Chesthair is becoming a thing of the past, and so did the team, but the new one replaced it and is…read morerising, currently just outside the football league and coming up. Chester City, the previous team in the area, went bankrupt, and Chester FC were born in the rubble. They play in blue and white. First-Hand Experience: I saw them play at their new stadium not long after it first opened, and I've been back as a tourist a couple of times. I've also seen them play away from home and their fans away are excellent, as are the club in general. I give them a 5 star rating for that and other things I will mention in the next paragraph. I will see them again soon since it's been so long. Their stadium, the Deva, now known as Exacta, holds over 5k people but is a bit soul-less and generic. However the team is supporter-owned and that is a really wonderful thing, and for that, the team gets 5 stars. It's been winning a lot of titles and soaring up through the divisions and long may it continue. I'm a big supporter of fan owned teams. The original team, Chester City, were founded in 1885 and they are missed, but their spirit lives on in this fan-owned team. Even if the supporters do all love Chesthair, they're still cool.

This buisness is fantastic, considering we came back from a bankruptcy it seemed impossible to come…read moreback from. (Yes, we still do good Cornish Pasties!) We are now in a league called "EVO-STIK™". We're doing well, in 1st place, and the lowest place the team can get in the next game is 3rd, and even then, we'll have to lose at least 2-0, and both teams will have to win at least 2-0 (correct at time of publishing) But, the team in 4th have 3 games in hand. Even so, it'll take a miracle, for THEM to win. Discuss.

I say the words BT Convention Centre, and I imagine you're not exactly wetting your pants with…read moreexcitement. Still, this is a pretty darn impressive building, designed most thoroughly and actually one of the most eco-friendly ones you'll have the pleasure of visiting. Oh yes, this one's with the times. It's all about being green and watching your carbon footprint these days is it not, and this place has a conscience. Which is nice to know. On the waterfront of the River Mersey, you can't argue with its exceptional location and the whole BT thing is only part of it. The name stands for Arena and Convention Centre, and the Echo Arena forms part of this. It's actually one of the largest venues of its kind you'll find on these shores, and it has the utmost in technological wizardry at its forefront. Plus, that size. Well, we all find size impressive. I'm talking about BUILDINGS! If you do get the chance to catch something here, and I'm guessing that'll be a concert rather than a conference, do give it a go. It's mighty awe-inspiring and a great place to visit, plus you're still very central and the transport links are therefore rather sharp. Excellent.

Attended for a conference so was there during the day for several days. Venue staff are lovely and…read moreaccess was excellent. Food prices were quite reasonable and the food I did buy was good. But by far the cloakroom was my best experience - excellent value service and the staff were the best in the building.

The Alexander Stadium is a world class athletics venue and has hosted many big Athletics events…read moreincluding the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix as well as European Trials and UK Championships. It is also the home of the Birchfield Harriers. Ashia Hansen, Kelly Sotherton and Mark Lewis-Francis are some of the members at Birchfield Harriers. The Stadium itself is a great place to watch Athletics and this place really is worth a visit. Alexander Stadium has recently had a £12.5 million expansion and refurbishment. The money has gone towards building a new stand which has a capacity of 5,000. That means the overall capacity of the Stadium is 12,700. So many of the world's best Athletes have competed at the Alexander Stadium and if you are in Birmingham and fancy watching some Athletics, pop in and see why the Alexander Stadium has received so many positive reviews.

For Athletic venues, you can't go wrong here. It is truly first class and famous for the Birchfield…read moreHarriers. With many different leisure activities available here, you are spolit for choice! The staff are all very helpful and so friendly. The only draw back with Alexander Stadium is the gym, its quite old and very small compared with a lot of other gyms out in Brum, I mean compared with Kingstanding gym, Kingstanding wins as it is larger and has more updated equipment, but it is still goodwhen it is quite like in the day. All in all, a great stadium with equally great staff.

Edgeley Park is a very Edgy Park in that all of the boys and all of the girls in this park tend to…read morewatch football in the nude. At least in my dreams they do. First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - I used to live just down the road from here in Chorlton Cum Hardy and my friend Derek used to live right by this ground. When I was a kid, I saw one game here, and then as an adult, one more in 2007. It's a fantastic, huge, intense, passionate crowd and ground, and I look forward to seeing another one. I hope they get back into the league very soon. 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 *** Easily the best and biggest stadium outside the Conference Premier and Football League, and hopefully it won't be for long. The once-mighty Stockport County play here, and were in League One for awhile. See my review on this team for more info. This stadium holds over 10k people and as lifelong fan Jonny says, has excellent pies. Unless they've ran out of them, in which case you'd have to ask, who ate all the pies? Probably the Geordies. Or Mike Ashley. Or both. This is a real stadium and a real English football experience, unlike the commercial corporate overpriced Manchester giants, so give it a go and see what you think of "the way it used to be." Yer avin a larf.

I have to give the hallowed turf and spiritual home of Stockport County a five star rating…read more I've been coming to Edgeley Park since I was a wee nipper and the only thing that's changed is a slightly more crumbled stadium, a scoreboard that makes its own mind up of when it's going to work and a slow and painful drop for the team through 5 divisions in 10 years. But - this is real football! If you can't afford to attend Utd or City each week and want to enjoy the pints in the pub beforehand, the banter on the terrace and the fact that you can meet and chat to the players before and after the game, then Edgeley Park is the place to be each Saturday. County are now in the Conference North, playing teams that get around 10-20% of the 4000 a week attendance we get, so the 2013-2014 season could be a good place to start for anyone up for a bit of glory hunting At £15 to get in and a little over £3 a pint (with local brewery Robinsons well stocked - just make sure you sit in the Cheadle End) it's a cost effective place to enjoy a few hours each week. The pies aren't half bad as well, as everyone who I meet for the first time tells me once I say I'm a County fan - just ask the Geordies I know who attend about 4 times a year and can't wait for their lunch time treat at half time!

This theatre is absolutely wonderful in all respects. The…read moreplace itself is great - there is an upstairs bar where you can have a drink before the performance - or in the interval - or both!! A ood range of drinks is served. The auditorium is very nice - the seats are comfortable - which you need if you're sitting in one pace for a length of time. The plays they put on are absolutely fabulous. The actors are just local people and they are so professional - it's unbelievable. I have never heard one having to be prompted! The scenery is very good, the costumes are excellent too. there is a car park on the doorstep - so it is very convenient. I have never been to a play here yet that I haven't enjoyed. They also put on a very good variety of plays - from comedy to tragedy.

Very nice to come here if you want to do something a little different. Surprisingly nice inside,…read moremuch bigger than it looks from the outside. They do pantomines around christmas. Very enjoyable.

Disney or any production by Disney isn't usually my thing but went to see Disney Frozen on ice with…read morea friend who had a spare ticket so I thought why not. The Barclaycard arena was like any other venue for concerts or shows. It seemed very organised with the Stuards ushering people into lines to go through. Lots of little girls dressed as Elsa so I felt little left out! Once in there it was chaos with so many stands of Frozen merchandise, food and memorabilia. The seating area was quite a large arena. I'm not sure I would go again unless my favourite artist was playing and seemed like the place for kids shows.

I fulfilled a boyhood dream this year…read more Badminton is Malaysia's favourite sport and one of the sport's premier events, the All England Championships, has been held at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham since 1994. I recall being allowed to stay up late to watch my badminton heroes play on live telecast when I was growing up in Malaysia. It all seemed so far away, so exotic, so out of reach. So, I was overjoyed this year to find out that my parents were visiting me from Malaysia exactly on the dates that the All England Badminton Championships would be taking place this year. Booking tickets for all of us on line proved quite painless. We were able to walk to the NIA from our city centre hotel in about 15 minutes. There is parking available at the arena though it does seem to be in the middle of a fairly residential area. The excitement built as we ran into more badminton fans and we kept passing posters advertising the All Englands with Malaysia's world number 1 Lee Chong Wei taking centre stage. The only delay was in collecting pre-booked tickets. It wasn't really clear which of the many windows to join and lots of people were kept outside in the rain as people shuffled forward slowly to get the tickets. Once in, we could hardly believe we were actually at the finals of this legendary event that we used to watch on TV for so many years. The venue seemed a little more friendly than the rather stark Wembley Arena which used to host this event before it moved to Birmingham. There were enough fast food stands serving the usual fare and the toilets were clean. There were a lot of stands selling badminton kit and memorabilia. They had laid on some pre-match entertainment in the form of a classical music trio playing live before the badminton began. The actual set up for the badminton was good with side lighting making it easy for the players to spot the shuttles when they were lifted high and sightlines were good for spectators. The full house of good-natured supporters from all over the globe created a wonderful atmosphere, chanting and cheering on their favourites. Unlike football, no crowd segregation was necessary to keep the peace. The final icing on the cake came for us when we watched Lee Chong Wei defeat his personal nemesis and close rival Lin Dan in the final match of the championship to successfully defend his All England title. One of the best live sporting events in my life

When men spend all their money does that mean they are "Lads Broke"? I guess so…read more First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - after a concert at the Wulfrun didn't work out awhile ago, my concert-friends took me here. Dog racing isn't my thing. I thought it would be a one-time thing, but then in 2012 after a meal at nearby Indian deliciousness spot Cafe Champagne, my friend K took me and her boyfriend out here of all places. I don't do gambling or dog racing, so the odds that I'd go to a Greyhound track even once, are slim. That I'd go to one twice, is unheard of. There certainly won't be a third time but nevertheless I can't give it less than a 3. It's very popular with the locals, that's for sure. I mean, 2 of my 4 or 5 friends in Wolverhampton go here more than they go to Molineux. If I lived in Wolverhampton I'd be in Molineux all the damn time! This is a Speedway track (4 stars) and a Greyhound racing track (2 stars for being cruel), it's one of the better facilities of its type that I've ever been to, but nevertheless I honestly just disagree with the concept. But as the other review said there is a nice atmosphere here and it's very popular around Wolverhampton.

Great place - has a both a dog track and speedway track. Never been to the speedway but go now and…read moreagain to "the dogs." Its a great night out and also easy to get a bus to (if drinking). Also plenty of parking if in the car. Great night out.

Geri Halliwell and Indiana Jones opened this stadium while having a wild stormy affair, sounds hot,…read moreright? Well the weather up here is not at all. First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - other than sleeping here (I'll get to that in a minute), I've done a little tour of the stadium on a few occasions. Warrington was always a city that I skipped, and until I saw it with my own eyes, I had no clue that this city had such a fantastic stadium. It scores 4 only because they still have difficulty filling it, and I have yet to see a full match here, but it really is a credit to the city and a fantastic facility. I was last here in 2014. 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 *** I slept right across the street from this stadium and then visited the large superstore as well. Good times, good memories. It's a very imposing, grand, fantastic stadium for rugby, and it's just as amazing on the inside, it looks like it houses a lot more than 14k people. I would have given it a 5 if it was also for a football team, but I'm biased against Rugby ;) My concert in Warrington wasn't great, especially not the text messages I received later, but all that aside, this is an amazing stadium.

A nice new stadium, built for the wolves when they moved from Wwilderspool. The stadium provides a…read morestate of the art sporting venue and is a focal point for community activity, incorporating the Warrington Wolves Foundation learning floor and a brand new NHS walk-in centre. The Halliwell Jones Stadium sports a capacity of 14,206 through an innovative mix of seated and traditional terraced spectactor accomodation. The stadium comprises standing and seating on each side and end, offering supporters unrivaled flexibility. With a pitch size of 120m x 74m, it is designed for expansive and exciting rugby league.

The Britannia Stadium is home to Stoke City Football Club, although now known as the Bet365 Stadium…read morefor sponsorship reasons, or the Stoke Stadium in terms of UEFA competitions (jokes, Stoke will likely never qualify for them anyway). My first visit here was on a cold, wet rainy night in Stoke, as the legend claims, and I came to watch my team, Manchester City beat Stoke 2-0. The stadium has a capacity of just over 30,000 following the expansion in 2017. Outside the stadium, there is a statue of Sir Stanley Matthews, who played for Stoke City for 15 years, his ashes are also buried under the stadium. The stadium seems a little old-fashioned in some regards, especially when considering it was built in 1997, the concourse area does not appear to be wheelchair accessible and the wheelchair seating was basically a free for all. The stewards around the ground seemed friendly enough, although it was annoying that they would constantly block the view throughout the game, through walking in front of the pitch non-stop and refusing to sit down at first. The problem was worsened at the second half due to cameramen standing and setting themselves up all infront of me, making it once again difficult to view the game, especially being on one of the first few rows. The stadium is accessed on a match-day through a shuttle bus from the city centre, near the train station, these are basically the old London buses, the bus was quite uncomfortable and charged at £2 each way. Also due to being on a hill, this stadium can get cold at times and due to overall facilities, especially where stewards did not even know how to scan my ticket into the ground and due to issues with view, I sadly feel the Bet365 Stadium is actually a poor ground for a current Premier League team, even for a Championship team (where it looks like Stoke are heading based on current performance), this ground isn't good enough, so sadly warrants a one-star rating.

Stock City is a retail store that is a bit like Asda or Walmart or something. You can buy things in…read morebulk and stock up on whatever you need. Luckily this is not that place, this is a really impressive football club with one of the toughest stadiums to play in for visiting fans because the wind really whips through it like Indiana Jones in a crowd of Nazis. First-Hand Experience: I saw Stoke City play live at the Britannia once, and have seen them at other venues once or twice. The Britannia is very very loud. They were formed way back in 1863 and are one of the oldest teams in the world. The club has had lots of problems with hooligans which causes it to lose 1 star. West Brom, Wolves and Port Vale are the rival teams. They have never won the league or even come close to it. They were FA Cup Runners Up in 2011, and League Cup Winners in 1972, and runners up in 1964. That's their entire history really which is a shame for such an old team. Any club which asks the man that built the Premier League incarnation of the club (Pulis) to leave and then hires mid-table-Mark-Hughes, it just left a sour taste in the mouth and was very disloyal.

Vue cinema, very clean and comfortable, Ben and Jerrys ice cream stand. Multi screen do good…read morespecial events singalong, opera, advance screenings. Good for a wet day in Southport if you're visiting!

Really nice cinema, although I find that sometimes the staff can be quite unfriendly. It has really…read moregood student prices, and is very clean and comfortable.