Laithwaite Community Stadium – Woking

The ground has an impressive and fairly modern looking single tiered stand situated at one end of the ground. This stand, the Leslie Gosden Stand, towers above the rest of the stadium. At the other end is a small covered terrace, called the Kingfield Road End or Jewson Stand for sponsorship purposes. On one side there is a small open terrace, called the Chris Lane Terrace. This terrace looks a little ugly as it has some quite large warehouse type structures, sitting behind it, which comprise the David Lloyd gym and tennis club. On the other side are a couple of small strange looking, covered seated stands, I guess one of which at one time was the Main Stand, as this has the team dugouts located in front. The other stand beside is used as a family stand. These stands seem quite old and unfortunately, they look to have better days. There is a portion of terracing to one side (affectionately known as Moaners Corner) of this and some cabin type offices at the other end. One nice feature is the abundance of greenery that can be seen around the stadium, with lots of trees surrounding it. 

In August 2015 the Kingfield Stadium was renamed the Laithwaite Community Stadium, in a corporate sponsorship deal with a local Financial Services firm.

The Club have submitted plans to the local authorities to build a new 9,026 capacity stadium on the site of the current Kingfield Ground. The building of the new ground is part of a wider development of the area around the stadium, including a largely residential area with some 1,000 homes, plus a medical centre and retail space. The income generated from the new homes would be partly used to finance the new stadium.

A Computerised Image Showing How The New Stadium May Look (image courtesy of Holmes Miller Architects)

Certainly one of the better days out in the National League, with a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. There is normally no segregation for away fans. However, if segregation is in place then normally the whole of the Chris Lane (Tennis Club) Terrace and in some circumstances part of the  Leslie Gosden Stand are allocated to away fans. The turnstiles to the away section are at the far end of the Jewson Stand End, on the other side to the stadium entrance.

Adam Beal a visiting AFC Wimbledon supporter adds; ‘I found it difficult to find a parking space in the local streets, but did so eventually, may be an idea to consider public transport next time. The food in the Leslie Gosden Stand is run by a local fish and chip company and was of really good quality and gave the stand a great smell. The Club Bar was hospitable if not overly lively, with some pleasant banter amongst supporters. Overall a very pleasant ground and an enjoyable night.’

Tom McNamara informs me; ‘There is the Cardinals Bar situated behind the Main Stand where away fans are normally welcome and there is usually a good and lively atmosphere there’. It also has a large screen television showing Sky Sports. However, away fans are only allowed in when there is non-segregation of fans for the forthcoming match. Paul Hennessy adds; ‘The nearest pub to the ground is the Kingfield Arms. It is located about 300 meters from the ground down Kingfield Road towards Old Woking. The landlord is friendly and caters for Football fans. There are three television screens which show Sky Sports’. 

Otherwise, you can take the ten-minute walk into Woking town centre, where there are an array of pubs to be found including a Wetherspoons outlet, called the Herbert Wells on Chertsey Road, which is listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. Towards the town centre on the Guildford Road (A320) is the ‘The Sovereigns’ which is an Ember Inn. 

The ‘trick’ to finding the ground is to follow signs around Woking for the nearby leisure/sports centre. 

From The East
Leave the M25 at Junction 10 and take the A3 towards Guildford. On approaching Guildford turn right onto the A320 towards Woking. On entering Woking turn right at the roundabout into Wych Hill Lane, towards Old Woking (A247). This road leads into the A247 Kingfield Road and the entrance to the ground is down on the right.

From The West
Leave the M25 at Junction 11 and take the A317 and then the A320 towards Woking. Continue on the A320 through Woking town centre. After passing a hospital on your left you will come to a fork in the road, where you want to leave the A320 and branch left into Claremont Road towards Old Woking (A247). At the bottom of Claremont Road turn left onto the A247 Kingfield Road and the entrance to the ground is down on the right.

There is no parking available as such at the ground or on the immediate streets nearby. So if intending to street park then it needs to be quite a way from the ground. There is the Woking Leisure Centre which is opposite the entrance to the ground and is free to park in for up to three hours. Otherwise, a 15 minute walk away from the ground (and well signposted) around the town centre there are a number of car parks including the Heathside Crescent multi-storey car park (GU22 7AG), which on Saturday’s costs £5.60 for four hours (a walking route is signposted from the car park to the ground).

Woking Railway Station is about a mile away from Kingfield Stadium and is around a 20 minute walk, although it is well signposted. The station is served by trains from London Waterloo.

Exit the station on the opposite side of the station to the town (Station Approach/Oriental Road side). Turn Right down Station Approach and at the bottom, turn left onto Claremont Road (the A320). At the end of Claremont Road turn left on Kingfield Road and the ground is over the road on your right. 

Thanks to Ben Smith for providing the directions.

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:

The Club have announced their intention to redevelop the Westfield Road side of the ground with a new 3,000 capacity stand. This will replace the two current old Main Stands at the ground and run the full length of the pitch. It is believed to generate funding for the new stand that the scheme will also involve the building of some residential accommodation next to the ground. However no formal timescales have been announced as to when planning permission will be sought or when it is intended that the new stand will be open.

Adults £18
Over 65’s £13
Students (Under 19 with valid ID) £5
Under 16’s £5

Official Programme £3

Kingstonian, Stevenage, Farnborough and Aldershot.

Woking 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
6,064 v Coventry City
FA Cup 3rd Round, 4th February 1997

Average Attendance
2018-2019: 1,883 (National League)
2017-2018: 2,024 (National League)
2016-2017: 1,430 (National League)

If you require hotel accommodation in Woking 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 relevant dates and click on “Search” below or on the hotel of interest on the map to get more information. The map is centered on the football ground. However, you can drag the map around or click on +/- to reveal more hotels in the town centre or further afield.

Official Web Site: 
www.wokingfc.co.uk
Unofficial Web Site:
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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.