Home to Preston North End since 1875, Deepdale Stadium is one of the oldest continuously used arenas in the world. With a long and illustrious history, Preston North End have some impressive claims to fame – they’re one of only five clubs who have been champions of all four professional leagues in England, although you have to go back to 1890 to discover when they were the First Division champions. That success makes them the fourth most successful English club of all time, while only Notts County have played more games than them in the league.
Deepdale Stadium
Deepdale Stadium
Deepdale Stadium
The current ground has a capacity of 23,404, but at its 1938 peak, over 40,000 spectators were crammed into Deepdale. Several of the stands are named after famous ex-players, including Sir Tom Finney, whose statue stands proudly outside the ground, Bill Shankly and Alan Kelly. Thanks to some updates in the 80s and 90s, the ground now boasts a 25-metre screen, press areas and several restaurants, and has hosted several international matches.
The team continues to be relatively successful and have done well in the Championship, thanks to their impressive youth academy and shrewd transfers, despite having one of the lowest budgets in the league.
While there’s a lot of action on the pitch, an off-pitch highlight is the ground’s ‘butter pie’; a melt-in-the-mouth mix of extra buttery mashed potato and onion. If that doesn’t do it for you, there are a range of other pies including the chicken balti, steak and kidney, and meat and potato. Alcohol is served throughout the ground, but no drinks are allowed into the stands. And if you’re looking for a post-game pint, Sumners on Tom Finney Way is a popular local pub with a large beer garden and car park.
There are a limited number of parking spaces available at the ground, but most of the streets get used for parking on match days. Avoid parking on grass verges as that is likely to result in a ticket. The ground is roughly two miles from both our Preston Central and Preston East hotels.