In 1908, the club was formed in the Albert Pub, Huddersfield and, with capital of £500, set about purchasing the Leeds Road recreation fields. The stadium just started as a pitch and was ready for their first game, which was a local semi-final. On 15 August 1908, Huddersfield Town Association Football Club was registered as a limited company. Fred Walker was appointed as the club's first manager. The stadium was opened on 2 September with a game against Bradford Park Avenue, which was also the club's first game, Huddersfield beat Bradford, 2–1 in front of a crowd of 1000. Their first match in a senior competition, came 3 days later (5 September), against South Shields Adelaide in which "salmon pink" shirts were worn.
In 1910, Huddersfield tried to gain entry to The Football League. The club had invited Archibald Leitch to completely reconstruct Leeds Road at an estimated cost of £6,000. The pitch was to be turned by 90 degrees and a 4000-seat stand was to be constructed, with a design which was similar to those of Chelsea, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur. Terracing was also planned, to provide an overall capacity of 34,000. After the plans went through Huddersfield directors applied successfully to become members of the Football League and development of Leeds Road began immediately.
The stadium was finished a year later and the club was granted Football League status. The stadium was officially opened on 2 September 1911 by The Football League president John McKenna. Not all was well with the club and the new ground, attendances sunk below 7,000 while the pitch had deteriorated. The club's directors attempted to sue Leitch but they had massive debt and in 1912 sank into liquidation.
In 1919, Huddersfield Town reformed but fared no better and were reportedly £25,000 in debt, prompting a plan to move to Elland Road (previously of Leeds City) in Leeds and sell the Leeds Road site for redevelopment. The reports galvanised supporters to start fund-raising to stave off the move. After a month of fundraising and negotiations the club stayed in Huddersfield. Huddersfield Town then reached the 1920 FA Cup Final and won promotion to Division One for the first time in the club's short history.
During their first season in the top flight, former Leeds City manager Herbert Chapman was brought in (after Huddersfield helped him overturn his ban) as the new assistant to Ambrose Langley after a disappointing run of results, which saw Town battling against relegation. At the end of March, with only seven league matches left to play, Chapman replaced Langley as manager and Chapman won four of those last seven matches. Huddersfield eventually finished 17th, four places above the relegation zone.
In this time, 31-year-old inside forward Clem Stephenson was acquired from Aston Villa for £4,000 and 18-year-old George "Bomber" Brown (who went on to become Town's all-time top scorer) was placed up front, linking up with Billy Smith. Chapman convinced the Huddersfield board to acquire the aging Stephenson, who was renowned for his passing and vision, after stating that "the young players need a general to lead them". His tactics were based upon the principles of a strong defence and a fast, counter-attacking response, with the focus on quick, short passing and mazy runs from his wingers, who would pass low inside the defence instead of crossing from the byline. Chapman is regarded as the first manager to successfully employ the counter-attack. Other progressive ideas included a disciplined fitness regime for the players and starting the practice of reserve and youth teams playing the same style as the senior team.
In Herbert Chapman's first full season in charge, Town finished in a mediocre 14th place. However, that season saw The Terriers win their first ever major honour, beating Preston North End 1–0 to win the FA Cup, Billy Smith scoring the only goal. Huddersfield also went on to win the following Charity Shield, beating Liverpool 1–0. After been granted control of all footballing affairs at the club by the board, which was very revolutionary at the time, Chapman employed a wide-ranging scouting network to find the right players for his tactical system, buying goalkeeper Ted Taylor and centre-forward Charlie Wilson. He had brought in future England internationals Sam Wadsworth and Roy Goodall the previous season. Town finished in third place in 1922–23.
The following season, title contenders Huddersfield fought off Cardiff City and Sunderland to be crowned champions of England for the first time, although it was by the narrowest of margins. Goal average proved to be decisive as Town and Cardiff both finished on 57 points, Huddersfield winning it by a difference of 0.024 in goal average. This proved the importance of the third Huddersfield goal scored by Brown in a 3–0 win over Nottingham Forest and the missed penalty of Cardiff against Birmingham in the last match of the season.
During these very successful early years, Huddersfield's fan base increased, necessitating more capacity at their Leeds Road home. The terracing was extended so that it could hold 47,000 for a cup tie against Liverpool, and further work would eventually lead to the capacity increasing to 60,000.
The 1924–25 season started off well, with the new signing of winger Joey Williams and having an unbeaten streak in the first ten matches. Town slipped to ninth place in November, but retained the league title after only one more loss in the 27 remaining matches. Huddersfield only conceded 28 goals in the league and they never conceded more than two in any league game, the first time a team accomplished this feat. Another notable feat was achieved in October 1924, as Billy Smith became the first player in history to score directly from a corner. After winning successive league titles, Herbert Chapman left for the more fashionable Arsenal, who offered to double his wages and attracted larger crowds than Huddersfield.
In March 1928, an international match between England and Scotland in the 1928 British Home Championship at Wembley featured five Town players. Tom Wilson, Bob Kelly, Billy Smith and Roy Goodall started for England, while Alex Jackson played for Scotland. Jackson scored a hat-trick as Scotland, nicknamed "The Wembley Wizards" after the match, trashed England 5–1.
The team was aging and players were not adequately replaced. Only five top-six finishes in the following eleven seasons followed, although two more FA Cup finals were reached under new manager and former player Clem Stephenson. In 1930, The Terriers were beaten 2–0 by Chapman's Arsenal and in 1938 they lost to Preston in extra time. Stephenson went on to become Huddersfield's longest-serving manager, managing them from 1929 until 1942. He also oversaw Town's biggest win in history, a 10–1 victory over Blackpool in December 1930 at home.
Leeds Road had very modest improvements despite Huddersfield's success, and in February 1932 Huddersfield recorded a record attendance of 67,037 against a Herbert Chapman led Arsenal; this led to two fans being crushed and over one hundred injured. During this game, 5,000 fans broke through the gates on the Popular Side while hundreds spilled onto the track. Five years later, the terracing barriers caved in again leading to four injuries on this occasion, which led to the club having to improve the barriers.
Huddersfield Town, stayed in the top division until 1950 when disaster struck. A fire burnt down the schoolboy enclosure and the club were forced to move to Leeds United's Elland Road for two games. In the 1951–52 season, Huddersfield struggled in the top division and in April 1952, Andy Beattie was appointed manager, but failed to keep the Terriers up in the top division and they were relegated for the first time in their history. Beattie was one of the youngest managers in the Football League, and had two horseshoes nailed to his office wall for luck. At the end of the season, Huddersfield finished runners-up in Division Two sealing an immediate return.
Following their return to the top division, Huddersfield continued to climb the table and finished in third place, which remains Huddersfield's highest finish since World War II. The following season, Huddersfield slipped down the table finishing 12th and Beattie offered to resign despite their run to the FA Cup quarter-finals but was persuaded to stay on. Town appointed Bill Shankly to assist Beattie, the two men having been former teammates at Preston North End, but the following season Huddersfield were relegated in a season which saw the emergence of future England full-back Ray Wilson. Beattie then resigned in November 1956, believing that he had taken the team as far as he could, and Shankly was appointed as manager.
During the 1957–58 season, Shankly oversaw a Huddersfield side who became the only side to score six goals and lose the game against Charlton Athletic which finished 7–6, despite being 5–1 up with 30 minutes remaining. Shankly left on 1 December 1959, to manage Liverpool, Eddie Boot was appointed the day after. Floodlights were installed at Leeds Road in 1961, this was financed by the £55,000 transfer of Denis Law to Manchester City. They became known as the "Denis Law Lights". There followed an intermittent period of decline.
Neil Warnock took over for the 1993–94 season, replacing Ross after the Terriers had made a remarkable escape from relegation to the basement division. He immediately secured the services of Reading's goalkeeper Steve Francis for the then-substantial sum of £150,000. Despite this outlay and a radical overhaul of the squad that saw the departures of fan favourites such as Chris Marsden and Iwan Roberts, the Terriers struggled for much of the season. In late 1993, Town paid Exeter City £70,000 for Ronnie Jepson who acquired the sobriquet Rocket Ronnie. Jepson initially failed to maintain the prolific form that earned him the move north.
The 2002–03 season was a total disaster. The club had no transfer budget, had debts of 20 million pounds and the players and staff went months without being paid. Crowds were at a record low and demonstrations against Wadsworth were common ground. He was finally sacked in January 2003, only to be reinstated because the club didn't have any money for his pay-off. A further agreement saw Mel Machin being brought in as an Advisor. Wadsworth was eventually sacked in March 2003 and replaced by Machin who oversaw relegation to the Third Division, and whose weekly contract was not renewed at the end of the season.
Peter Jackson was appointed as manager before the start of the 2003–04 season, while there were doubts that the club would even survive. Ken Davy ended up buying the club and rescuing Town from extinction. Jackson only had eight professionals on the books at the beginning of the season, including Andy Booth, Nathan Clarke, Danny Schofield and John Thorrington. Jacko had to build a team full of free transfers and youngsters from the academy setup. The beginning of the season saw Town have to wait five league games before a win. Town were 19th before they beat Bristol Rovers 2–1 at home and this was the lowest Town had been in the Football League since 1979.
Form continued to be hit and miss until a humiliating 4–0 defeat away at Macclesfield Town saw some Town fans begin to turn on Jacko. However, this sparked a run of six wins and a draw and from that game onwards, Town only lost four more games that season. By mid-April Town were three points away from gaining third place and automatic promotion. They first needed to beat Hull City at the KC Stadium but drew 0–0, they then needed to beat Mansfield Town at home but succumbed 3–1 in a sell-out crowd. This lead Town to the final game of the season where a win at Cheltenham Town would guarantee promotion. The game ended 1–1 and sent Huddersfield into the play-offs. After seeing off Lincoln City, Jacko ended up giving Huddersfield an instant return after beating Mansfield Town in the Play-off final.
The 2004–05 season was billed "The Young Guns" season which was focused around the former academy players who had made the step up to be professional footballers during the pre-season. The players were David Mirfin, Andy Holdsworth, Adnan Ahmed, Jon Worthington, John McAliskey and Nathan Clarke. Town had a mixed start to the season and at one point Town sat in 17th place, however, were never really in danger of getting relegated. In March, Town began a nine-game unbeaten run which saw the team win eight games and miss out on the play-offs by one point.
Town had finished strongly the season before and started the 2005–06 season well. They even topped the division after a five-match unbeaten run and from August Town didn't drop below the top six. Automatic promotion was starting to look likely until Town were drawn against Chelsea in the FA Cup 3rd Round and this coincided with bad form. Town ended up losing the tie 2–1 and the season never really recovered, but did manage to finish in the play-off positions where Town were knocked out by Barnsley.
Despite early promise, Town were languishing in mid-table for most of the next season. Assistant Manager Terry Yorath had to leave due to alcoholism and he was replaced by the inexperienced John Dungworth. A 5–1 defeat away to Nottingham Forest was the final nail in his coffin and Jackson was sacked after almost four years as Manager. Andy Ritchie's reign was a pretty forgettable spell in Town's history although he did lead the Terriers to the 5th round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1997. Ritchie only lasted a year when he was sacked on 1 April 2008. Former Burnley manager Stan Ternent was appointed as the new Manager at the end of April 2008.
2008–09 was Town's Centenary Season and there was much excitement in pre-season with £100 season tickets, as proposed by Chairman-Elect Dean Hoyle. Ternent oversaw a terrible start to the season and the crowds were hostile almost immediately. There were also rumours of dressing room unrest. Ternent stated that Town fans expected "champagne football on beer money". After winning only one more game, Ternent was sacked by Dean Hoyle at the beginning of November after only 15 league games in charge.
After Gerry Murphy and Graham Mitchell had taken temporary charge after Ternent's sacking, former Newcastle United and Fulham player Lee Clark was appointed as the Manager in December 2008. Clark steered Town to 9th place in the table. During his first full season Clark got Huddersfield to the play-offs but a very lacklustre performance away at Millwall saw Town get knocked out in the semi-finals, 2–0 on aggregate.
The 2010–11 season followed and saw a change in philosophy with Clark completely doing away with the fast attractive football from the previous season and bringing in a 4–5–1 formation which saw loanee Benik Afobe playing as a lone striker in the away matches. At one point Town looked certain for automatic promotion but dropped away near the end of the season and finished third in the table, followed by another play-off failure losing to Peterborough United at Old Trafford in the final.
Dean Hoyle said that Town must get promoted as champions in 2011–12, however, Clark became fixated with an unbeaten record which had begun the season before and fans were annoyed at how many times Town had drawn from winning positions. The team eventually set a Football League record of 43 games unbeaten (not including their play-off final loss). The run was ended by league leaders Charlton Athletic in the very next game after it was set.
After growing unrest amongst supporters and Clark's refusal to dismiss rumours of him taking over at Leicester City, Clark was sacked as manager of Huddersfield on 15 February 2012 following a 1–0 home defeat to Sheffield United. He was replaced by the former Leeds United manager, Simon Grayson. Although Town went through a bad run of form, they secured the play-offs. On 26 May 2012 Grayson led Town to the League One play-off final. The game finished 0–0 after extra time and a dramatic penalty shootout finished with Huddersfield victorious after 22 penalties with the score 8–7, promoting Huddersfield to the Championship.
After a good start to the 2012–13 season, even topping the division, Town experienced a dreadful run of games and didn't win in 12 matches and this saw Grayson sacked in January 2013. Mark Lillis was placed in temporary charge and took charge of five games before Mark Robins was given the job in February 2013. Huddersfield survived relegation on the last day to finish 19th and then in the 2013–14 they again stayed up after finishing 17th. Mark Robins and Huddersfield Town parted company by mutual agreement after the first game of the 2014–15 season which was 4–0 home loss to Bournemouth, with Chris Powell taking over in September of the same year.
In November 2015, Chris Powell was sacked and Mark Lillis was put in temporary charge for the upcoming local derby against Leeds United. By the time of the game, the new manager was revealed to be David Wagner, the former Borussia Dortmund II Manager who had turned down an offer from Liverpool to be Jurgen Klopp's Assistant to become the first foreign manager of Huddersfield Town. When he was appointed he said he wanted to play a style of play called Gegenpressing and also said he liked to see his teams play fast attractive football.
At the beginning of the 2016–17 season, Town were tipped to get relegated by many pundits. However, they pulled off a shock as they got promoted into the Premier League for the 2017–18 season through the EFL Championship play-offs after finishing fifth in the table. This meant a return to the top-flight for the first time since 1971–72. Once more the favourites to be relegated, The Terriers defied the odds again, after they finished 16th and thus to stayed up to play consecutive seasons in the Premier League. Wagner left the club, however, by mutual consent on 14 January 2019 and was replaced by former Borussia Dortmund II manager Jan Siewert on a two year deal.
The club spent over five years debating what colour the kit should be. It ranged from salmon pink to plain white or all-blue to white with blue yoke. Eventually in 1913, the club adopted the blue-and-white jersey that remains to this day.
The club badge is based on the coat of arms of Huddersfield. Town first used a badge on its shirts for the 1920 FA Cup Final based on the local Huddersfield Corporation coat of arms. It appeared again with a Yorkshire Rose for the 1922 FA Cup Final and again for the finals of 1928, 1930 and 1938. The club's main colours (blue and white) are evident throughout the badge both in the mantling and in the shield, in the form of stripes. Two Yorkshire White Roses and Castle Hill form part of the history of the club and the area.
When the club adopted the nickname "The Terriers" for the 1969–70 season, the blue and white stripes returned and with it a red terrier with the words "The Terriers", just in time for their promotion to the big time, the First Division. The terrier sits on top of the crest with a ball on a blanket of blue and white stripes. The Terriers was introduced to the badge shortly after "The Terriers" was adopted as the nickname and mascot of the club.
After relegation to the Fourth Division, Town returned to all-blue shirts with the return of Tom Johnston in 1975. This time they only lasted two seasons and the return of simply "HTFC" badge. This lasted from 1975–1977. Stripes returned for the 1977–78 season and has been the club's home kit ever since. The red Terrier returned to the shirt for the 1978–79 season. In 1980, Town adopted what remains their badge today based on the coat of arms of Huddersfield. This is both the club badge and playing shirt badge and is held in high esteem by Town fans.
In 2000, Town changed the badge to a circular design, but that was never popular and following a change of board, returned to the heraldic-style badge. The badge was further redeveloped with a small but significant adaptation in February 2005. The club took the decision to remove "A.F.C." from the text leaving only the wording 'Huddersfield Town'. The current board said that this was in keeping with the time and to make merchandise easier to produce and to make better looking promotional material.
During planning and construction, the stadium was referred to as the Kirklees Stadium. It was built by Alfred McAlpine, designed by Populous and was awarded the RIBA Building of the Year award for 1995. The decision to build a new stadium for Huddersfield Town was made in August 1992. Construction began the following year and it was completed in time for the 1994–95 season, enabling the club to move to its new base after 86 years at Leeds Road.
When the stadium opened only the two side stands (the Riverside and Kilner Bank stands) were ready. The South Stand was opened in December 1994. Construction on the North (Panasonic) Stand began in 1996 and it was completed in 1998, bringing the overall capacity of the stadium to approximately 24,500. The estimated cost of construction was £40 million.
From 1994 until 2004 the stadium was known as the Alfred McAlpine Stadium. Alfred McAlpine had been the main construction contractor and its name was part of the payment contract for ten years. The company elected not to renew its sponsorship which was taken up by Galpharm Healthcare, leading to the new name. Individual stands are sponsored by local businesses. On 19 July 2012, it was announced that the brewery firm, Heineken had bought the sponsorship rights for the stadium using their domestic John Smith's Brewery as the beneficiary, and as such the stadium was renamed as The John Smith's Stadium on 1 August as part of a five-year deal. In December 2016, this was extended for a further five years.
Layout
Events
The record for a football match is 24,129 for an FA Cup fifth round match between Huddersfield Town and Manchester City on 18 February 2017, a goalless draw. On 20 August, it held its first Premier League game, with Huddersfield's Aaron Mooy scoring the only goal of a 1–0 win over Newcastle United in front of a crowd one spectator lower than the record.
On 29 January 2019, it was announced that the John Smith's Stadium would play host to a quarter-final of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. The stadium has held semi-finals of the Challenge Cup and the finals of the now defunct Regal Trophy competition were held there in 1995 and 1996. Wigan Warriors won on both occasions. The stadium has also hosted three of Bradford Bulls' World Club Challenge matches, from 2002 to 2006. The Huddersfield Giants attendance record at the venue stands at 15,629 for a match against rivals Leeds Rhinos on 10 February 2008.
After three years with no performances, Blue played at the stadium on the 31 July 2004 with Girls Aloud and Darius supporting, in an event to reveal Galpharm's new sponsorship of the venue. The following two summers, Elton John and Lulu in 2005, and Bryan Adams in 2006, performed. After a gap of twelve years, Little Mix were booked to perform in July 2018.
** – Facilities – **
Buying Tickets
Should you wish to book a ticket, please call the HTAFC Ticket office on 01484 960 606 and select option 5. To get in touch via email, contact their Disability Liaison Officer, Sue Farrell on sue.farrell@htafc.com or the general ticket office email address tickets@htafc.com. Unfortunately, tickets for disabled supporters are not currently available to purchase online, however they hope this will be remedied in the near future.
Tickets for wheelchair users are currently priced at £20 with an assistant permitted entry free of charge. Ambulant disabled supporters pay their relevant price class (£30 adult, £20 for over 60s and £15 for under 18s), with an assistant permitted entry free of charge. They accept the following forms of proof of disability:
Wheelchair Accessible Seating
Wheelchair Accessible seating is available on the front row of the Revell Ward Lower Tier (West Stand) and on the front row of the Britannia Rescue Stand. Please note that due to their pitch side location, there is no cover in bad weather and they recommend to dress accordingly. Personal assistants sit either alongside or immediately behind the wheelchair user.
There are also raised wheelchair accessible platforms at the back of both the home and away areas of the Abzorb Stand (South Stand) with 8 spaces each, with the personal assistant able to sit in front of the wheelchair user. They have easy access seats available to ambulant disabled supporters, please contact their Disability Liason Officer to discuss.
Facilities for Disabled Supporters with a Visual Impairment
Match commentary is available provided by their local hospital radio for visually impaired supporters. Headsets to listen to the commentary can be preordered and collected at the Stadium main reception, and subject to availability can be requested on match day. There is no charge for this facility, please contact their DLO to book. Guide Dogs and Assistance Dogs are welcomed into the Stadium. Water bowls and a dog relieving area can be provided, please contact their DLO.
Facilities for Disabled Supporters with a Hearing Impairment
They have induction loops installed in the three Club shops, one Ticket Office window and on main reception. On match days, information is carried on the electronic scoreboard and on the PA tannoy system.
Away Supporters
Away Supporters sit in a section of the Abzorb Stand (South Stand). Accessible parking spaces are available to away supporters in the St Andrews Road Upper Level car park which is behind the Abzorb Stand. At the rear of the Upper Level of the car park there is a ramp and steps to access the Abzorb Stand which houses both home and away supporters. The ramp/slope has a landing at the top and a slight gradient with handrails on both sides. There are also 10 steps with handrails on both sides.
There are 23 designated wheelchair spaces for away supporters in the Abzorb Stand, 8 on the platform situated at the rear of the stand and 15 on the front row of the stand. Wheelchair users and their assistants situated on the rear platform should enter through the accessible entrance next to turnstile 17. Tickets for this area will be marked ‘Row-WD’.
There is step-free access from the entrance to the stand’s concourse. Assistants can sit in front of the wheelchair user on designated seats. Wheelchair users situated on the front row of the stand should enter via the accessible entrance in the Revell Ward Stand Lower Tier next to turnstile 16. Tickets for this area will be marked ‘Row 1’. Due to their pitch side location, there is no cover in bad weather and they recommend to dress accordingly. Please note there is a steep gradient from the St Andrews Road car park to the Revell Ward Stand Lower Tier.
There is an in-seat catering service in this area whereby a pre order form is given out and collected prematch by the Stadium catering staff, then food is delivered to the seat at half time. Disabled supporters in this area should use the accessible toilets in the Revell Ward Stand Lower Tier, please speak to a steward on the day who will direct you to this area. Ambulant disabled supporters can either be situated on the front row of the Abzorb Stand, or alternatively in the general seating area of stand subject to their preference and should enter via the away turnstiles 17-20.
For ambulant disabled supporters not situated on the front row of the Abzorb Stand, visiting clubs are encouraged to designate seating near the back of the stand and in the aisles where possible to enable easier access to the concourse. There is step free access throughout the concourse area. The concourse area is congested on match days during busy periods such as before kick-off, just before and during half time and at the end of the game. There is an accessible toilet available in the stand and a key is not required. Should you require a headset to listen to the match commentary or would like to bring your guide or assistance dog, please contact their DLO to arrange. The food and drink kiosk is clearly signed with step free access. It does not have a lowered counter, and there isn’t an induction loop available.
Retail Outlets/Ticket Office
The Ticket Office is located next to the Stadium’s main entrance, in the Revell Ward Lower Tier. The route is accessible with dropped kerbs, and Window 8 is the accessible ticket counter with a low-level. Induction loops are available on all of the windows. Please note that the ticket office is not enclosed, it is open to the elements and no seats are available for supporters to sit whilst waiting to be served.
The Stadium Superstore is the main Club Shop and is located on the Stadium site, next to the main entrance in the Revell Ward Lower Tier. Please note that this shop does get very busy before and after the match. The store is accessible, with automatic doors, however there are no lowered counters in this shop. It does have an induction loop at the tills.
There are two other club shops on the Stadium site, one in the St Andrews Road Lower car park and one across from the Revell Ward Lower Tier facing the Stadium. These stores are wheelchair accessible but have manual doors. They both have a lowered counter and wide aisles. There is an induction loop in both stores. Staff are available on the shop floor in all stores to assist.
Accessible Toilets/Changing Places.
There are accessible toilets in the Revell Ward Lower Tier, the LV=Britannia Rescue Stand and the Abzorb Stand. Currently they do not have their own Changing Places facility within the Stadium. However, they have access to a Changing Places facility which is located at the Stadium Health and Fitness Club which is next to the Stadium site. There is a changing bench which is wall mounted and adjustable. The hoist is powered overhead and covers the changing bench. Should you require use of the facility, please contact the DLO prior to the day of the game who will be able to arrange this.
Accessible Catering.
All refreshment kiosks apart from those in the Revell Ward Lower Tier are wheelchair accessible, however there are no low-level counters. For supporters in the Revell Ward Lower Tier, there is a mobile catering unit which is based at the front of the Stand. Additionally, there is an in-seat service whereby a pre order form is given out and collected pre-match by our Stadium catering staff, then food is delivered to the seat before kick-off.
Disabled Car Parking.
Town Avenue Car Park. There are 38 parking bays in total which are allocated to Blue Badge holders, of which 17 are accessible and 21 ‘red square’ standard size bays which are clearly marked. There is step free access throughout the car park, and it is accessible to wheelchair users. From the Town Avenue car park, the Stadium is accessed across a footbridge over the River Colne which has step free access. After the bridge there is a dropped kerb which is used to cross an access road, this then leads to the Revell Ward Stand which houses the main Stadium reception, club shop and the outer concourse of the Stadium.
Drop Off Point: There is a designated drop off point located in the northwest corner of the main Revell Ward Stand. Access to this is through a barrier in front of the Stadium Health and Fitness Club. The Club issues drop off permits for this area, please contact their DLO to arrange. Access will not be permitted within an hour of kick off and up to 30 minutes after the game dependent on pedestrian traffic. The route from the drop off point is accessible to a wheelchair user.
St Andrews Road Car Park: This is where most of the Club’s disabled parking is available for both home and away supporters. There are 48 parking bays in total which are allocated to Blue Badge holders, of which 14 are clearly marked. At the rear of the Upper Level of the car park there is a ramp and steps to access the Abzorb Stand which houses both home and away supporters. The ramp/slope has a landing at the top and a slight gradient with handrails on both sides. There are also 10 steps with handrails on both sides. There is a steep sloped road leading downwards from the St Andrews Road car park down to the Revell Ward Stand, Fantastic Media Stand and Britannia Rescue Stand.
** – Getting to Kirklees Stadium – **
By Car
Access Routes into the Stadium are well signposted from the motorways and local road networks.
By Train
The nearest train station is Huddersfield Train Station which is 1 mile from the Stadium. For train times call 08457 48 49 50.
By Bus
AccessBus is a dial-a-ride bus service providing local transport, seven days a week between 9am and 5pm, which subject to demand, can transport disabled supporters to the game. To find out more, call their enquiries line on 0113 348 1903. Alternatively, the 202 and 203 Arriva buses leave every 15 minutes from Stand Y in Huddersfield Bus Station. The bus then collects from stop S4 on St George’s Square near to Huddersfield Train Station, before dropping off on Leeds Road which is the road next to the John Smith’s Stadium. After the match, buses leave Leeds Road every 15 minutes back to Northumberland Street for the Train Station and Huddersfield Bus Station, until 6pm when they go every half an hour.
Location : Huddersfield Town Football Club, The John Smith’s Stadium, Stadium Way, Huddersfield HD1 6PX
Transport: Huddersfield (National Rail) then 1 mile or bus. Bus Routes: AccessBus, 202 and 203 stop at the stadium.
Capacity : 24,121
Tel: 01484 960 600
