Hamilton Academical - New Douglas Park

Hi everyone and welcome back for blog number two of five!

This time my trip took me to one of the smaller Scottish Championship stadiums, New Douglas Park, the home of Hamilton Academical. Before providing a detailed review of my matchday experience I will provide a very brief overview of the stadium itself. New Douglas Park is a relatively modern stadium having been built in 2001 to replace the Original Douglas Park. The stadium has two purpose built stands situated at one side and one end of the pitch as well as a temporary stand at the other side of the pitch which only operates when the existing capacity is insufficient. The stadium’s maximum capacity currently stands at just over 6,000, this includes 700 seats which are accommodated within the temporary stand. 

Now you have a brief understanding of the venue, it’s time to cover my matchday experience! There were two ticket options offered to away fans, pre purchase e-ticket available online or a pay at the gate facility. I chose to purchase the e-ticket in advance. I did this to try and alleviate any potential issues on the day however, I still found myself stuck queuing outside due to the fact Hamilton only opened 2 turnstiles. I once again chose to utilise a supporter’s bus as my method of transport for this game as it was relatively cheap, and I was travelling with friends. There are, however, multiple transport options with large free parking areas near the stadium making it easy to drive as well as Hamilton West train station being a 5-minute walk from the stadium. 

The away fans are situated in the one permanent stand that’s located behind one of the goals. The stand has two very small catering stands which are built into the stand at ground level with only a couple of toilet facilities available. The food and drink are reasonably priced however, the less said the better about the steak pie which was priced at £3. 

Overall, it was a relatively cheap match to attend and one of the closer away days for a fan based in Glasgow so it may be one to visit however, I would advise to avoid the Hamilton Accies steak pies!