Contacts:
| Address | The Avenue Stadium, Weymouth Avenue, Dorchester, DT1 2RY |
| Telephone No. | 01305 262451 |
| Fax No. | 01305 267623 |
| Official Website | http://www.dorchestertownfc.co.uk/ |
| Unofficial Website | |
| Club Forum | http://fans.dorchestertown.com/viewforum.php?f=1 |
Miscellaneous:
| Ground Facilities | Small bar, club shop |
| Capacity | 5,000 / 710 seated |
| Home Kit
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Away Kit
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Directions:
The Avenue Stadium
From the M3: Travel south along the M3 until Southampton. At junction 14, follow signs for the M27 west and Bournemouth.
From the M27: Travel west on the M27 until Junction 1. From the M3/M27: At Junction 1, the M27 becomes the A31. Remain on this road for approximately 25 miles, until Bere Regis roundabout. Here you take the A35 Tolpuddle Bypass to Dorchester. After the dual carriageway section of the bypass, you will come to Kingston Maurward roundabout. Continue across the roundabout along the A35.Turn right at the next roundabout and right again into the Tesco complex. At the roundabout inside the complex, turn right again past the entrance to the petrol station and take the left hand fork to the Parking area. Terrace entrances are situated adjacent to this parking area, the bar and stand entrances are on the opposite side of the ground.
From the M5: Take Junction 23, and then the A39 towards Glastonbury. At Street, take the B3151 through Somerton to Ilchester and then the A37 into Yeovil. Continue on through Yeovil on the A37, following signs for Dorchester. On the approach to Dorchester, follow signs for Park and Ride, turning right onto the bypass. At the next roundabout take the second exit and continue to the next roundabout. The Avenue Stadium is in front of you at this roundabout. To get to the car park, turn left and then right into the Tesco complex. At the roundabout inside the complex, turn right again past the entrance to the petrol station and take the left hand fork to the Parking area. Terrace entrances are situated adjacent to this Parking area, the bar and stand entrances are on the opposite side of the ground.
From the A35: On approach to Dorchester, at the first roundabout (by McDonalds), take the third exit. At the next roundabout the ground is in front of you, to get to the car park, turn left and then right into the Tesco complex. At the roundabout inside the complex turn right again past the entrance to the petrol station and take the left hand fork to the parking area. Terrace entrances are situated adjacent to this parking area, the bar and stand entrances are on the opposite side of the ground.
Train from Bristol: Alight from the train at Dorchester West station, and exit from the platform adjacent to Do-It-All. Walk down the hill past Swinton Insurance to the traffic lights. Turn right at the lights, and continue with the market area to your left. At the next set of traffic lights turn right across the railway bridge. The ground is about five minutes down the road on the left hand side, just after Tescos. The bar and stand entrances are adjacent to the road, the terrace entrances are on the opposite side of the ground.
Train from London: Alight from the train at Dorchester South station, and exit the platform through the ticket office. Follow the station approach road to the end (next to the Station Masters Public House). Take a left to the traffic lights. At the lights, continue straight across the railway bridge. The ground is about five minutes down the road on your left hand side, just after Tescos. The bar and stand entrances are adjacent to the road, the terrace entrances are on the opposite side of the
ground.
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The Avenue Stadium is situated on the southern outskirts of Dorchester,
overlooking the junction of the Dorchester By-pass (the A35) and Monkton Hill
(the A354). It was opened in August 1990 and stands on land owned by the Duchy
of Cornwall. The stadium was designed by the Duchy’s architects, with the Duke
of Cornwall himself - HRH the Prince of Wales - taking an active interest in its
design. Prince Charles made a handful of visits during construction, followed by
an official visit on 20th November 1991.
Dorchester's previous ground was also known as the Avenue, and was situated only
a few hundred metres from the current stadium. The Magpies had played at the old
Avenue ground since 1929, but made the move to the vastly superior venue
following Tesco's interest in building a supermarket upon the land. Construction
took place at a cost of £2.3 million, of which £110,000 was spent on the
playing surface. 32,000 tons of chalk were laid to ensure the good drainage of a
pitch what was prepared a whole 18 months before completion of the stadium. The
chalk lies 1 metre deep at one end, and 3 metres deep at the other, to ensure a
level surface. The facilities of the Avenue itself are of Football League
standard, and although now 12 years old, the stadium is still regarded as one of
the finest venues in English non-league football.
The Avenue has an official capacity of 7,210 with seating for 710, though this
was reduced - for safety reasons - in 2001 to around 5,000 when the Magpies'
Nationwide League neighbours AFC Bournemouth played a number of home matches at
Dorchester during the redevelopment of their own Dean Court ground. The success
of this partnership has led to a second temporary groundshare last season, with
Yeovil Town the tenants for the first month of their Nationwide Conference
championship season.
The highest attendance for a league game at the Avenue came on New Years Day
1999, when 4,129 football fans entered the stadium to witness a 1-1 draw with
local rivals Weymouth. Outside of competitive matches, a similar-sized crowd
turned out for the official ground opening in October 1990, when Chelsea's first
team, including future England internationals Graeme Le Saux and Dennis Wise,
visited Dorchester. Chelsea ran out 4-1 winners, which included a penalty scored
by goalkeeper David Beasant. Colin Sayers hit the net for the Magpies on a
remarkable evening.
Although the Chelsea match was the official stadium opening, the first fixture
at the ground was a pre-season friendly two months earlier against Exeter City,
who won the game 2-0. The first league match at the Avenue was against Worcester
City, where Dorchester ran out 3-2 winners, despite having goalkeeper Jeremy
Judd sent off after only 15 minutes.
Perhaps the most unusual story relating to the Avenue comes from the 1993/94
season, when Dorchester suffered from a terrible home record. With only four
league victories (of a possible 21) at the stadium all season, the Magpies had
to rely on their victories on the road to stay in the Premier Division.
The reason for the poor home form was, allegedly, due to a curse placed upon the
stadium by a local white witch, following a dispute with the Duchy of Cornwall.
After the witch's apparent confession, club chaplain Rev. David Fayle decided to
bless the pitch, and Dorchester won the following day's home fixture against
Nuneaton 1-0. Whether the curse was real or not, the story did enough to give
club officials an appearance on the TV chat show Esther.
The future of the Avenue Stadium looks bright. Having renovated the club bar
that's situated underneath the main stand and improved the floodlights and
dug-outs to a professional standard, Dorchester's Board of Directors have now
upgraded the playing surface.
In recent years it has become apparent that, due to the large amount of chalk
underneath, there is very high drainage on the ground that leaves the pitch
particularly dry. With the aid of a 90 per cent grant of £24,000 from the
Football Association, a new computer-operated sprinkler system that feeds off a
natural underground water supply has been installed that's able to deliver the
equivalent of an inch of rain in two hours.
This ecologically-friendly scheme will be a huge boost to the club, and another
step towards the directors' dream of Dorchester's Avenue Stadium staging
representative matches such as Under-18 and non-league internationals.
There is plentiful car parking adjacent to ground or in the Tesco car park.
Disabled access:
Twenty spaces available at the North West end of the terracing. Normal admission prices apply for disabled spectators and helpers. Two disabled toilets available nearby.
General Information:
An exceptionally good stadium for this level of football, currently the Doc Marten's league (but surely conference soon). Clearly a new ground that has been built out of town next to the by-pass and is on the same site as a new Tesco's. The presumption is that some deal was done. The only problem is not much suitable parking. A field was available, but in a muddy winter? Views are superb and the ground is well designed. One small stand only, but that is acceptable at this level.
Adults will be able to watch forthcoming league matches at the Avenue for just £10 from the grandstand, or £9 from the terraces.
Senior citizens and students with valid ID will be admitted for £6.50 / £5.50, whilst under-16's can watch the action from anywhere within the ground for just £2.50.
Last Season: 21st, Conference South League
Average Attendance: 443
A Supporters View:
The Avenue Stadium is a good looking ground from
the outside, but, I look for 5 things at football
1) decent team
2) decent atmosphere
3) decent bar
4) covered ends
5) decent chips
Nicely finished brickwork, but fails on all 5 "ground tests".
If the team is that bad that you look at the brickwork, you're at Dorchester.
If you have a team good enough to not notice the breeze blocks, you're at
Weymouth!!!
1. Decent team ? Yes i think so
2. Decent atmosphere ? You got me on that one
3. Decent bar ? It is too small but its very decent and very friendly
4. Covered ends ? Half way there, plus the wheel chaire section is covered of
course !!!
5. Decent chips ? At the casino night yes...match days NO
