sides are of a good size, built in the same style and height. The Upton Steel West Stand though on one side of the pitch does contain a row of executive boxes. The team dugouts are also located at the front of this stand. Running around three sides of the stadium, just below the roof, is a transparent perspex strip, which allows more light and facilitates pitch growth. There are also two large video screens located in opposite corners of the stadium.

Although the King Power stadium falls into the trap of a lot of modern stadiums re. lacking feeling, the Leicester stadium does at least boast great acoustics, which makes the matchday experience better than at some of these impressive looking but rather soulless new build stadiums. In April 2022, the club also unveiled a statue of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. Srivaddhanaprabha was the club’s chairman who was killed in a tragic helicopter accident at the stadium in 2018. This also adds to the feeling around the stadium and gives a strong nod to their recent successes.

With Leicester’s King Power stadium being a relatively new ground it’s of little surprise that future expansion plans were considered at the time of original planning. Now, it looks like those plans will be put into place with a further 8,000 seats due to be added to the East Stand; that’s a 25% increase. On top of the seating and increased capacity, the surrounding area will benefit too. The main upgrades will be a substantial hotel building and an indoor entertainment come sporting venue, which will hold 6,000. There is more though; commercial development and residential enhancements are also planned as part of the Leicester City ground upgrade. A host of new parking spaces will be created too, which will support all aspects of the revamp.

Away supporters are housed in the North East corner of the stadium, where just over 3,000 fans can be accommodated. The view of the playing action is good (although you are set well back from the pitch) as well as the facilities available. The concourse is comfortable with television screens showing the game going on within the stadium. My only slight grumble was that the gents toilets are poorly designed. They have a narrow ‘zig zag corridor’ of an entrance which hindered people coming in or out and didn’t help the major traffic flow at half time! On the positive side though, the atmosphere within the stadium was good, with the home fans singing on both sides of the away section. The atmosphere is further boosted by a huge bare chested drummer, who is located at the back of the home section, immediately to the left of the away fans. The stewarding was also pretty relaxed. The teams come out to the Post Horn Gallop tune, reminiscent of fox hunting! (Leicester are nicknamed the Foxes).

Paul Groombridge a visiting Gillingham fan adds; ‘From the far upper seats of the away section, the view was pretty good, though from there, you’d probably complain of being too far away from the action (I thought it was okay). One good thing about being at the top of the away section – you can use the plastic transparent panels as pretty good drums when singing!’. Food on offer inside includes; Double Cheeseburgers (£6.20), Cheeseburgers (£4.50), Hot Dogs (£4.50), a range of Pies (Chicken Balti, Steak and Ale, Monthly Guest Pie all (£4.20), Sausage Rolls with Leicester Cheese (£4) and Broccoli, Cauliflower and Double Cheese Pie (£4.20).

I have received a number of reports of away fans being treated somewhat heavily handed by the local constabulary around the stadium and of some even being ‘frog marched’ from the railway station to the ground. Although these measures may be deemed necessary, in order to prevent violent disorder, is doesn’t do much for the overall away day experience at Leicester. Stuart Bible informs me; ‘Just to confirm that the Police presence at Leicester Station is completely over the top. As a visiting QPR fan recently we were ‘guided’ to the Hind Pub & promptly asked to drink up at 2pm. All 25 of us were then escorted by 38 Police (I counted them) a Dog & 3 Police vans. Of the 25 were 3 children under 10! They should save their heavy-handedness for the day that there might be a real threat of trouble’.

Pay By Card For Food and Drink? Yes (the stadium is in fact in now cashless for food and drink payments, (so card or electronic payment is the only option).

You have to go back to 1884 for Leicester’s first ground. We say ground, it was a field at Fosse Road hence the club were originally born as Leicester Fosse. It didn’t take too long to upgrade from the field to a proper stadium although they bounced around a few places before finally settling on a new home in 1891; it would remain their home all the way through to 2002. What Leicester City stadium are we taking about? Filbert Street, of course. The club played their games there for nearly 30 years before any alterations were made. The changes came in the shape of a two-tiered stand being built; it was the only noteworthy change until 1992.

In 92, Leicester’s ground saw the opening of the Carling Stand but they were the only tweaks made prior to the move to a new ground in 2002. 2002 saw a move to the Walkers stadium, which was subsequently rebranded to the King Power Stadium. The stadium has pretty much remained untouched since with new plans for 8,000’seats only now in the public domain.

Andy Jobson a visiting Southampton fan informs me; ‘Probably the best bet for away fans is the Counting House pub on Freemens Common Road. It has a good mix of both sets of supporters, with all the normal facilities on offer’. Beaumont Fox adds; ‘This pub is located just off the Aylestone Road, behind the Local Hero pub (home fans only) and next to Morrisons Supermarket. It does though exclude away supporters when the game is deemed to be a ‘high profile’ one’. John Ellis adds; ‘Away fans are also welcomed at the Westcotes Constitutional Club on Wilberforce Road. There is no cost for entry and the place is family-friendly.

For those arriving by train, then as you come out of the main entrance turn left and cross to the other side and there you will find ‘The Hind’ which is rather a basic pub, but does have real ales. A better bet may be the Wetherspoons pub called the ‘Last Plantagenet’. If you turn right out of the station and cross the road and turn left into Granby Street, then this pub is down on the left. Also in the city centre which is around a 15-20 minute walk away from the King Power Stadium is the Kings Head on King Street.

Most of the pubs near to the stadium, are as you would expect for home fans only. In particular ‘The F Bar’ should be avoided by visiting supporters. Plus the ‘Symphony Rooms’ located just over the road from the away end, is another home fans bar. Otherwise alcohol is available inside the stadium, however this can be a bit of a ‘hit and miss affair’ depending on which team you support.

With Leicester being a big club and having added major silverware in recent years it is perhaps unsurprising that they regularly run stadium tours. These tours tend to run on Saturday and Sunday’s in groups of up to 40 people. Prices are as follows:

• Adults, £15
• Non-Adults, £8

More detail on the Leicester stadium tours can be found on the official club website.

The anthem most commonly associated with Leicester City is “When You’re Smiling”

Leave the M1 at Junction 21, or if coming from the Midlands, follow the M69 until the end of the motorway (which meets the M1 at Junction 21). Take the A5460 towards Leicester city centre. Continue on this road, until you go under a railway bridge. Carry on for another 200 yards and turn right at the traffic lights into Upperton Road (signposted Royal Infirmary) and then right again into Filbert Street for the stadium. Allow yourself a little extra time to get to the ground as traffic does tend to get quite congested near the stadium. Recently a number of ‘Residents Only Parking’ schemes have been implemented on streets off the A5460 Narborough Road and Upperton Road, near to the ground, which means that street parking now has to be found further away from the stadium. You can park on side streets off Narborough Road but located further back in the direction of the outskirts of Leicester that you will have travelled through, (if approaching from J21 of the M1) but this may then mean a 20+ minute walk to the King Power Stadium.

Alternatively, you can park at the nearby Leicester Tigers Rugby Club at Welford Road (LE2 7TR). It costs £10 and is a ten minute walk away from the King Power Stadium. Dan Willatt a visiting Nottingham Forest fan advises; ‘The Police close a number of roads around the stadium for up to 40 minutes after the final whistle to allow fans to disperse. We parked at a car park located in Filbert Street, but in the end, it took us well over an hour in queueing traffic to get away from the ground. It may be best to consider parking further away from the stadium if you want a quick exit.’ This official car park in Filbert Street has to be pre-booked with the Club and costs £17 per car. To pre-book call 0344 815 5000 (Option 1).

Leicester Park & Ride Facility

Another possibility is to use the Council Leicester Park & Ride, which runs from Enderby (LE19 2AB) near Junction 21 of the M1. Although the service doesn’t pick up from close to the King Power Stadium after the match, but instead into the City Centre, it does provide an alternative. It costs £4 for a Group of up to five people, payable in cash to the bus driver. Richard Symonds adds; ‘The Park & Ride from Enderby stops at Aylestone Road, which is about a five minute walk from the ground. It terminates in the City Centre at St Nicholas Circle, from where it heads back to the Park and Ride without stopping’. More information can be found on the Leicester Park & Ride website.

Post Code for Sat Nav: LE2 7FL

Leicester Railway Station is located in the City Centre, around 1.5 miles away and is walkable from the King Power Stadium. This should take you around 25-30 minutes. Please note that there is normally a heavy Police presence around the station.

A walking route to the stadium is signposted from across the road from the station. Come out of the station entrance and cross the road in front of you. Turn left and then go right along a pathway that runs beside and looks down on the Waterloo Way ring road. Continue straight along this pathway for around half a mile and you will reach a small park on your right (Nelson Mandela Park). You will clearly see behind it ‘Welford Road’ the impressive looking home of Leicester Tigers Rugby Club and diagonally beyond the ground you should be able to make out the steelwork above the top of the stands of the King Power Stadium. Either walk around the park on your right or walk through it and on reaching the main road on the other side, cross over at the pedestrian crossing and with the rugby ground immediately in front of you turn left. Walk past the rugby ground on your right and continue straight along this road, then taking a right turn into Almond Road. Pass the Counting House pub on your left and at the T-junction turn left into Aylestone Road. Take the next right into Raw Dykes Road and you will reach the King Power Stadium and away supporters entrances in front of you.

As with most clubs nowadays, the ticket pricing at Leicester’s stadium, King Power Stadium, is tiered depending on the ‘grade’ of game you’re watching and the area of the stadium you sit in.

Category A games are the most premium fixtures with Category B at the other end; the price range for these games are detailed here:

Adults – £30 to £58

Seniors – £28 to £51

Under 22 – £28 to £51

Under 18 – £23 to £40

Under 16 – £17 to £29

Under 12 – £8 to £18

A full breakdown of the current pricing can be found on the official Leicester website.

You can also book your tickets with SeatPick.

• Official Programme: £3.50

• The Fox Fanzine: £2.50

Leicester vs Derby rivalry: Leicester vs Derby is not a game that will ever be discussed when talking about the biggest derby games in football; the fact both sides are located in the East Midlands does bring a tad more heat to the King Power stadium though.

Leicester vs Nottingham Forest rivalry: Much like the rivalry with Derby, the Leicester stadium isn’t exactly bouncing when Nottingham Forest come to town; there is just a tad extra there because of the geography putting the two sides relatively near each other.

Leicester vs Coventry rivalry: This match is considered a grudge match but the M69 derby is hardly El Clasico is it? The name was born out of the motorway, which runs between, yep, you guessed it, Leicester and Coventry.

Leicester Fixture List

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

Record Attendance

At the King Power Stadium
32,242 v Sunderland
Premier League, August 8th, 2015

At Filbert Street
47,298 v Tottenham Hotspur
FA Cup 5th Round, February 18th, 1928

Average Attendance

2021-2022: 31,940 (Premier League)

2020-2021: N/A (Covid-19)

2019-2020: 32,061 (Premier League)

2018-2019: 31,851 (Premier League)

2017-2018: 31,583 (Premier League)

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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:

The Awaydays video of Southampton fans at the King Power Stadium Leicester was produced by the Ugly Inside and made publicly available via YouTube.