Ground Name: Spotland Stadium
Capacity: 10,249
08/09 Average Home Attendance: 3,273
Address: Willbutts Lane, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 5DR.
Nickname: The Dale
Home Colours: Black and Blue
Main Telephone No: 0844 8261907
Official Website: www.rochdaleafc.co.uk 
                      

Ticket Details:

2009/10:- Fixture: Tues 18 Aug 2009 - 7.45pm 
2009/10:- Adults £19/Concs, Young Persons & U16's £12/U7's free 
Away supporters are housed in the Willbutts Lane Stand (recently renamed the Westrose Leisure Stand). Up to 3,644 supporters can be accommodated in the stand and generally the away fans are confined to the centre of the stand. Tickets at the turnstiles on day of the game.

Coach with Official Travel Club:
Coach Tickets on sale from:- 15 July 2009
Departure Time:- 3.15pm
Travel Club Members price:- £14 & £12
non-members+£2)
(To become a Travel Club member and enjoy a reduction in coach seat prices click here)

By Car:

The postcode for your SatNav is OL11 5DR

Distance from Cheltenham - 150 miles

Car Parking and directions

M5 north then M6 north. Follow M62 east signposted towards Leeds, Bolton and Manchester North. Leave M62 at J20 and take 1st exit onto A627(M) towards Rochdale.

At the end of the A627(M) you should be in the left hand lane to turn left at the traffic lights. Go straight on over the roundabout (approach in the middle lane) into Roch Valley Way. At the next crossroads (with the Cemetery pub on the corner) go straight onto Sandy Lane, where the ground can be found on the right after approx 3/4 mile.

Car Parking at the ground is now for permit holders only, so it is a case of either street parking or using the match day parking facility at Oulder Hill School. The school is located on the way up to the ground, on the left hand side, along Sandy Lane (it is then a 10 minute walk uphill to the ground). If you do elect to park on the street then be wary of the "residents only" parking scheme, as otherwise you could end with a parking ticket for your trouble.

By Train:

Rochdale is served by trains from Manchester & Leeds and the station is around two miles from the ground where a taxi can be used, otherwise it's a 30-35 minute walk.

Immediately as you leave the station there is a roundabout in front of you. Cross it, keeping to the left and take the second left into Lower Tweedale Street.

Follow this street until its end where it meets Manchester Road. Turn right along Manchester Road (which is a dual carriageway). Pass Drake Street and then cross the Manchester Road via the pedestrian crossing. Now the left hand side of the dual carriageway, carry on in the same direction as before. Turn left into Dane Street (where you will see a large ASDA store) and this leads into Mellor Street (A6060). At the end of Mellor Street turn left along Spotland Road (A680) and then left again into Willbutts Lane for the ground.

Around the Ground:

At the ground there are two bars to choose from, Studds & the Ratcliffe Arms. Studds is located underneath the Pearl Street Stand and is worth a visit, if only to sample the large range of tasty pies & pasties on offer (also available inside the ground).

The Ratcliffe Arms is located at the car park entrance to the ground, on Sandy Lane and welcomes a mixture of home and away fans. A couple of minutes walk along Willbutts Lane is the Church Pub, which seemed to be the favoured haunt of away fans. Also on Willbutts Lane, is a small chip shop, with lengthy queues due to the excellent quality of what's on offer.

If you arrive early, the Cemetery Hotel, located at the bottom of Sandy Lane and on the corner with Bury Road, is also worth a visit. This comfortable historic pub has a range of real ales on offer and again friendly clientele. Otherwise alcohol is available inside the ground.

Worth a thought -

Rochdale is in Greater Manchester and lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, 5 miles north-northwest of Oldham, and 10 miles north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale has a total population of about 96,000.

By 1251, Rochdale had become important enough to have been granted a Royal Charter. Subsequently, Rochdale flourished into a centre for the woolen trade.Rochdale rose to prominence during the 19th century as a major mill town.

However, during the 20th century Rochdale's spinning capacity declined towards an eventual halt.Rochdale is the birthplace of the Co-operative Movement. The Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society, founded in 1844, was the first modern cooperative; the Rochdale Principles are a set of ideals for cooperatives.Rochdale Town Hall was completed in 1871.

The original clock tower, which rose to 240 feet, was destroyed by fire in 1883. The present shorter (and less flamboyant) tower was designed in 1887. One American academic has suggested that Adolf Hitler was so impressed with the town hall that he had plans to transport the building stone by stone to a new site in Germany if Britain lost the Second World War.

Notable folk from Rochdale include; singers Gracie Fields and Lisa Stansfield, broadcasters Mark Chapman, Liz and Andy Kershaw and the late John Peel. Actors/actresses Colin Baker (Dr Who), Bill Oddie and Anna Friel. The comedy actor/singer Don Estelle (It aint half hot) lived in the town for many years and larger than life politician, Cyril Smith, was born in and served as the MP for Rochdale.As far as the football goes,

The Dale have played in the Football League's bottom division since 1974, the longest time any team has been in the bottom division of the League, with some even derisively renaming it "the Rochdale Division".Rochdale AFC was formed in 1907 and were founder members of the Football League Division Three in 1921/22.

Since then they have had just one promotion, in 1969, and they returned to the bottom division in 1974.

In 2001/02 Rochdale lost in the play-off semi-finals to Rushden and Diamonds, who subsequently lost the final to Cheltenham Town.

Current manager Keith Hill, who spent a short time playing for Cheltenham under Steve Cotterill, has come close to getting Rochdale promoted recently, but the team lost in the play-off final in 2007/08 and the semi-final in 2008/09.