Ground Guide
Coventry United
By Paul Donegan
This guide is from when I went to the Butts Park Arena to watch Coventry United play Crystal Palace on Sunday 10th October in the FA Women’s Championship. Things might be different from this guide of course if you decide to visit this ground.
Address
Butts Park Arena, Butts Rd, Coventry, CV1 3GE
Location and Ground History
Butts Park Arena is located fairly centrally in Coventry, about a 20/25 minute walk from the city centre. I arrived in Coventry a bit early so went and had a look around the ruins of the old cathedral and the new one next door. The stadium opened in 2004 as the new home of the Coventry rugby union side with the rugby league side, Coventry Bears joining them there shortly afterwards. Both still play at the stadium now. Coventry United (both men’s and women’s sides) started playing there in 2017 (according to Wikipedia). I didn’t notice much saying that the football sides play there outside or inside the ground.
Getting There
Coventry station is about a 15 minute walk from the ground and is served by trains from London (Euston), Birmingham, Manchester, Oxford, Reading and lots of other places in between those. There is a car park at the ground but it is pay and display. There are a number of buses that run along Butts Road which goes past the ground.
Tickets
I bought my ticket online and received a confirmation email which I printed off and took to the match and this was okay to use to get in. It cost me £10 but check the link below for all the prices and if you want to buy tickets for a Coventry United home match. You can pay on the day at the turnstile by cash or card and it is the same prices.
Buy Tickets
The Stadium
The turnstiles are in one corner of the ground by the car park. There weren’t any bag searches. There is a big covered seated stand along one side of the pitch whilst the rest of the ground is uncovered standing. The far end of the ground from the entrance was not open for supporters as well as part of the side opposite the stand where the managers and subs are. Above this area there is a scoreboard but this wasn’t working for this match. There are toilets at either end of the seated stand, by the turnstiles and in the entrance area to the bar at the far end.
Food and Drink
The bar is under the seated stand with the entrance to it being at the far end from the entrance. You can take all drinks outside if you wish and it is card payment only for them. A bit of a lack of food though with the only thing being available to eat were crisps from the bar which cost £1 a packet (Walkers basic flavours). There is a Burger King near the station plus some shops/takeaways and a pub on the walk from station to ground and of course there are lots of places to eat and drink in the city centre.
Merchandise
Didn’t see any merchandise when I was at the ground but there is a section on the website where you can have a look at things that are available to buy. The programme is only available online.
