Derby County and the iPro Stadium:
Founded on February 5th 1884 as a branch of Derbyshire County Cricket Club to keep the players busy and to earn revenue for the club during the winter, Derby County Football Club initially played at the Racecourse Ground.
Derby County is notable for being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888. In addition, Derby County is one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English football league.
Nicknamed ‘The Rams’ due to the traditional folk song The Derby Ram, which the club adopted as its anthem, also using the ram as the club mascot, the club moved to the Baseball Ground in 1895, which would be home to Derby County for the next one hundred and two years, and began wearing the black and white home kit still worn today.
The club’s finest hour was perhaps winning the FA Cup with a 4-1 victory over Charlton Athletic in 1946.
After finishing twelfth in their first season back in the Premier League, the club left the Baseball Ground, moving to the new 33,597-seater Pride Park Stadium for the 1997-98 season. The club remained in the Premier League until the end of the 2001-02 season, making a brief and unsuccessful return to the top flight for the 2007-08 season, when the Rams infamously amassed only eleven points. The club has been in the Championship since then.
Nowadays, Pride Park Stadium, named after the business park in which it is located, is known as the iPro Stadium for sponsorship reasons.
Built at an estimated cost of £16 million and officially opened in July 1997 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the ground is, as you would expect, relatively modern.
Away fans will find themselves in the south east corner, between the east and south stands. Views from this section are generally very good.
The wide concourse area allows easy access to the kiosks for refreshments.
The ground will be open from 4p.m. tomorrow. Stewards at Derby County often turn fans away for being “too drunk” so be warned! You should also be aware that the police will be assisted by pyrotechnic search dogs.
How to get there:
By car:
Depending on traffic, a journey from Birmingham to the iPro Stadium by car should take between an hour and an hour and twenty minutes.
For directions to Derby County’s iPro Stadium, click here.
Use postcode DE24 8XL for sat navs.
Parking:
Official match day parking can be found at The Derby Conference Centre, London Road, DE24 8UX, which is approximately fifteen minutes’ walk from the iPro Stadium. There are spaces there for two hundred cars and parking your vehicle there costs £5. As you enter Derby, you will see brown signs for away supporters’ parking, which will direct you to the Conference Centre.
There are other options available within walking distance of the stadium. Click here for more details.
By train:
Crosscountry services from Birmingham New Street to Derby run at least every twenty minutes, with shorter intervals between trains at certain times. The journey takes thirty-five to forty-five minutes, depending on the number of calling points.
Return tickets are available for tomorrow from £15.
The iPro Stadium is just under a mile from Derby Railway Station. Walking to the ground should take fifteen to twenty minutes following the suggested route below:
– Exit the station at the rear and you will be on Roundhouse Road.
– Follow Roundhouse Road until you reach a roundabout and see a Harvester on your right.
– Cross over to Riverside Road and follow this road until you reach the iPro Stadium.
Where to drink:
The Royal Telegraph, located at 73 London Road, DE1 2QS, is five minutes from the train station and ten minutes from the ground. Described as Derby’s “number one away-friendly pub”, The Royal Telegraph will be open from 10a.m. tomorrow. With drinks offers and a barbecue, it is bound to be a popular choice tomorrow.
The Tiffany Lounge, located at 1 Midland Road, DE1 2SN, is less than a minute from the train station and away fans will be welcome here too tomorrow.
As always, wherever you go and whatever you do, have a great day.
1 Comment
They may argue two league championships in the 1970s was a finer hour.