SCFC2
West Bromwich Albion v Swansea City on Sunday, 8th December 2019 at 12:00
Distance from the Liberty Stadium: 135 miles ~ 2 hour 30 minutes.
Address: The Hawthorns, Halfords Lane, West Bromwich, West Midlands, B71 4LF
Telephone: 0871 271 1100
Web-site: www.wba.co.uk
The Hawthorns
What’s The Hawthorns Like
Up to 3,000 Swansea fans could be accommodated on one side of the Smethwick End, and shared with home fans.
Facilities and views of the pitch are good but leg room is cramped and the concourse is small, and can be squashed.
Heineken, John Smith’s, Bulmers, red and white wine are sold along with pies, pasties and hot dogs.
There’s a Fan Zone outside the ground with live music, a large screen showing sport, plus food and drink is sold.
Visiting West Bromwich
Birmingham is the second largest UK city, and has a multitude of eating and drinking places to suit every appetite.
Ethnic food is highly popular and every region of Asia is represented in its restaurants.
Birmingham has loads of museums, art galleries and theatres.
Hotel near the ground are Premier Inn West Bromwich Central (B70 6JJ) 1.3 miles away, The Park Inn (B70 6RS) 1.1 miles away and The Hare & Five Hounds (B71 4AN), 2 miles away.
Birmingham itself has loads of hotels with some great offers available.
What’s on in Birmingham
The Hippodrome (B5 4TB) has the ballet The Nutcracker Friday 22nd Nov – Saturday 14th Dec, tickets are from £21.
The comedian Jim Jeffries is at Resorts World Arena (B40 1NT) on the Thursday, tickets are from £48.75.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas is at The Alexandra Theatre (B5 4DS) 3rd – 7th, tickets are from £13, The King and I is there Tuesday 10th Dec – Saturday 4th Jan, tickets are from £17.
Drayton Manor Theme Park (B78 3TW) has Drayton’s Magical Christmas throughout December (closed Tuesdays-Thursdays).
Birmingham German Christmas Market is on at Victoria Square, New Street from Thursday November 7th – Monday December 23rd. Times are 10am-9pm.
Cadbury World is open 10-3 weekdays and 9:30-4 on weekends, prices are £17 for adults, £12.50 for kids (under 4’s free), with Family tickets (2+2 £51) and (2+3 £61).
Advance booking is advised and you can book tickets online or by calling 0121 393 6004.
StarCity (B7 5SA) has a Vue cinema, ten pin bowling, mini golf, laser station, a football centre, gym, casino, a climbing centre.
It’s really close to the motorway and a place where quite a number of hours can be spent.
Eating and Drinking in West Bromwich
There’s a Fan Zone across the road from the Stadium on Halfords Lane. It has live music, a large screen showing football, plus food and drinks are sold.
This is free to enter and away fans are welcome showing your match ticket to enter. The bar closes 30 minutes before kick off.
A pub and Indian food is The Vine (B70 8DB, 0.8 miles away) with street parking. Get there way before kick-off as it’s crazy busy.
Desi Junction (B70 6PB, 1 mile) and The Royal Oak (B71 3RL, 2.5 miles) are close by, but if you fancy something further afield and en-route (3.5 miles away) is M S Bar & Grill (B69 2AS), just off J2 of the M5, it’s lively with regular pub grub.
Parking near The Hawthorns
There’s street parking or a few match-day car parks at local industrial units or at Hawthorns station for around £5.
The Beeches Road Methodist Church (B70 6QE) costs £5, has CCTV and is a ten minute walk away and easy to get onto the M5 after the match.
Around the corner from the Vine is a St John’s Ambulance Depot (B70 6QX) offering parking for £3.
Alternatively you can also choose from a selection of private car parking spaces near The Hawthorns – including around 28 parking spaces which you can reserve for your visit from just £5.00 for the day.
Train and Metro to West Bromwich
The closest stations are The Hawthorns (5 minute walk) and Smethwick Rolfe Street, (0.3 mile walk).
The Hawthorns is served by a Metro service from Birmingham Snow Hill station, whilst Smethwick Rolfe Street is served by trains from Birmingham New Street.
The Metro service takes 8 minutes to the Hawthorns from Birmingham Snow Hill and trains run every 15 minutes.
Train tickets are not valid on the Metro, you have to buy a ticket for it (ask for a matchday special adult return).
Birmingham Snow Hill station is signposted from Birmingham New Street and a 10 minute walk away.
No trains arrive in the midlands before kick off, trains back to Swansea leave Birmingham New Street at 15:42, 16:42 and 17:52 for the 3.75 hour journey.
For the Travelling Jacks making the trip – Be Loud, Be Proud and Be Positive!