Mill Farm: AFC Fylde
From AFC Fylde
Mill Farm is more correctly known as Mill Farm Sports Village, which gives you a small sense of what to expect from it. That is because it is a lot more than just a football ground, being a multi-sport facility located outside Wesham, a town in the Borough of Fylde in the north of England. There is a stadium that is part of it and that has been the home of AFC Fylde since it opened in 2016. The project team behind MFSV, as the acronym for the sports village goes, won a Local Authority Building Control North West Awards in 2017, largely thanks to the ‘creative solutions’ that were found to make the project ‘sustainable and high-quality’.
As far as the football team is concerned, it is one of the younger ones in the lower leagues of English football. It was founded when Kirkham Town and Wesham merged in 1988, becoming known as Kirkham & Wesham. That remained the club’s name until the start of the 2008-2009 season, at which point the new moniker of AFC Fylde was taken on in the wake of winning the FA Vase. The Coasters, as the club is known, have enjoyed some relatively success over the years, adding the FA Trophy to the cabinet alongside the FA Vase. For the initial part of the club’s history it played mostly in the West Lancashire League.
Stats
| Mill Farm Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Opened | 2016 |
| Capacity | 6000 |
| Average Attendance | 1467 |
| Record Attendance | 3858 (AFC Fylde v Chorley, 26th December 2016) |
| Pitch Size | 107 x 69 (7383) |
| Owner | Mill Farm Ventures Ltd., Lytham St Annes UK |
| Clubs Hosted | AFC Fylde |
| First Fixture | AFC Fylde v Brackley Town |
| AFC Fylde Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1988 |
| Nickname | The Coasters |
| Club Mascot | Syd the Seagull |
| Rivals | Chorley |
| Previous Stadiums | Coronation Road, Kellamergh Park, |
| Kit | White with Red & Blue Trim (Home) / Blue & Red (Away) |
| Training Ground | Mill Farm Sports Village |
| Shirt Sponsor | Lawrance Capital |
| Team Owner | David Haythornthwaite |
| Record Goalscorer | Danny Rowe (157) |
Mill Farm Photos
From AFC Fylde
Mill Farm Seating Plan and Where to Sit
As you might have guessed from the ticket prices, the seating plan for Mill Farm is a little bit complicated and convoluted. The North Terrace is behind one of the goals and is all-standing, whilst the same is true of the South Terrace but that is reserved for away fans. The East Terrace runs along one side of the pitch and is all-standing, whilst on the other side is the West Stand, which is broken into different blocks and allows for seating. This includes both the 2022 Club and the President’s Club, in addition to the Executive Box.
AFC Fylde Ticket Prices
As good as the AFC Fylde website is, it isn’t very clear at telling you exactly how much you’ll have to pay for your ticket unless you go in and select exactly the one that you want to be sitting in. The price itself will depend on numerous factors, such as your age and personal circumstances and where in the ground you’d like to sit. Here is a look at the prices for the 2023-2024 season, to give you some idea of what we’re talking about:
| Area | Lowest Ticket Price | Highest Ticket Price |
|---|---|---|
| Block A | £10 | £20 |
| Block B | £10 | £20 |
| Block C | £10 | £23 |
| Block D | £35 | £35 |
| Block E | £10 | £20 |
| Block F | £10 | £20 |
| Block G | £10 | £20 |
| East Paddock Standing | £8 | £16 |
| North Paddock Standing | £7 | £12 |
| South Paddock Standing | £8 | £16 |
How To Get AFC Fylde Tickets
As you might imagine for a young football club, AFC Fylde’s website is very good and you can buy tickets for matches directly from the club. The website even tells you if tickets are running low. You can also buy them on the gate if you need to.
Where to Buy
Getting To Mill Farm
Train – About three-quarters of a mile from Mill Farm Stadium you will find Kirkham & Wesham Railway Station, which will take most able-bodied people around 15 minutes to walk. Trains head into there from the likes of Manchester & Blackpool, so it’s where you’re likely to be heading to if you wan to get the train to the ground.
Bus – For those looking to head to the ground by bus, the 78, 600, 853 and SF1 all stop within a stone’s throw of Mill Farm.
Car – The ground is located just off the A585, so you will want to take the M55 until junction 3 and then get on that road for Kirkham. Keep your eye out for signposts to the stadium.
By Air – For those flying in for AFC Fylde matches, the best airport in terms of geography is Manchester Airport. The problem is that you’ll have to actually spend time in it, so you might also consider flying into the likes of Liverpool John Lennon Airport instead.
Taxi – You can jump a cab from the centre of Wesham out to the ground if you want, with most charging somewhere between £5 and £10 for a relatively short journey.
Parking Near Mill Farm
As you might imagine for a purpose-built sporting village, parking is decent enough. There is a car park at the stadium that charges £5 at the time of writing, but don’t make the mistake of parking in the nearby Aldi car park as you will almost certainly be fined if you do.
Useful Resources
- Parking - Just Park
Pubs and Bars Near Mill Farm
Bradleys Sports Bar
Lane Ends Hotel
Stanley Arms
About AFC Fylde
In 1988, Kirkham Town and Wesham, two local teams, decided to join forces in order to create a new football club. Imaginatively named Kirkham & Wesham in its early days, the club began life playing in Division One of the West Lancashire League, which had been the division that Kirkham Town had played in prior to the merger. They bounced around the West Lancashire League for a few years, being relegated out of and then promoted back into Division One. They won the West Lancashire League in 2006-2007, which resulted in promotion to Division Two of the North West Counties League for the following season.
The steady rise through the ranks of the lower leagues continued in the years that followed, with the club winning the FA Vase in 2008. In the wake of that, a decision was taken to change names to AFC Fylde, which has remained their moniker ever since. The club’s first season in the Conference North saw them come second with 85 points, missing out in the play-off finals thanks to a 3-1 loss to Guiseley. In 2016-2017, however, the club enjoyed victory in the National League North, which saw it promoted to the National League proper. In 2018-2019 AFC Fylde came fifth in the National League, which was an exceptional performance.
Mill Farm History
It was confirmed on the 19th of January in 2008 that AFC Fylde were looking to move from their home at Kellamergh Park, with plans being unveiled for a new stadium in an undisclosed location. Unfortunately, planning permission for this new Community Sports Complex was rejected in April of 2012, meaning that an alternative needed to be found. In September 2013, an announcement was made that plans had been drawn up for the creation of an £18 million multi-sports development, which would be located on the outskirts of Wesham. Mill Farm Sports Village would have a 6,000 capacity stadium at its centre.
The planning application for this new venue was accepted on the fourth of June 2014, with work starting not long after. It was completed in the middle of 2016, with the first National League North match being played between AFC Fylde and Brackley Town on the 13th of August 2016. In the end, the entire sporting village cost £25 million, but included astro-turf hockey and football pitches for use by the public, as well as an Aldi supermarket and other locations. The football stadium includes a 290-seat sports bar, an 80-seat restaurant complete with a roof terrace and a 40-seat café, in addition to conference and event facilities.