Tameside Stadium – Curzon Ashton

The Tameside Stadium was officially opened by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2005. It a modern seated stadium, that overall is quite smart looking and wouldn’t look out of place in a higher league. It comprises a fair sized Main Stand on one side, a covered terrace opposite and two open end terraces.

The Main Stand sits astride the half way line and runs for about half the length of the pitch. Although in capacity terms it is not that large (7 rows comprising 524 seats), the stand itself looks a lot larger. This is firstly due to the fact that the seating area is raised above pitch level, meaning that spectators have to climb a small set of stairs to enter it. Secondly the roof of the stand is elevated quite high above the seating area, with a fair sized back panel. It is also cantilevered, meaning that there are no obstructing pillars to hinder your view of the playing action. The blue block of seats have the letters TMBC spelt out in white across them. This is in reference to the local council who were one of the funders of the stadium. In front of the Main Stand are the team dugouts, whilst on either side there are areas of open terracing. 

Opposite the Main Stand is a good sized covered terrace. It some respects it mirrors the Main Stand in terms of width (it too sits astride the halfway line and runs for around half the length of the pitch), has a high placed roof and has portions of open terracing to each side. Both ends have open terraces that although not that high (around seven steps) do run the full width of the end. The stadium has a set of four tall floodlights.

Outside the stadium there is a statue of three football players, who were born locally and played in the World Cup; Geoff Hurst (England), Jimmy Armfield (England) and Simone Perrotta (Italy). Again it is unusual to see such statues at this level.

Most visiting fans are impressed with the stadium, its facilities and friendliness of welcome. If you get chance then visit the Programme Shop inside the stadium, which has a vast number of football programmes for sale (many at very reasonable prices). 

There is a fair sized Club Bar at the stadium which welcomes visiting fans. Otherwise in terms of pubs there are none that I am aware of close by. Still if you arrive early at the stadium (or travel by train) then Ashton-under-Lyne town centre is only a 15 minute walk away, where there are plenty of pubs to be found. These include a Wetherspoons pub called the ‘Ash Tree’ on Wellington Road. 

Leave the M60 at Junction 23 and take the A6140 towards Ashton-under-Lyne. After passing a Cineworld Cinema on your right you will reach a set of traffic lights (with a couple of sporting statues on your left as you approach the lights), where you turn left (signposted Local Traffic) onto Richmond Street. Go over the railway bridge, straight across the mini-roundabout and then take the next left into the stadium complex. There is a large car park at the ground which is free.

The nearest Railway Station is Ashton-under-Lyne which is located just over a mile or a 15-20 minute walk away from Tameside Stadium. The station is served by trains from Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield.

The easiest and straightforward walking route from the station to the ground (although not the shortest), is to come out of the main entrance and turn right along the main road in front of you (Wellington Street, the A6140). Passing the Prince of Orange pub on the left (as this is a Robinsons pub I probably wouldn’t be able to pass it by without popping in first!) go straight ahead, then passing a large IKEA store on your right. Follow the road around to the right and at the next roundabout take the 1st exit. Then passing a Sainsbury’s store on your right, at the next set of traffic lights turn right into Richmond Road, proceed across the bridge over the railway and the stadium is further along this road on the left, beyond the athletics ground.

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Five minutes walk away from the stadium is Ashton West Metrolink stop. This stop is on the line from Manchester Victoria and Piccadilly. Journey time from Piccadilly is just under half an hour and the current price of a return Adult ticket from Piccadilly is £3.80. Trams run every 12 minutes. On reaching Ashton West stop cross the road (keeping the Cineworld Cinema behind you) and proceed along Richmond Road. Go over the railway bridge and you sill see the stadium over on your left.

Adults £14
Over 65’s £7
Students With Valid ID £7*
Under 16’s £3

* The Club also allows students studying in the Manchester area, to ‘pay what they can afford’ with the minimum being £3.

Official Matchday Programme: £2

Ashton United, Hyde, Stalybridge Celtic and Droylsden.

Record Attendance

For Curzon Ashton:
1,731 v AFC Wimbledon
FA Cup Second Round, 4th December 2016.

For Tameside Stadium:
3,588 FC United v Stourbridge
Northern Premier League, 21st April 2015.

Average Attendance

2018-2019: 450 (National League North)
2017-2018: 531 (National League North)
2016-2017: 405 (National League North)

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Official Website: www.curzon-ashton.co.uk

Special thanks to Russell Cox for providing the photos of the Tameside Stadium. Visit his Wycombe Wanderer ground hopping blog.