Blue Square Premier Football Ground Guide

Contents
What's The Ground Like? Holker Street (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? Ray Wilkie Popular Side (photo) Where To Drink? A Closer Look At The Main Stand (photo) How To Get There By Car & Where To Park By Train Crossbar End (photo) Admission Prices Ground Layout Local Rivals Disabled Facilities Fixtures 2008-2009 Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Hotel Accommodation Feedback Return To The Main Menu
What's The Ground Like?
A traditional old looking ground that has been brightened up by replicating the team’s blue & white colours on the stands around the stadium. On one side is the colourful looking Main Stand, which is seated and covered. It has some supporting pillars along the front of the stand and runs for around half the length of the pitch. It is situated on the half way line and is raised above pitch level, meaning that you have to climb a small staircase to access it. The areas to either side of the stand are flat standing spaces. Opposite is the Ray Wilkie Popular Side. This is a terrace which is covered towards the centre. The Crossbar Terrace (also known as the Steelworks End) at one of the stadium, is on one side, a small open terrace, whereas the other side is not really used for spectators. In fact this area houses the Club Offices which tends to be detrimental to the overall look of the ground. Opposite is the larger Holker Street Terrace, which although open to the elements is the traditional home end of the ground. The stadium is completed with a set of classic looking floodlights (although one is relatively new, doubling as a mobile phone mast). Top Of Page
Holker Street
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What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters?
Away fans are mostly housed on one side of the Crossbar Terrace at one end of the ground. There is additional standing space available beside the Main Stand. The views and facilities are not particularly great in these standing areas and they are open to the elements and are only a few steps high. So it may be an idea to head for one of the seats made available to visiting supporters in the covered Main Stand. Catering inside the ground is in the form of the obligatory burger van. With the stadium being largely open it is difficult at times to get a real good atmosphere going, however the Barrow fans are a hardy bunch and do their best to raise it. Top Of Page
Ray Wilkie Popular Side
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Where To Drink?
The Club has its own club house bar called the ‘Crossbar’. Otherwise if you carry on along Wilkie Road then you will reach the ‘Tally Ho’ pub on your left, which also does food. For other food options you can continue along the Walney Road (A590) towards the town centre firstly passing Asda. Turn left onto Duke Street for the town centre itself, before which you will find the CAMRA Good Beer Guide listed Ambrose Hotel. Alternatively continue on the A590 passing first ‘The Owl and The Pussycat’ pub (food available) before you will reach a retail park that has a number of eating outlets including a McDonalds and KFC as well as a Tesco Extra. If you have a bit more time on your hands you might park at the Holker Street end of the ground then you can take the 10-15 minute walk down Holker Street into the town centre. Peter Naylor adds: 'At the junction of Holker Street and Abbey Road, near the railway station, you will find a fine action statue of Emlyn Hughes, who came from Barrow. Across the road is ‘The Duke’, a developing four star hotel with a good selection of drinks generally, real ales in particular, while walking a further block to your right you will encounter ‘The Furness Railway’, a Wetherspoons pub themed to the company that led to the development of Barrow. Top Of Page
A Closer Look At The Main Stand
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How To Get There By Car & Where To Park
Leave the M6 at Junction 36 and take the A590 towards Barrow-in-Furness. As you enter the outskirts of Barrow you will pass a fire station on your right. You should now be able to see the floodlights of the stadium over on your left. Turn left into Wilkie Road and then right into Holker Street. Plenty of street parking is available. For a map showing the location of the ground click here (to take you to the Street Map website). To go to a simplified page, containing the directions and pub info, which you can print out click here. Top Of Page
By Train
Barrow-in-Furness railway station is located just under a mile away from the ground. It is served by trains from Lancaster & Carlisle. John Stafford informs me; 'emerge from the station and the small station entrance road leads directly onto Holker Street. Look right and you will be able to see the the floodlights of the ground further up Holker Street'. Top Of Page
Crossbar End
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Admission Prices
Seating: Adults £12 Concessions £9 Under 16’s £4 Terrace: Adults £11 Concessions £8 Under 16’s £4 Top Of Page
Programme Price
Official Programme £2 Top Of Page
Ground Layout
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Local Rivals
Workington & Lancaster City Top Of Page
Fixtures 2008-2009
For the Barrow fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website) Top Of Page
Record & Average Attendance
Record Attendance: 16,874 v Swansea City FA Cup 3^rd Round, January 1954. Average Attendance: 2008-2009: 1,608 (Blue Square Premier) 2007-2008: 1,084 (Blue Square North) Top Of Page
Fans Reviews Of Holker Park
Visited Holker Park recently as an away fan or general football supporter? Then submit your own review of the ground and general day out click here. Top Of Page
Hotel Accommodation
If you require hotel accommodation in the area then first try a hotel booking service provided by Football Hotels who are powered by Activehotels, who specialise in locating accommodation near or within a short travelling distance of the football ground. They also have the added advantage over some other hotel booking services that you pay on departure. Yes this site will earn a small commission if you book through them, but it will go to help with the running costs of keeping the Guide going. To access their Barrow & Lake District page click here. Top Of Page
Feedback
If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail me and I'll update the guide.

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