I am bearing the Brunton of the criticism for this team only reaching the top tier for one season…read more Carlisle is a grand old team, and this is a beautiful stadium. The roof is a beautiful shade of blue, and it's one of the biggest and loudest venues in League Two with 18k fans able to attend. First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - One of the best stadiums in the lower leagues, for sure. This might even be in my top 5 lower league stadiums in the country. It's wonderful. It's been kept up well. It's very loud. It's passionate. It's a credit to the region and country. I saw Oxford play here years ago, away, and then I saw a game here in 2011 and again in 2014. I'm addicted to seeing games here. I've seen hundreds in my life but coming here is always an intense and memorable day out. I've been to most UK & US stadiums, due to lifelong obsessions with travel, sport & especially footy (soccer to Americans). Born & raised in England, I followed Oxford United (hometown team) to stadia all over the country at away games, and later Liverpool (fave team) around. Every stadium review - like all my reviews - are from first-hand personal experience, usually from several visits. In 2011, I was on music tour in the UK, and visited most stadiums for fun in my spare time. As recently as Fall 2014, when I was "stuck" in UK for 3 months, I went to hundreds yet again while travelling. I have pictures of me at most, which I'll post later. Also, when back in UK I'll take more pix, and add more stadia! *** return to regular review *** Its history is long and storied, and it was even a Premier League (wasn't called that then) ground in the 70s when the team reached the top flight for one season only. If you're ever up here, be sure to come and see a game... it's true English football and there aren't many places like this left. Please Yelp, separate this listing (the stadium) from the club listing that I just reviewed, since a club and a stadium are separate entities on Yelp USA and most of the British teams have separate listings too.

The home of Carlisle United Football Club, my spiritual mecca, the 8th wonder of the world.read more

Naturally everyone in Workington is employed…read more Some of them are employed as Rugby League players. If I liked Rugby, Workington would be one of my fave teams because it's in the Lake District and right on the water, but I can't really ever like a Rugby team. Still, I appreciate that the locals love it and when I saw a game here the crowd was very intense. Good luck to them. First-Hand Experience: My friends in Whitehaven took me here to watch a Rugby game a couple of years back. I loved the town and I loved the atmosphere. I didn't really love the stadium and I definitely don't like Rugby. It is too violent for me. But I'll give them a solid three stars anyway because the crowd was excellent. It was very windy in there, but the rain held off which was a relief. The home team won and so everyone left drunk and happy. I haven't been back to Workington since, but if I ever do go back, I might be open to an encore. I'd rather watch footy though.

If your vehicle keeps telling you it's actually a bicycle, then it's a Carliar. And should probably…read moresupport this team. It was founded by Belinda Carlisle in 1987 when she realized that heaven was a place on earth, and that place was this team. She drew a circle in the sand, which ended up being the centre circle. And she left a light on, which is why the stadium has such big electricity bill debts. First-Hand Experience: Fantastic team, and amazing support with a wonderful intense enclosed stadium. I come here when I want to see what English football really used to be like, old school. I saw them play live at home when I was a kid, and beat Oxford, my team. Then I saw them in 2011 and 2014 and remembered how much I love this stadium and this team, even more now. The northernmost team in the English league and just a phenomenal place to come and watch footy. Carlisle United is one of the grand old teams of the league, they have the biggest stadium and following (maybe) in League Two, and they're way up next to Scotland where it's freezing. Much love for Carlisle and their resident Cumberland Sausages (yum). Shankly once said their rise to the top division in the 60s was the greatest feat in football history, and everyone knows Shanks knows everything. They were even top of the league for a few days after they started with 3 wins. So for all this history, the team really has to get a good rating, and so they do. Also their manager is Keith Curle formerly of Man City and of Wimbledon before they moved. Carlisle is the smallest city to have reached the top division since 1906. Olga The Fox is the mascot and that pushes them over the edge to a 5 star team.

And so, on the windiest, rainiest, coldest day of the year, of course myself and my son ended up…read moregoing to Carlisle to watch football. English League 2 action, featuring Carlisle United vs. the team we were there to see - Crawley Town. My son has a bizarre obsession with Crawley Town, and so we try to get to a game every season. Carlisle is the closest and easiest place to get to on, so here we are. And weather aside, it's a nice ground. It has an old school feel, with some open terraces at one end, and covered standing at the other. We were sat in the away section of the modern Pioneer Food stand, what appears to be a fairly modern part of the ground. And it's pretty nice. The food kiosk under the seats was fine, decent football fare of pies and burgers... and... alcohol! Yes, in England, fans are treated like mature adults and allowed to have a beer before the game, and even at half time. YOU HEAR THIS, SCOTTISH AUTHORITIES??? The pricing was fantastic too, only a tenner for my adult ticket, and a fiver for Shawn's ticket. All of the staff we came across were professional, friendly and even happy to be there helping their local club. Local is a feeling that came across strongly with this club and the ground, it felt like it was very active in the community and the community supported them right back. A fine way to be. If you get a chance, pop in for a game. Hopefully, you win. Not like Saturday. Stupid linesman was against us the whole game...

When Arnold Palmer wins a golf tournament, and then gets stoned, he comes to PalmerStoned Park, of…read morecourse. First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - this was actually the final Scottish League stadium that I ever visited, in November 2014. I'd been to every single other stadium, but I'd never been to the city of Dumfries, much less this venue. I got a ferry across from Northern Ireland, and then drove over here in the rental car to check it out. It's a lovely little place with plastic turf (understandable considering the weather), and it was exciting to check the final box in the "Scottish stadiums visited" column of my "things to do" list. I'd love to see a game here someday, but walking on the field was fun. However, I have to say that altogether, I was underwhelmed not just by how small, but how open to wind and rain and elements this stadium is, which will also make most of the noise escape. So when I was doing my first tour of Scotland in 2011, I also hit up every single stadium in the country. My obsession with footy (soccer to Americans) is the reason. Every stadium review - like all my reviews - are based on first-hand personal experience, usually from multiple visits. As recently as Fall 2014, when I was "stuck" in UK for 3 months, I went to most of them yet again while travelling. I have pictures of me at many of them, which I will post later. Also, when back in Scotland I plan to take more pix, and add more stadia! So watch this space! *** return to regular review *** It's a stadium dating back to 1919 in Dumfries, which is in the South West of Scotland right near England. It holds 9k people and has plastic grass, amazingly. It had grass until 2013, at which point the club sold the grass to fans (lol) and installed the plastic. My gf says plastic makes perfect, I wonder if she's talking about her body modifications, or credit cards. Probably both, knowing her. It's a typical stadium in a great city.