The Lower Grounds Matchday experience

[AndyClarke]

Thoroughly enjoyed this today but massively overpriced for none season ticket holders.

Food is OK, fairly basic but reasonable enough (burgers, hot dogs, chips, nachos, ice cream, doughnuts, pick and mix). Seating is pretty poor, a load of old knackered benches that wobble about anytime someone moves. Drinks seem easy enough to get, plenty of staff on the bar.

I hope it was about full today as seating had run out in the last hour making it a bit uncomfortable in parts of the room.

Meeting and having pictures with Allan Evans, Tony Morley and Kenny Swain was the highlight for me, they were more than happy and actually sat opposite me on the same table to eat. I was quite amused watching Tony Morley queuing for a burger and seemingly nobody around him knew who he was. Even more so when someone tried to sit opposite and gave me a vacant look when I told them it was Tony Morley's seat, they sat next to him and had no idea who he was.

Seats were pretty crap right at the top of the Trinity not far off halfway. Great view but a bit disengaged for my liking.

I only went in Lower Grounds today as it was my Daughters first proper game so we did it as a one off treat to mark the occasion.

Edited October 29, 2023 by AndyClarke

[Talldarkandransome]

16 minutes ago, AndyClarke said:

Thoroughly enjoyed this today but massively overpriced for none season ticket holders.

Food is OK, fairly basic but reasonable enough (burgers, hot dogs, chips, nachos, ice cream, doughnuts, pick and mix). Seating is pretty poor, a load of old knackered benches that wobble about anytime someone moves. Drinks seem easy enough to get, plenty of staff on the bar.

I hope it was about full today as seating had run out in the last hour making it a bit uncomfortable in parts of the room.

Meeting and having pictures with Allan Evans, Tony Morley and Kenny Swain was the highlight for me, they were more than happy and actually sat opposite me on the same table to eat. I was quite amused watching Tony Morley queuing for a burger and seemingly nobody around him knew who he was. Even more so when someone tried to sit opposite and gave me a vacant look when I told them it was Tony Morley's seat, they sat next to him and had no idea who he was.

Seats were pretty crap right at the top of the Trinity not far off halfway. Great view but a bit disengaged for my liking.

I only went in Lower Grounds today as it was my Daughters first proper game so we did it as a one off treat to mark the occasion.

We're you 2nd row from back in A2

[AndyClarke]

17 minutes ago, Talldarkandransome said:

We're you 2nd row from back in A2

No, row Y in A3.

[Talldarkandransome]

1 minute ago, AndyClarke said:

No, row Y in A3.

Bit more central then... as a member I wander around stand finding different seats that my lad likes as its his first season. Can't get near A3 since lower grounds opened and same problem with upper holte and terrace view. 

Glad you enjoyed it anyway

[rodders0223]

Still sending me links for this now with free ticket ballots.

Going well then.

 

[rbcuk]

23 minutes ago, rodders0223 said:

Still sending me links for this now with free ticket ballots.

Going well then.

 

Just had the same email 

[Lochheads twin]

15 hours ago, rbcuk said:

Just had the same email 

The link takes you to a ticketing site but does not seem grant access to the ballot. Did you have any luck with this?

[rbcuk]

1 hour ago, Lochheads twin said:

The link takes you to a ticketing site but does not seem grant access to the ballot. Did you have any luck with this?

Just had a look, yeah it comes up with the ballot and how many times I want to enter it 

[ender4]

1) So if I want to book tickets for this for a future match how do I go about it? Say for the Newcastle match which has normal tickets for sale but no LG tickets as far as I can see. 

2) Do you need a membership for each person or are they open to general sale to anyone?

3) Is it still free for U14’s?

4) Can you buy a normal seat where you want and then add this on? Or have to sit wherever they allocate your seat?

5) What’s the price for a Cat A game?

 

[rubberman]

My thoughts from the weekend. My daughter bought us a pair of tickets (ridiculously generously) for Christmas as the only options for a new buyer. 

First off (and this is largely down to her not really reading the detail in the email), we ended up going into the ground proper before realising the Lower Grounds is the other end of the stadium. The stewards were super helpful and let us back out, and looked out for us coming back in later.

Lower Grounds is fine, but not a lot more than that. Food was really basic - Burgers are pretty rank, chips OK. Hot dogs, nachos, ice creams are other options - certainly stretching the definition of street food to the limit. Would have preferred a pie. Benches were all full so a bit of standing around. No queues for bar - that's really efficient. Had just the one beer as I was driving - there were lads settling well into a session to get the most value, but all pretty civilised. The bit of chat from former players was even less informative and bland than talksport commentary - all pretty amateur 'banter' stuff.

Sat in Upper Trinity it became very clear who it is for. There were a few American visitors behind us at their first match. A family group next to us who'd lost their Dad who had been a big fan and were coming in his memory. And us as daytrippers (I'm a former ST holder but don't get up more than occasionally now). As an opportunity for one-off visits, it's good that there is a route to do that, but it is very overpriced for the add-on experience, but I guess when we are flying high and there is limited opportunity to get tickets elsewhere that is the price to pay. Loved it for the day out with her (and a last-minute penalty winner obviously helped), but I've asked her to get me a book next year.

[Talldarkandransome]

15 hours ago, ender4 said:

1) So if I want to book tickets for this for a future match how do I go about it? Say for the Newcastle match which has normal tickets for sale but no LG tickets as far as I can see. 

Normally over the phone I think.

2) Do you need a membership for each person or are they open to general sale to anyone?

Pretty sure anyone can get one

3) Is it still free for U14’s?

I very much doubt it, nowt free anymore

4) Can you buy a normal seat where you want and then add this on? Or have to sit wherever they allocate your seat?

you should be able to do either

5) What’s the price for a Cat A game?

No idea but I guess upwards of £100 with ticket or £60 as add on

 

 

[OutByEaster?]

19 hours ago, ender4 said:

1) So if I want to book tickets for this for a future match how do I go about it? Say for the Newcastle match which has normal tickets for sale but no LG tickets as far as I can see. 

2) Do you need a membership for each person or are they open to general sale to anyone?

3) Is it still free for U14’s?

4) Can you buy a normal seat where you want and then add this on? Or have to sit wherever they allocate your seat?

5) What’s the price for a Cat A game?

https://tickets.avfc.co.uk/hospitality?utm_source=Web&utm_medium=ticketing&utm_content=landing&utm_campaign=Lower_Grounds

For Newcastle:

Quote

 

The Terrace View

Adult Bolt-On £45
Under 14 Bolt-On £31.50
Adult Match-By-Match £132
Under 14 Match-By-Match £108

Please note, only Upper Holte Season Tickets are eligible for The Terrace View Bolt-On.

The Lower Grounds

Adult Bolt-On £70
Under 14 Bolt-On £0 (only eligible when purchased with an adult bolt-on)
Adult Match-By-Match £130
Under 14 Match-By-Match £81

 

 

[Davkaus]

On 20/09/2023 at 10:08, Don_Simon said:

£120 per game - are these guys on **** crack?

While I was looking at tickets, I noticed the price of this for higher category games. £170 for Man United. One Hundred and Seventy English Pounds.

For people who already have a match ticket, you can go and sit in this glorified canteen, and if you're lucky get a space on a bench to eat your disappointing burger and chips for only £80.

Be sure to rush, because spaces are limited.

[villa4europe]

47 minutes ago, Davkaus said:

While I was looking at tickets, I noticed the price of this for higher category games. £170 for Man United. One Hundred and Seventy English Pounds.

For people who already have a match ticket, you can go and sit in this glorified canteen, and if you're lucky get a space on a bench to eat your disappointing burger and chips for only £80.

Be sure to rush, because spaces are limited.

to be fair i paid more for "full" corporate and absolutely loved it

still think as a birthday present or any kind of present its a good idea, been going to the villa for 20 years with your dad as ST holders? its his 70th birthday and you don't know what to get him? this is the answer

I did the corporate for my brothers 40th birthday, he now wants to do it again for mine, we will look at going here rather than a lounge in the trinity

[Davkaus]

36 minutes ago, villa4europe said:

to be fair i paid more for "full" corporate and absolutely loved it

still think as a birthday present or any kind of present its a good idea, been going to the villa for 20 years with your dad as ST holders? its his 70th birthday and you don't know what to get him? this is the answer

I did the corporate for my brothers 40th birthday, he now wants to do it again for mine, we will look at going here rather than a lounge in the trinity

I can absolutely see the appeal of full-fat hospitality, but this looks like an dire value for money from what I've seen and read, for the money I'd expect better food than you get from the concourses which doesn't really seem to be the case. 

Personally I'd spend the £80 on a nice meal out in town after the game, but can appreciate the convenience of being at the ground nice and early and not **** about with travel and traffic might be worth it to some.

Edited January 5 by Davkaus

[chappy]

Can’t get over the fact there isn’t enough space on the benches for people to sit down - I used to go into the Holte Suite around 2pm and if there wasn’t space at a table then fair enough, I hadn’t got there in time. But at the prices they’re charging you should be able to sit down to eat the overpriced food!

[OutByEaster?]

I would encourage people to enter the ballot on this. I'm not sure there's a huge take up and they seem to give away a reasonable amount of spaces that way - the odds are with you.

 

[Hank Scorpio]

12 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

I would encourage people to enter the ballot on this. I'm not sure there's a huge take up and they seem to give away a reasonable amount of spaces that way - the odds are with you.

 

How do you?

[OutByEaster?]

17 minutes ago, Hank Scorpio said:

How do you?

On the website in the same place you buy tickets - there are ballots for the games and for away tickets.

There's nothing up at the moment, I guess the Newcastle one will come nearer the time once they've had a chance to sell as many as they can.

 

[Hank Scorpio]

3 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

On the website in the same place you buy tickets - there are ballots for the games and for away tickets.

 

Ah i havet got the option for some reason. Just full price tickets, never mind.

F U Chris Heck!