EnviroVent Stadium (Wetherby Road): Harrogate Town

Harrogate Town Association Football Club was established in 1914, with the Sulphurites playing their football matches at The Envirovent Stadium since 1920. At the time, of course, it was known as Wetherby Road, with the current moniker being put in place because of sponsorship. The club itself was called Harrogate AFC, adding the ‘town’ to its title five years after its formation.

Harrogate itself boasts famous sulphur springs, which is where the nickname ‘the Sulphurites’ comes from. They are also often referred to simply as ‘Town’ and the club plays in black and yellow. When Harrogate were promoted to League Two for the 2020-2021 season they played their opening home games at Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster as The Envirovent Stadium underwent a number of changes.

Stats

EnviroVent Stadium (Wetherby Road) Photos

Wetherby Road Entrance
Mtaylor848, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Turnstile and Admission Prices (2020)
Mtaylor848 / CC BY-SA

Match Against Bradford Park Avenue at Wetherby Road
Mtaylor848, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

EnviroVent Stadium (Wetherby Road) Seating Plan and Where to Sit

Wetherby Road can welcome more than 5,000 spectators through its doors, with a new Main Stand opening in 2020. The overall look of the ground is best described as ‘basic’, with the stands single tier and most of the perimeter of the football pitch simply being a hoarding to stop fans from encroaching.

Harrogate Town Ticket Prices

The price of an adult ticket bought in advance is £22-£25 in advance, while concessions will pay between £17-£20. This is based on whether you want to sit or stand. These prices are £2 more expensive if you buy on the day though, so best to book.

How To Get Harrogate Town Tickets

The best way to get tickets for Harrogate Town’s matches is online, if for no other reason than you’ll save £2 on the price of tickets on the turnstile. Both are perfectly valid options, though, so don’t be worried if you’re not a big fan of buying things over the internet.

Where to Buy

• Ticket Compare

Getting To EnviroVent Stadium (Wetherby Road)

Train – The Envirovent Stadium is not far from Harrogate’s main train station, so that’s obviously the best place to head if you’re wanting to get a train to the area. In terms of more local routes, both Starbeck and Hornbeam Park are in walking distance.

Bus – Both the 7 and the X70 buses stop right outside the ground, so they’re definitely the best buses to get if you want to use public transport to head to the stadium.

Car – Wetherby Road is found close to the centre of Harrogate, with the A661, the Harrogate Road, passing straight by.

By Air – Leeds – Bradford International Airport is around twelve miles away from the ground, so that’s the best place to head if you’re flying in for a Town match. In terms of other options, Durham Tees Valley Airport and Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield are both about fifty to sixty miles away. Manchester Airport is more than seventy miles away, but it’s probably the biggest airport that is relatively close.

Taxi – Harrogate isn’t exactly the busiest town in the United Kingdom, though it does get a bit busier on a match day. Even so, a trip from the train station to the ground shouldn’t take long and will cost £8 if the roads are busy.

Parking Near EnviroVent Stadium (Wetherby Road)

Parking is relatively easy close to the ground, though you do need to be aware of the traffic restrictions put in place if you’re straying too close to the town centre.

• See Available Parking Near EnviroVent Stadium (Wetherby Road)

Useful Resources

• Parking - Just Park

EnviroVent Stadium (Wetherby Road) Hotels

Harrogate is a beautiful place to stay, and a lot of the accommodation is in great period buildings. Some of our favourites are:

Cedar Court Hotel Harrogate - £80+

Park Parade, off Knaresborough Road, Harrogate, HG1 5AH

Harrogate isn’t a cheap place to stay, but the Cedar Court Hotel is a lovely boutique venue with more than one hundred guest rooms. It’s located close to the town’s Convention Centre and offers a restaurant and a bar. There’s a business centre for people who need to make it a working trip, plus there’s a garden if they weather’s nice. You can get Wi-Fi and it’s not too far from the stadium when it’s time to head to the match. More details.

DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel & Spa - £100+

Ripon Road, Harrogate, HG1 2HU

Sometimes it’s good to use a trip away as a chance to pamper oneself, which is exactly what the Doubletree by Hilton in Harrogate allows you to do. It’s located close to the town’s Turkish baths, but the health club and swimming pool on-site should more than suffice. With more than 180 rooms there’s plenty of space, plus a restaurant and bar to chill out in. There’s a conference space, a full-service spa and a terrace area leading onto the garden. As you’d expect, there’s free Wi-Fi. More details.

Hotel du Vin & Bistro Harrogate - £125+

Prospect Place, Harrogate, HG1 1LB

In terms of an indulgent place to stay, you’ll struggle to do much better than the Hotel du Vin & Bistro. If you’re a wine drinker then you’re in for a treat, with the hotel being part of a larger wine bar. It’s big enough to offer wedding services, with a conference space also available. There’s a full-service spa if you need to unwind, whilst breakfast is available. Obviously the restaurant and bar on-site is one of the key selling points, but there’s Wi-Fi if you’d rather just get online and busy yourself. More details.

Pubs and Bars Near EnviroVent Stadium (Wetherby Road)

Local beers in the area are good, and some of the old traditional pubs are brilliant.

Facilities

Whilst Wetherby Road is far from being the most modern in the English Football League, it’s still a decent place to head to and the facilities are more than good enough for what most football fans will require.

Prices

• Programme: £3
• Pie: £4
• Cup of tea: £2
• Beer: £4

Hospitality

The club built a new Main Stand ahead of the 2020-2021 campaign in order to comply with English Football League standards. Part of that includes a new hospitality section with a lounge area and a restaurant as well as a private bar. There are different packages available for people, so it’s worth checking out.

Private Hire

The 1919 Venue is available for private functions such as weddings, conferences and other parties or meetings that you might wish to host.

Stadium Tours & Museum

At the time of writing, it is not possible to do a tour of The Envirovent Stadium. If that changes then we’ll update this section accordingly.

About Harrogate Town

There had been a desire for a football club in Harrogate as early as 1907, though it took until 1914 for Harrogate Association Football Club to be formed. They entered the Northern Football League and should have played their games at the County Ground, only for the First World War to break out and all matches to be suspended. Robert Ackrill Breare organised the reformation of the club after the end of the war, with the word ‘Town’ being added to its moniker from 1919 onwards. The initial part of the club’s history saw it bounced from one league to another, which was something of a signal for what was to come in the future as it failed to settle anywhere for long.

After a brief spell as Harrogate Hotspurs in 1935, Harrogate Town played in the West Yorkshire Association Football League after the Second World War. The club was one of the founding members of the Northern Counties East Football League when it was created in 1982, but had a desire to climb the new Football League pyramid. In the decades that followed, it was a slow and steady climb for the Sulphurites. When the 2019-2020 National League season was decided by Points Per Game because of the Coronavirus epidemic, Harrogate Town ended up in the Play-Offs and defeated Notts Country to earn promotion to the Football League for the first time ever.

EnviroVent Stadium (Wetherby Road) History

The Envirovent Stadium is actually a multi-purpose venue, though it is most commonly used for football matches. Previously known as Wetherby Road before it got sponsorship, the ground has room for more than 5,000 spectators. It’s located next to Harrogate District Hospital and opened its doors for the first time in 1920. Harrogate Town has played its matches there virtually since it was formed, though it did enjoy a brief spell at Starbeck Lane. Whilst the football ground has obviously seen its fair share of exciting moments during Harrogate Town’s existence, it wasn’t really until the end of the 2019-2020 season that true success was had by the club that calls it home.

Town’s promotion to the English Football League meant that numerous different changes had to be introduced at The Envirovent Stadium, which is why the club played the opening games of the 2020-2021 campaign at Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster. The 3G pitch, which had been used for years, had to be ripped up because it’s not something that Football League clubs are allowed to use. That was replaced by a grass pitch to the bemusement of many in the area, given that 3G pitches are perfectly acceptable in the Champions League. The clubhouse is located on the south side of the ground, whilst there’s a covered standing area to the north.

Future Developments

Depending on how long Harrogate Town are able to stay in the Football League for and how high in the pyramid the club is able to climb, more changes to Wetherby Road might well happen in the near future. That being said, the opening of the new Main Stand as well as the placement of a grass pitch should mean that it’s fairly future-proofed.