New Flame Stadium
Kettering Road
Stamford
Lincolnshire PE9 2JR
Telephone: 01780 763079
Nickname: The Daniels
DIRECTIONS BY CAR (FROM HASTINGS)
Leave the M25 at J27 onto the M11 and at end continue onto A14 then A1. On approaching Stamford take B1081 (sp Stamford) at first roundabout after RAF Wittering airbase. After entering town take first left (Kettering Road, A43) and the ground is on the right.
Stamford AFC play at The Newflame Stadium, in the picturesque town of Stamford. The ground is situated 1 mile East of the A1 and is handily placed at the side of the Railway Station (those not enjoying the matches could do a little train spotting instead). Those wishing to make their way to the ground from the station will have no problems as a well placed clearance can easily land on the tracks!!!
The ground has been in continual use since at least 1896, when the present club was formed, but the Stamford historians are looking at the history prior to that and it is possible that football might have been played continually on the ground before that time.
Ground improvements were undertaken in the late 1990�s in order to gain admission to the Dr Martens League. This included a perimeter fence, turnstiles, new seating and a perimeter walkway.
There is cover on both sides of the ground but no cover behind either goal. A covered enclosure on the Railway side of the ground (the side opposite the main stand) runs half the length of the pitch and houses on match days some of the more vocal Stamford support.
On the opposite side of the ground the main stand sits 250, and a standing enclosure to the right of the main stand takes the total covered accommodation to 1,250.
On to important business, the bar and tea huts. The bar is handily placed and it is possible to see three quarters of the match from inside the bar on particularly cold or wet days. Sadly for those not wishing to venture outside there is often a queue for the windows and the view of the far end goal is not ideal!!! The bar is fully stocked and hot meals are available from the adjoining kitchen.
There are two tea huts, one on either end of the ground with hot food being available from the one on the stand side.
The Newflame Stadium floodlights were installed in 1981, with money raised from the club�s second FA Vase Final appearance. Match programme and Golden Goal tickets are both available on a table just after you go in through the turnstile and a club shop sits in the top left hand corner of the ground.
Away View by David Bauckham
The best piece of advice to give anyone visiting Stamford for the first time, particularly if it also happens to be a pleasant Saturday afternoon, is to get there early and explore the town.
A picturesque market town, and steeped in history, Stamford boasts seven church spires. The churchyard of St. Martin�s contains the remains of Daniel Lambert: at nearly 53 stone, the heaviest British man ever (left), who gives Stamford their nickname: �The Daniels�. The River Welland runs through the town, and ultimately empties into The Wash. As one wanders through the attractive streets, and across the river, one frequently encounters reminders of the town�s most famous resident: Lambert mews, Lambert close, and so on. To be honest, the shops themselves aren�t much of an attraction ... unless you happen to be an antiques collector. There are however, plenty of pubs! The most famous of these is arguably The George, just five minutes walk from the ground. You probably won�t find too many locals in there, particularly in the pricey a la carte restaurant, but I enjoyed a nice pint in the bar and a good plate of sausage and mash!
Anyway, what about the ground itself, which can be found in Wothorne Road, just inside the town. Owned by Lord Burghley (Burghley House is just outside Stamford), the ground was re-christened �The Newflame Stadium� in the late 1990s as a result of a sponsorship deal with a local fire equipment company. The new title is however, rather incongruous as the ground cannot really be described as a �stadium� .
Stamford have been based at Wothorne Road for over 100 years, and the obvious focal point of the ground is the main stand. This provides an adequate, if low level view of the action, and is older than it appears. With it�s uneven roof, and red & white wooden fascia, it has a certain charm about it. The original dressing rooms are situated behind the stand. A little further along the touchline is the clubhouse and one of two tea bars, selling the usual football ground fare. The clubhouse is relatively small but welcoming, as well as being neat and tidy.
Opposite, on the railway side of the ground, is a rather basic covered enclosure, stretching from the rather neat red-painted dug-outs to the goal-line at the high street end of the ground. This is evidently a popular vantage point for home fans, and they are catered for by the second of the ground�s tea bars. The enclosure once extended the entire length of the touchline, but one half was taken down as a safety precaution. In it�s place is an expanse of ugly unpainted corrugated iron. This extends round behind the far goal to enclose the ground. One hopes that Stamford will eventually be able to do something about what is frankly an eyesore, and seriously detracts from the overall appearance of the ground.
The high street end of the ground has an open grassed area backing onto gardens of adjacent houses. Before kick-off, children were using this area to kick a ball about, rather like one might find at a number of County League grounds.
For those interested in such things (and who isn�t?!) the floodlights (right) are well worth a mention. These were erected in 1981 with the proceeds from Stamford�s 1980 FA Vase triumph over Guisborough and are probably unique in the the �pylons� are constructed from the same stone as the majority of the town. Presumably, this was a stipulation for planning permission being granted: ironic in view of the aforementioned corrugated iron!
Public address announcements were conspicuous by their absence: wholly unsatisfactory at this level I�m afraid. However, this was in some ways compensated for by the quality of the matchday programme. Editor Robin Peel�s informative production is good value for �1, and he is another editor not content to simply paste in information obtained from other clubs. Unusually, Robin had produced his own Eastbourne Borough club history, which apart from stating that Langney Sports� last County League game was against Eastbourne United (sorry Robin, it was Eastbourne Town), was both interesting and accurate. My only disappointment was that he has done away with the historical cover of the past couple of seasons (see the 2000/01 cover above left), in favour of a more modern design.