Wetherby Road, known as the Exercise Stadium currently due to sponsorship reasons, is the home of EFL League Two side Harrogate Town and has been their home for 105 years. One of the top four division’s smallest stadiums, Wetherby Road is known to be a tight and compact ground, but over recent years the ground has expanded massively and has had plenty of reinvestment in terms of facilities and is one of the more modern stadiums in League Two. It is the third biggest football stadium in terms of capacity in North Yorkshire, behind Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium and York City’s York Community Stadium.
Wetherby Road Stats
Located to the east of Harrogate’s town centre, Wetherby Road is an ideal ground to get to for travelling away fans due to its closeness to the A1(M) motorway and is close to two of Harrogate’s railway stations. It opened in 1920 and is exclusively home to Harrogate Town. It has a capacity of 5,000 spectators, 2,000 of which is seating and the remaining being terraces.
Wetherby Road Key Facts
Capacity: 5,000 (2,000 seating)
Address: Wetherby Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK, HG2 7SA
Year Opened: 1920
Home Team(s): Harrogate Town Football Club
Record Attendance: 4,208 (Harrogate Town 0-3 Harrogate Railway, 1949/50)
Owner: Harrogate Town Football Club
First Fixture: Harrogate Town vs. Leeds United Reserves, 1920
Did You Know? The stadium is known for its intimate atmosphere, where fans can get up close to the action – making it one of the most exciting grounds in lower-league football. Despite its relatively small size, it has hosted some major footballing moments, including a memorable FA Cup tie against a Championship side.
Wetherby Road Design and Architecture
For much of its existence, Wetherby Road was a typical non-league ground, with one or two stands and the remainder having no terrace at all, allowing fans to freely stand pitch-side. Until 2014, the northern end of the stadium was like this, until renovations built a new covered terrace. Today, Wetherby Road is a very modern stadium, undergoing multiple renovations since 1990. It is similar to other stadiums in League Two, such as Salford City’s Peninsula Stadium. It could also viewed as similar in design to non-league stadiums like Dorking Wanderers’ home of Meadowbank or local rivals Scarborough Athletic, who both have more than four stands at their grounds.
Harrogate Town Stadium Seating Plan
From Harrogate Fc
The first stand at Wetherby Road is the Main Stand, known as the Greene King IPA Family Stand, which is for home fans to sit in with six rows of seats across half the length of the pitch. This is also where the TV cameras are positioned, with a gantry placed on top of the roof of this stand. Next to the Main Stand is a much steeper and taller terrace, giving the ground a unique layout of five stands. However, this stand is only partially covered, meaning fans who stand at the front will be exposed to the elements. On the other side of the Main Stand is where the executive suites are based.
To the North side of the stadium is the Hospital End, which is exclusively standing for home fans. It is the closest stand to where home fans enter the stadium through Wetherby Road, and also is located nearest to the entrance for season ticket holders. This stand was built in 2014 and the last stand to have been completed in the stadium.
The other lengthwise stand is the Envirovent Stand, which is home to more standing room for home fans, as well as the club offices backed onto Wetherby Road itself. The terracing to the eastern side of the stand is for away fans, with both standing and seating available to visitors. The final stand is also split between home and away fans, with a covered terrace of just standing room.
The total capacity of Wetherby Road is 5,000, with 2,00 being seating capacity and the remaining 3,000 being standing room only.
Wetherby Road Tickets & Pricing
Wetherby Road’s ticket pricing is largely in line with many other League Two clubs and is fairly affordable compared to other sides. Their pricing range is fairly narrow, meaning fans will not pay much difference depending on where they are located within the ground.
Single-game tickets for adult home fans at Wetherby Road vary between £22 and £25, with seating costing fans extra. Concessions are available for students, ethe lderly and Blue Light card holders, which would set fans back between £17 and £20. Children also receive reduced pricing with different price brackets depending on age. Children can attend Wetherby Road from ages three and over.
The club also offers flex tickets for fans wanting to attend multiple games, full-season tickets and half-season tickets. They have one of the more expensive season tickets in the division, with prices in 2023 between £365 and £295 for the year.
How To Get Wetherby Road Tickets
Fans can purchase tickets to visit Wetherby Road from Harrogate Town’s official website, through their ticketing partners Ticketmaster. In-person, fans can also buy tickets from the club’s official store in Harrogate town centre. They can also be contacted by email or by ringing the club’s ticket office. Club members and season ticket holders receive exclusive benefits such as early booking for in-demand home games as well as any away game. League ticket prices range from around £22 to £25, but the prices may fluctuate with cup fixtures and pre-season friendlies usually seeing a drop in price.
Matchday Atmosphere and Fan Experience
Fans attending Wetherby Road will see a small but passionate fanbase supporting their team, with chanting from the home fans fairly common throughout the game. Unlike other stadiums in League Two, Wetherby Road gives fans a more grassroots feel due to its small capacity and multiple stands dotted around the ground. It is certainly one of the more unique grounds to visit in League Two and in the EFL as a whole.
How To Get To Wetherby Road
Harrogate is a fairly accessible town via train, with regular trains from East Coast mainline stations such as Leeds and York. York is the closest major railway hub to get to Harrogate, with trains every half hour. Both Harrogate and Hornbeam Park train stations are a walkable distance away from the stadium.
Car is another great way to get to Harrogate, with the town located close to the A1(M) Motorway. Fans travelling from the south should come off of Junction 45 and through Wetherby to get to Harrogate, whilst fans coming from the north should exit the road at Junction 47 before following the A59 towards Knaresborough and Harrogate.
Parking is very limited around the ground due to a resident’s parking scheme in place so travelling fans will either need to find street parking or a public car park elsewhere in the town. Jubilee and Victoria Car Parks are both located in the town centre, with the latter next to both the train and bus stations.
Fans travelling by bus can reach the stadium by using the 7, S8, X4 and X70 buses, which travel along Wetherby Road. Fans can also travel by bus from Leeds by using the 36 bus into Harrogate bus station. Fans from York can get the 412 bus to Wetherby before getting on the X4 or X70 directly to the ground. Fans who show their matchday ticket on the number 7 bus are given a reduced fare by the driver.
How To Access Wetherby Road For Home Fans
Home fans have two access points to the stadium, with season ticket holders able to use the entrance alongside the Railway End stand as well as the main home entrance on the northwest side of Wetherby Road. Home fans have access to all four sides of the stadium but are segregated from the southeast corner of the ground as that is where the away fans are based. Home fans will either usually walk to the ground or use a bus to get to the football stadium.
How To Access Wetherby Road For Away Fans
Away fans will usually travel by car or train. They have their own entrance and exit points to the southeast corner of the stand, which is where their seating and standing capacity is based. Parking is extremely limited for cars and finding a local public car park is the best bet for fans travelling this way. Coaches and minibuses are not allowed to drop off supporters outside of the stadium and instead will park at Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre, a 20-minute walk away from the ground for a fee of between £15 to £20.
Hotels Near Wetherby Road
For fans travelling from further afield or fans not willing to brave a long journey during an evening game, there are a few hotel options available in and around Harrogate.
Cedar Court Hotel
The Cedar Court Hotel is a regional hotel chain across Yorkshire, offering a restaurant and spa for guests and is a short walk away from the ground.
- Address: Park Parade, off Knaresborough Road, Harrogate, HG1 5AH
- Phone: 01423 858 585
- Website: https://cedarcourthotels.co.uk/
Crowne Plaza, Harrogate
A hotel in the centre of Harrogate, this IHG hotel is a more luxury option and once played host to the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest in its adjoining convention centre.
- Address: King’s Rd, Harrogate HG1 1XX
- Phone: 01423849988
- Website: www.ihg.com
Travelodge Harrogate
Also based in Harrogate town centre, Travelodge offers an affordable experience and is also located near to the town’s famous Wetherspoons’ of The Winter Gardens.
- Address: 2 The Ginnel, Harrogate HG1 2RB
- Phone: 08719 846238
- Website: www.travelodge.co.uk
Pubs, Bars Near Wetherby Road
Harrogate’s place as a spa town means there are many pubs and bars located across the local area. Away fans always treat themselves to a drink or two in the town before heading down to Wetherby Road for a game.
The Winter Gardens
A Wetherspoons pub, this venue is one of the best-reviewed in the country due to its stunning architecture as well as the high variety of drinks and food available to patrons.
- Address: Unit 4, Royal Baths, Parliament St, Harrogate HG1 2RE
- Phone: 01423877010
- Website: www.jdwetherspoon.com
The Woodlands Hotel
The closest pub to Wetherby Road Stadium, the Woodlands offers a friendly atmosphere and will regularly show sporting events, meaning fans won’t miss any action from other games across the country.
- Address: 110 Wetherby Rd, Harrogate HG2 7AB
- Phone: 01423648802
- Website: www.woodlandsharrogate.co.uk
Essenza Bar & Tapas
For fans fancying a more continental flair to their pre-match meals, Essenza offers a Spanish tapas setting in the town centre alongside plenty of drinking options.
- Address: 34a Oxford St, Harrogate HG1 1PP
- Phone: 01423505300
- Website: www.essenzarestaurant.com
Updates on Wetherby Road
Wetherby Road has seen multiple updates in recent years and with the club’s ascension into the English Football League, embarked on a major update to the ground in 2020 to meet the league’s regulations. The pitch was resurfaced to become natural grass, meaning The Sulphurites had to play some of their home games at Doncaster’s Eco-Power Stadium. The South End of the stadium was redeveloped in 2023 to house the clubhouse and is also from where players emerge before kickoff. The north stand of the stadium was built in 2014. 2019 saw the biggest recent expansion, adding two new terraces and a small seating stand to boost the stadium’s capacity to its current amount of 5,000 spectators, 2,000 of which is seating capacity.
There are no current plans to extend the stadium’s capacity further.