Away-day guide
Bet365 Stadium, the Potters.
Quick takeaways
About the place
The bet365 Stadium sits nearly two miles south of Stoke city centre. It's a modern stadium that feels like a bowl, although two corners either side of the Franklyn stand aren't filled in.
The cliche of ‘can they do it at Stoke on a Tuesday night’ is rooted in truth. The stadium is elevated and exposed, and when the wind is whipping through those corners, it’s cold.
The Boothen Quarter is the club’s fan zone, and is for home fans only.
It’s worth seeking out the statues of Sir Stanley Matthews and Gordon Banks — true legends of the game for club and country.
Away fans are housed in the South East Corner.
Club info
Section 02
The stadium is almost two miles out of town, but very close to the A50. It's worth having a plan before you go, as it's a long walk from the centre.
By train
Stoke-on-Trent train station is 40 minutes away from the bet365 on foot. Maybe fine on a Saturday at the beginning or end of the season, but not so much for a midweek evening game.
Matchday shuttle bus
The official matchday shuttle bus runs frequently from Glebe Street and The Terrace Inn. Both are a short walk from Stoke-on-Trent railway station, and you’ll be dropped off outside the away turnstiles.
The service runs from 90 minutes before kick-off.
Buses cost £3 for an adult return (£2 for concessions). Cash or contactless are accepted onboard.
Return buses depart continuously from behind the East Stand after the final whistle until approximately 70 minutes after the game.
Section 03
Parking options
Car parks at the bet365 Stadium open from two hours before kick-off on a matchday. The North, West 1 and West 2 car parks are limited to vehicles with seasonal parking permits only. Pre-paid match-by-match passes for the Club’s South Car Park can be bought directly from the Ticket Office, either in person or by calling 01782 367 599. At present, these are not available online.
Many online parking recommendations for Stoke City focus on the Trentham Lakes industrial estate near the stadium. While these options are convenient for arrival, many of them feed back into the same congested road network after full-time, particularly around the A50 and A500.
Disabled supporters with valid ‘blue badge’ parking permits are recommended to liaise with on-site stewards who will help facilitate the best available spaces.
Near the stadium
Min walk
Popular matchday option combining parking with a large family pub and restaurant.
Trentham Lakes, Stanley Matthews Way, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 4TL
Notes
Convenient before kick-off, but traffic around Trentham Lakes can become very slow after the game.
Min walk
Matchday parking within walking distance of the ground on the Trentham Lakes side.
Trentham Lakes, Dennis Violett Avenue, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 4TN
Notes
Useful for quick stadium access, though post-match congestion is common. You can play padel there, too.
Min walk
Industrial-estate parking option.
Gordon Banks Drive, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 4TW
Notes
Convenient for arrival, but you’ll be competing with everyone else to get out of the industrial estate at full-time.
Min walk
Matchday parking close to the ground on the Trentham Lakes side.
Gordon Banks Drive, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 4TW
Notes
Convenient for access but vulnerable to heavy post-match traffic.
Further out
Min walk
Officially a lorry park and truck stop, but also used informally for matchday car parking.
Campbell Road, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 4RJ
Notes
It’s 15-20 minutes from the stadium, but positioned well for a cleaner post-match escape. Popular with away fans looking to avoid the worst congestion around the ground at full-time.
Min walk
Several matchday parking spots on the other side of the A50, in Heron Cross.
Notes
It's a longer walk in (only 20 minutes or so), but it's much better for getting onto the A50 after the game, as you avoid the bottleneck caused by everyone trying to leave the industrial estate next to the stadium. These parking spots are at local businesses and a school, so they are more secure than on-street parking.
Min walk
Popular parking option south-east of the stadium with a bar.
Eastern Rise, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 8WG
Notes
This is a well-established matchday parking site, with bars, toilets and food available in the clubhouse. One of the better alternatives to the industrial estate parking. It’s a good 20 minutes away on foot, but the trade-off is the chance of a quicker getaway.
Matchday road closures
Stanley Matthews Way is usually closed from around the 80th minute until up to an hour after full-time to help supporters leave safely. Police may also temporarily restrict traffic around the A50/A500 Sideway Roundabout to prioritise away coaches and shuttle buses, while surrounding roads such as Gordon Banks Drive and Dennis Viollet Way are subject to traffic controls and temporary closures.
Post-match traffic
Because local car parks sit inside the designated road closure zone, vehicles parked are frequently held back for 30-60 minutes after full-time.
Section 04
Stoke has all of the chain restaurants you'd expect, given its size. The Hanley area is the best for independent dining, with a lot of places around Piccadilly in the city’s Cultural Quarter.
Outside the ground, there are some decent food options dotted around, the majority being just outside the Boothen Quarter fan zone. When we last visited, we spotted stalls selling fish & chips, burgers, hog roast, chicken and Indian street food bowls.
Local delicacy — Staffordshire Oatcakes
The region’s revered flatbread. You can put anything in an oatcake and it’ll be good. Melted cheese and crispy bacon is the classic — but you can choose from all sorts of fillings.
Many fans choose to grab a beer in the city centre before making their way to the stadium.
Closer to the stadium
63 Piccadilly, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 1HR
Award-winning sandwich shop, with a full English brunch sandwich on Saturdays 11-2. Vegetarian and vegan options, too. Very highly rated.
50 Piccadilly, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 1EG
Highly-rated Asian-influenced restaurant, with a menu that changes daily. Staples include dumplings, bao buns and rice bowls. The salt and pepper hash browns are frequently praised in online reviews. Book ahead!
232 London Rd, Boothen, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 5RH
Small, family-run business specialising in Staffordshire Oatcakes and Pikelets, using recipes dating back to the early 1900s. Very highly rated.
Further out — 12 Crewe Rd, Alsager, Stoke-on-Trent ST7 2ES
Highly-rated British Indian Restaurant. The owner has his own YouTube channel, teaching people how to make restaurant quality curry at home.
Just off the A52 near Werrington, east of Stoke: Oakleys Farm, Blakeley Lane, Stoke-on-Trent ST10 2PT
Highly-rated spot for buffalo burgers and Mac & cheese bites. Pre-order online to skip the queue. This won’t suit everyone due to its location. But if you’re on the A50 east of Stoke, it’s worth a detour. It’s 20 minutes from the Bet365. It’s only open at the weekend (Sat 12-8, Sun 12-6). Bonus: it’s based on a farm, where you can see buffalo, reindeer and camels.
Platform 1, Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station, Station Road, ST4 2AA
This pub is inside the train station.
33 Piccadilly, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 1EN (next to The Slamwich Club)
Located right next to Slamwich Club on Piccadilly in Hanley’s Cultural Quarter. This independent bottle shop and taproom features over 200 craft cans in fridges alongside shifting local and international guest kegs on draft.
67 Etruria Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 5PE
Award-winning CAMRA real ale pub, brewing their own beer on site. Not the kind of place that a coach-load of away fans turn up at. People rave about the pork pies, served with mustard and pickle.
Trentham Lakes, Stanley Matthews Way, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 4TL
The Harvester is a popular spot for away fans. It's 5 minutes from the ground. It serves food, but if you're planning to eat there, book ahead.
Trentham Lakes, Sir Stanley Matthews Way, ST4 4EG
Right by the stadium, welcomes away fans.
Dennis Violett Avenue, ST4 4TN
Bar with live sports, at a popular away fan parking spot.
Eastern Rise, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 8WG
Fans are welcome in the clubhouse at this popular matchday parking spot.
Inside the ground
Once you commit to go into the stadium, your options narrow. At this point, it's a stadium burger.
Section 05
Away fans are housed in the South East Corner of the stadium. The away entrance is accessed via a dedicated footpath on Stanley Matthews Way. If it’s a high profile or well-attended fixture, queues can form as people move through security.
Note that you can’t get to the entrance by walking down the east side of the stadium — it’s blocked off.
The view from the corner is ok — if you’re in the upper safe standing section, there’s a screen above you. We couldn’t agree whether this was helpful, or distracting.
Section 06
Could we do it on a Tuesday night in Stoke?
It being — park somewhere fairly close and get away without getting caught in traffic.
We'd done (some) research on this one, and put our trust in a Reddit post that mentioned Heron Cross as a great place to park if you want to get out quickly. It was a school night, so we needed to get out quickly.
As for the research — we’d looked at parking, but hadn't worked out where to eat. We knew there was a fan zone, but it wasn't clear whether we'd be allowed in.
We had a bit of time on our hands, so we took a detour into Hanley, which is known for its restaurants. We drove around the ring road (Potteries Way) at least twice — because we didn't know where we were going, and you can't see what's inside the ring road as you drive around it.
By the time we'd eaten, we weren't in a rush, but we didn't have time to mess about.
We parked at a local business in Heron Cross — £7 cash.
We had the maps app open for the route to the ground, but didn't need it as we could see Stoke fans walking up the street. We followed them. The route takes you over the A50 via a distinctive green footbridge. On the other side, you turn right and follow a path all the way to the stadium. There's an underpass with Stoke graffiti right before you arrive.
The first thing we saw (and heard) was the fan zone — the Boothen Quarter. It had live music, food and drink.
Outside the fan zone were several decent looking food stalls. All available to away fans.
We would've chosen to eat at one of these, had we known they were there. Our little expedition into Hanley had cost us an hour at least (there's not much margin for error for evening games). Annoying — we won't make that mistake again.
The quickest way to the away end was via the east side of the stadium. But it was blocked off. So, we had to walk all the way round (we were directed out onto the streets) to get to the away entrance.
Away fans have to enter via one walkway, which is quite narrow. The queue was long.
"Dad, I need the toilet".
"Out of 10, if 10 is the worst, how much do you need to go to the toilet?"
"8"
It took 20 minutes to get in.
After the game, we were funnelled out the way we’d come in. Which wasn’t the way we wanted to go. This meant we had to find a different way back to the path alongside the A50 (we ended up scrambling through bushes at the Holiday Inn).
As we walked back to the car, we could see the local traffic backed up, as everyone tried to leave the industrial estate at the same time. This was why we parked further out. The plan was working, so far.
There was a queue in Heron Cross to get back onto the A50, but this only slowed us by a few minutes. We could do it on a Tuesday night in Stoke.
Looking back, we learned a few things for next time.
On the face of it, if you look for restaurants near the bet365, it's in a food desert. But there's decent food available outside the ground. It's just not promoted.
The Heron Cross parking hack worked. Yes, the trade-off was 2 x 20-minute walks, but this was far better than sitting in the car wondering when we’d be able to move.
If you've got more time
Take a punt
5questions, multigenerational. Some you'll know, some only a long-time fan would. No timer, no leaderboard — just for the fun of it.
Reviewed by Andy · 2 weeks ago