grounds in belfast

**Martinho II** · 04/11/2015, 10:22 PM

was in belfast with brother in law in his lorry. I saw a few grounds in Belfast and was wondering what clubs own them.

1.
Opposite Belfast City Airport and Odyssey on the Bangor road there is a football ground there. What club play there? I also think I saw H & W Welders ground on that road. Is that correct?

2.

There is also a football ground on the M1 Motorway coming out of Belfast on the right hand side. Is that Windsor Park? I also saw some ground on the left hand side just before that. Is that also a football ground?

3.
Glentorans ground is opposite the Docks isnt it on the M2 Motorway.

**nigel-harps1954** · 05/11/2015, 12:50 AM

Originally Posted by Martinho II

was in belfast with brother in law in his lorry. I saw a few grounds in Belfast and was wondering what clubs own them.

1.
Opposite Belfast City Airport and Odyssey on the Bangor road there is a football ground there. What club play there? I also think I saw H & W Welders ground on that road. Is that correct?

2.

There is also a football ground on the M1 Motorway coming out of Belfast on the right hand side. Is that Windsor Park? I also saw some ground on the left hand side just before that. Is that also a football ground?

3.
Glentorans ground is opposite the Docks isnt it on the M2 Motorway.

Possibly saw Casement Park on the right hand side on the way out of Belfast? Windsor is alongside the Motorway too, but if you had to second guess which ground it was, then it probably wasn't Windsor. I think it's on the left hand side of the motorway too if memory serves me right.

The Oval is up beside the airport and Odyssey. I remember the first time I saw it up there and was amazed it was a lot bigger than I imagined it would be.

I'm not sure about the other ground on the M2, but I think Crusaders are close enough to the Oval, so assume that's the one you saw near the docks?

It's been a few years since I was up about Belfast as I used to work a bit up around there and Larne (which also has a lovely ground in near the docks in Larne) so my memory of it is a little hazy, but that's all to the best of my knowledge.

**punkrocket** · 05/11/2015, 10:20 AM

There is a pitch opposite the airport that the welders play at but calling it a ground as such may be a bit of a stretch as it doesn't really have much in terms of facilities. If you are talking about the ground with the big grandstands and Jesus Saves ads doen the dual carriageway towards the city centre and closer to the Odyssey then that's Glentoran's ground, The Ova,l you saw.

Crusaders' ground, Seaview, is alongside the M2 heading north out of the City on the left and opposite the docks on the opposite side of Belfast lough to the Oval.

Linfield's ground Windsor Park is off the left hand side of the M1 heading out of town just past the underpass where the balls on the falls sculpture is at. In days gone by Belfast Celtic's ground would have been on the opposite side of the motorway to this where the park centre shopping mall is now.

Not too sure where the other ground is that to you talk of, Casement Park GAA ground is further out of town off the next junction of the M1 on the right. Distillery's old ground Grosvenor Pk used to be close as well beside where the Royal Victoria hospital is now, off at the junction before the balls on the falls one.

The only other ground in the area is quite a bit off, way behind where Casement's Pk is which is Donegal Celtic's ground Suffolk Rd/Donegal Celtic Pk. You'd need good eyesight to see it from the motorway though.

**Martinho II** · 05/11/2015, 9:51 PM

Originally Posted by punkrocket

Not too sure where the other ground is that to you talk of, Casement Park GAA ground is further out of town off the next junction of the M1 on the right.

that must be Casement Park as its a wee bit of town on the M1 and you cant miss the floodlights at all. There is no sign post off the motorway for it so that must be it. I am glad I asked about Glentoran as I always remember pictures years ago of Alan Mathews in Glentorans pitch with the big H&W crane and always thought it was out on the M2.I always thought it was out on the M2 where the exit for the port is.
The ground I saw on the left hand side on the M1 coming out of the underpasses there seems to be work done on the top of the stadium so that must be Windsor Park. I always find going to Belfast rather confusing with their underpasses and overpasses and roundabouts at end of dual carraigeways in city centre. It is only now that I have a better idea of the city.

**BonnieShels** · 25/11/2015, 8:07 PM

Coming from the Dublin side Casement would be on your left and Windsor would be on your right

**backstothewall** · 25/11/2015, 11:38 PM

1. It was The Oval - Glentoran

2. Casement Park. Antrim GAA. Once generally regarded as the best playing surface in Ireland, but it's in a sad state these days. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CApN0sr9pEE

3. Seaview. Home of Crusaders

**dundalkfc10** · 02/12/2015, 7:14 PM

Quick question, I know most grounds look great up North, Cliftonville, Ballymena, Crusaders, Glenavon etc...

Why has the Oval never had any work done on it?

**nigel-harps1954** · 02/12/2015, 7:48 PM

Glentoran are planning to leave the Oval far as I know. There's work goes on there regularly enough in the same way you wouldn't notice a huge amount of work on Oriel to the untrained eye.

It's a fantastic old ground and really deserves a facelift and upgrade, and it'd be an awful shame to see it demolished eventually.

**NeverFeltBetter** · 24/05/2019, 4:25 PM

RTE had a report on the status of Casement today (in short, going nowhere). I had no idea the site had been allowed to degrade to the current state: https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2019/05...trim-homeless/

What an eyesore. Could they not even get people to cut the pitch, the same as they would for public greens?

**Martinho II** · 25/05/2019, 1:15 PM

Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter

RTE had a report on the status of Casement today (in short, going nowhere). I had no idea the site had been allowed to degrade to the current state: https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2019/05...trim-homeless/

What an eyesore. Could they not even get people to cut the pitch, the same as they would for public greens?

yeah saw it on that documentary will that ever be open again?

**D24Saint** · 28/06/2020, 8:24 PM

Glentorans ground is opposite the Docks isnt it on the M2 Motorway.

An old school football ground but I like it, been in it twice. The main stand gives a good view of the pitch and has a fine bar in it compared to the terrace behind the goal and stand on the far side. Its worth a visit but from their own point of view its probably time it gets a bit of work done. As for the other grounds in Belfast, I was in Windsor many years ago it was a fine stadium then if not a little run down id say its brilliant since they done work on it. The other I was in was Solitude and compact ground but the away stand was modern enough but the main stand looked in need of some TLC. I miss the trips up north from the Setanta cup days.

**Martinho II** · 29/06/2020, 5:39 PM

D24Saint, What club play in Solitiude? I was in Windsor Park and the oval in the setanta cup. I am going to go to some matches next season in the NIFL to get to know the grounds a bit once our season is over!

**pineapple stu** · 29/06/2020, 5:45 PM

Solitude = Cliftonville

**EalingGreen** · 29/06/2020, 6:43 PM

Originally Posted by Martinho II

D24Saint, What club play in Solitiude? I was in Windsor Park and the oval in the setanta cup. I am going to go to some matches next season in the NIFL to get to know the grounds a bit once our season is over!

Let us know what you think - it's always good to get a visitor's perspective.

Meanwhile, The Oval is getting quite a reputation!

"For me it was quite simple: The Oval is like the holy grail."

Wouter Schollema, from the Netherlands, knows a lot about groundhopping - so much, in fact, that he's literally written the book.

Groundhopping involves attending football matches at as many different grounds as possible.

Gracing the cover of Wouter's book is a famous slice of east Belfast history - the Oval, home of Glentoran Football Club.

"There is no better stadium for me. When I visited Glentoran I honestly fell in love with the club and the stadium," he says.

"The stands are old, it squeaks and cracks, there is just so much history over there."

More here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-49811389

**Martinho II** · 30/06/2020, 2:49 PM

Originally Posted by EalingGreen

Let us know what you think - it's always good to get a visitor's perspective.

Meanwhile, The Oval is getting quite a reputation!

"For me it was quite simple: The Oval is like the holy grail."

Wouter Schollema, from the Netherlands, knows a lot about groundhopping - so much, in fact, that he's literally written the book.

Groundhopping involves attending football matches at as many different grounds as possible.

Gracing the cover of Wouter's book is a famous slice of east Belfast history - the Oval, home of Glentoran Football Club.

"There is no better stadium for me. When I visited Glentoran I honestly fell in love with the club and the stadium," he says.

"The stands are old, it squeaks and cracks, there is just so much history over there."

More here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-49811389

Yeah will do as soon as our shortened season ends as I havent gone anywhere the last few mths as cocooning as suffer from epiplepsy.

**Bucket** · 30/06/2020, 6:33 PM

Martinho II , https://www.footballgroundguide.com is well worth a visit. Information on pretty much every stadium. They have an app too for smartphones. It would be a good read while cocooning

**EalingGreen** · 09/11/2021, 5:34 PM

Originally Posted by punkrocket

There is a pitch opposite the airport that the welders play at but calling it a ground as such may be a bit of a stretch as it doesn't really have much in terms of facilities.

After a series of delays (Covid etc), the Welders finally moved into their new stadium at Blanchflower Park last month (right by their former Tillysburn ground).

Must say it looks good, in keeping with their Irish Premiership ambitions (cuurently in the Championship/2nd tier):

https://youtu.be/HGy1sVydAvI

EDIT: Can't seem to embed the (3 minute) video, so need to click on the above link, but this pic taken from the main stand below gives an idea:

All they need now are a few more fans!

**redarmyfaction** · 09/11/2021, 8:31 PM

Wow, nice little ground, how was it funded?

**EalingGreen** · 09/11/2021, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by redarmyfaction

Wow, nice little ground, how was it funded?

I don't actually know. I'm pretty sure Blanchflower Park is Council owned, so they may have helped.

Also they might have had a lease on, or even owned outright (less likely), their previous ground which they could have sold? (I'm guessing here).

What I do know is that while they have never had any real connection with H&W (they just happened to be established by a group of workers independently of the coompany), they have a thriving Social Club which operates 7 days a week and (presumably) produces a good income for the football club each season.

See club link: https://weldersfc.co.uk/social-club

**bohsmug** · 15/02/2022, 2:14 PM

Would be interesting to know how much that John Davidson stand cost to build. It's nice, although a bit oddly positioned. I'm guessing if a club where to build similar as a main stand that ran the length of the pitch it would hold 1,100 - 1,200 or so.