King Power Stadium

For people of a certain age Leicester City Football Club will always be associated with Filbert Street. However, the Foxes call Leicester City Stadium their home now. Owing to sponsorship deals the stadium has been known as The Walkers Stadium and, in its current incarnation, The King Power Stadium.

With a capacity of 36,232, the King Power is the 19th largest football stadium in England. Though it doesn’t have as much history to it as more storied locations such as Anfield or Old Trafford, it did witness Leicester win the second tier division title for a record equalling seventh time, joining Manchester City.

General information

Official website: https://www.lcfc.com/king-power-stadium

Arena capacity: 32,312 spectators

Address: Filbert Way, Leicester LE2 7FL, UK

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 52°37′13″N 1°8′32″W

Year of construction: 2002

Construction cost: 37 million pounds

Field: Desso GrassMaster lawn with dimensions of 105 x 68 metres (115 x 74 yd)

Seating plan of the King Power Stadium

In August 2002 the club moved into its new home, only a stone’s throw away from their old Filbert Street ground. Then called the Walkers Stadium, it was renamed the King Power Stadium in 2011, under a sponsorship deal. However, some of the home fans refer to it as ‘Filbert Way.’ The stadium is completely enclosed with all corners being filled with seating. The sides are of a good size, built in the same style and height.

The Upton Steel West Stand though on one side of the pitch does contain a row of executive boxes. The team dugouts are also located at the front of this stand. Running around three sides of the stadium, just below the roof, is a transparent perspex strip, which allows more light and facilitates pitch growth. There are also two large video screens located in opposite corners of the stadium.

Like most new stadiums, the King Power Stadium is functional but lacks character. It seemed somewhat bland looking both inside and out. Unusually the public address system is also broadcast on the speakers around the outside of the stadium. The King Power Stadium does have one redeeming feature – atmosphere. The acoustics are very good and both sets of supporters can really make some noise, making for an enjoyable visit.

Visiting supporters

Away supporters are housed in the North East corner of the stadium, where just over 3,000 fans can be accommodated. The view of the playing action is good (although you are set well back from the pitch) as well as the facilities available. The concourse is comfortable with television screens showing the game going on within the stadium.

The only slight grumble is that the gents toilets are poorly designed. They have a narrow ‘zig zag corridor’ of an entrance which hindered people coming in or out and didn’t help the major traffic flow at half time! On the positive side though, the atmosphere within the stadium was good, with the home fans singing on both sides of the away section.

The atmosphere is further boosted by a huge bare chested drummer, who is located at the back of the home section, immediately to the left of the away fans. The stewarding was also pretty relaxed. The teams come out to the Post Horn Gallop tune, reminiscent of fox hunting! (Leicester are nicknamed the Foxes).

From the far upper seats of the away section, the view is pretty good, though from there, you’d probably complain of being too far away from the action. One good thing about being at the top of the away section – you can use the plastic transparent panels as pretty good drums when singing!

Food on offer inside includes; Double Cheeseburgers (£6.20), Cheeseburgers (£4.50), Hot Dogs (£4.50), a range of Pies (Chicken Balti, Steak and Ale, Monthly Guest Pie all (£4.20), Sausage Rolls with Leicester Cheese (£4) and Broccoli, Cauliflower and Double Cheese Pie (£4.20).

I have received a number of reports of away fans being treated somewhat heavily handed by the local constabulary around the stadium and of some even being ‘frog marched’ from the railway station to the ground. Although these measures may be deemed necessary, in order to prevent violent disorder, is doesn’t do much for the overall away day experience at Leicester. Just to confirm that the Police presence at Leicester Station is completely over the top.

Where to buy tickets?

The price of going to see a Leicester City game will vary depending on who it is that they’re playing and which competition you’re hoping to watch. A Premier League game against a team like Arsenal will likely be more expensive than an FA Cup match against Huddersfield, for example.

Unlike with a lot of clubs that simply do ‘Junior’ tickets, Leicester break down their tickets into different age groups. Here we’ll look at Adult and Senior prices depending on the category of game.

Home Fans

1. West Stand (Centre): Adults £50 (B £48), Over 65’s/Under 22’s £44 (B £42), Under 18’s £34 (B £33), Under 12’s £15 (B £15), Under 10’s £10 (B £10).
2. West Stand (Wings):nAdults £50 (B £44), Over 65’s/Under 22’s £41 (B £38), Under 18’s £32 (B £29), Under 12’s £15 (B £15), Under 10’s £10 (B £10).
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3. West Stand (Outer Wings): Adults £40 (B £32), Over 65’s/Under 22’s £35 (B £30), Under 18’s £28 (B £22), Under 12’s £8 (B £7), Under 10’s £6 (B £6).
4. West Stand (Corners): Adults £30 (B £26), Over 65’s/Under 22’s £29 (B £24), Under 18’s £24 (B £20), Under 12’s £8 (B £7), Under 10’s £6 (B £5).
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5. East Stand (Centre): Adults £50 (B £48), Over 65’s/Under 22’s £44 (B £42), Under 18’s £34 (B £33), Under 12’s £15 (B £15), Under 10’s £10 (B £10).
6. East Stand (Outer Centre): Adults £50 (B £44), Over 65’s/Under 22’s £41 (B £38), Under 18’s £32 (B £29), Under 12’s £15 (B £15), Under 10’s £10 (B £10).
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7. East Stand (Wings): Adults £45 (B £41), Over 65’s/Under 22’s £37 (B £35), Under 18’s £30 (B £28), Under 12’s £12 (B £12), Under 10’s £10 (B £10).
8. East Stand (Outer Wing Towards North Stand)
9. Adults £45 (B £41), Over 65’s/Under 22’s £37 (B £35), Under 18’s £30 (B £28), Under 12’s £12 (B £12), Under 10’s £10 (B £10).
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10. East Stand (Outer Wing and Spion Kop Corner): Adults £40 (B £35), Over 65’s/Under 22’s £35 (B £31), Under 18’s £28 (B £25), Under 12’s £9 (B £8), Under 10’s £8 (B £7).
11. South Kop Stand: Adults £30 (B £26), Over 65’s/Under 22’s £29 (B £24), Under 18’s £24 (B £20), Under 12’s £10 (B £10), Under 10’s £8 (B £8).
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12. North Family Stand: Adults £30 (B £26), Over 65’s/Under 22’s £29 (B £24), Under 18’s £24 (B £20), Under 12’s £7 (B £6), Under 10’s £5 (B Free).

Away Fans

Away Fans are housed in the North East Corner. As per an agreement with all Premier League Clubs, away fans will be charged a maximum price of those shown below for all League games:

• Adults £30;
• Over 65’s/Under 22’s £15;
• Under 16’s £10.

You can get tickets directly through Leicester’s website. Alternatively you can call the club’s ticket sales hotline and buy tickets over the phone. With tickets for individual games being somewhat difficult to come by, you can become a Fox Member. This will give you priority tickets, access to special offers and other discounts.

It doesn’t guarantee you a ticket to any particular match, however. There will almost certainly be people offering tickets outside of the ground but these may not be legitimate and will go against the club’s rules and regulations, so it’s recommended avoiding them.

How to get there?

Access to The King Power Stadium is easy and plentiful. As the stadium is about a 15-20 minute walk from the city centre, road and rail links are in close proximity to the ground itself.

Leave the M1 at Junction 21, or if coming from the Midlands, follow the M69 until the end of the motorway (which meets the M1 at Junction 21). Take the A5460 towards Leicester city centre. Continue on this road, until you go under a railway bridge. Carry on for another 200 yards and turn right at the traffic lights into Upperton Road (sign posted Royal Infirmary) and then right again into Filbert Street for the stadium.

Allow yourself a little extra time to get to the ground as traffic does tend to get quite congested near the stadium.    Recently a number of ‘Residents Only Parking’ schemes have been implemented on streets off the A5460 Narborough Road and Upperton Road, near to the ground, which means that street parking now has to be found further away from the stadium.

You can park on side streets off Narborough Road but located  further back in the direction of the outskirts of Leicester that you will have travelled through, (if approaching from J21 of the M1) but this may then mean a 20+ minute walk to the King Power Stadium.

Alternatively you can park at Leicester Rugby Club (£10) which is a ten minute walk away from the stadium. The Police close a number of roads around the stadium for up to 40 minutes after the final whistle to allow fans to disperse. It may be best to consider parking further away from the stadium if you want a quick exit. This official car park in Filbert Street has to be pre-booked with the Club and costs £15 per car.

Leicester Park & Ride Facility

Another possibility is to use the Council Leicester Park & Ride, which runs from Enderby (LE19 2AB) near Junction 21 of the M1. Although the service doesn’t pick up from close to the King Power Stadium after the match, but instead into the City Centre, it does provide an alternative. It costs £4 for a Group of up to five people, payable in cash to the bus driver.

The Park & Ride from Enderby stops at Aylestone Road, which is about a five minute walk from the ground. It terminates in the City Centre at St Nicholas Circle, from where it heads back to the Park and Ride without stopping. More information can be found on the Leicester Park & Ride website.

Post Code for Sat Nav: LE2 7FL.

By train

Leicester Railway Station is located in the City Centre, around 1.5 miles away and is walkable from the King Power Stadium. This should take you around 25-30 minutes. Please note that there is normally a heavy Police presence around the station.

A walking route to the stadium is signposted from across the road from the station. Come out of the station entrance and cross the road in front of you. Turn left and then go right along a pathway that runs beside and looks down on the Waterloo Way ring road. Continue straight along this pathway for around half a mile and you will reach a small park on your right (Nelson Mandela Park).

You will clearly see behind it ‘Welford Road’ the impressive looking home of Leicester Tigers Rugby Club and diagonally beyond the ground you should be able to make out the steelwork above the top of the stands of the King Power Stadium. Either walk around the park on your right or walk through it and on reaching the main road on the other side, cross over at the pedestrian crossing and with the rugby ground immediately in front of you turn left.

Walk past the rugby ground on your right and continue straight along this road, then taking a right turn into Almond Road. Pass the Counting House pub on your left and at the T-junction turn left into Aylestone Road. Take the next right into Raw Dykes Road and you will reach the King Power Stadium and away supporters entrances in front of you.

Booking train tickets in advance will normally save you money! Find train times, prices and book tickets with Trainline. Visit the Trainline website below to see how much you can save on the price of your tickets.

Bus

Arriva buses and First Group both go to the stadium from the centre of Leicester. The 84, 84A and 85 stop near the stadium as well as the 302 and the 88.

Taxi

A taxi from the city centre will take about 5 minutes, traffic dependent, and will cost you about £10.

Facilities

As one of the more modern stadiums in the Premier League, The King Power offers all of the facilities you would expect. From areas to eat and drink through to excellent disabled facilities, whatever you’re hoping to experience at Leicester City’s ground will almost certainly be available to you.

The KP also has a club shop that can be found on the corner of the North & West Stands. It is open from 9am until kick off on match days and then re-opens for about 45 minutes after the match. It is the ideal place to buy replica shirts and all sorts of club memorabilia.

Hospitality

Leicester City have 5 different hospitality options for you to consider, with each offering differing levels of experience and costing appropriately different amounts depending on what you get up to. The Gallery, The Legends Lounge, The Premier Lounge, Banks Lounge and The Fosse Club will all see you greeted by a host or hostess and each come with a match day programme and a team sheet for your perusal.

1. The Gallery. With a seating position near the corner flag, The Gallery is the only hospitality option that sees drinks included. You’ll get a three course meal and half and full time refreshments in a pitch facing restaurant.
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2. The Legends Lounge. In The Legends Lounge you’ll get a four course menu to choose from as well as half and full time refreshments. This is the only hospitality option that will allow you to witness the Man Of The Match presentation.
3. The Premier Lounge. The only hospitality option that has car parking included, The Premier Lounge offers a sandwich buffet as well as half and full time refreshments.
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4. Banks Lounge. Named after former Leicester goalkeeper and World Cup winner Gordon Banks, The Banks Lounge has a seasonal buffet and is a place you can go to for half time refreshments. You’ll meet a club legend during your time there and the seats are near the press box.
5. The Fosse Club. Featuring a two course carvery and half time refreshments, The Fosse Club members get access to The Keith Weller Lounge, The Reception Lounge and Walkers Hall.
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Private hire

The King Power Stadium offers all sorts of private hire options for many different functions. From weddings through to banquets and Christmas parties, there’s little that the staff at the KP don’t know how to handle.

With seven conference suites and 43 corporate hospitality boxes, The King Power Stadium is ideal for conferences and events for up to 650 delegates. They also offer dining facilities in either an intimate capacity or for up to 550 guests. They can cater for school proms, sports dinners, awards nights and more.

The club offer celebration packages for birthdays, engagements, weddings and so on. You can hire the 1884 Sports Bar and the package includes the room hire, bar facilities and security if you need it. A similar offer also exists for Christmas parties, should you be looking for somewhere to spend the most wonderful time of the year.

Leicester City’s ground is licensed for wedding ceremonies and civil partnerships. They have a dedicated team of wedding planners and managers who will ensure you have the best day imaginable. They also specialise in Asian weddings and can offer you a large area for 400-500 guests or a more intimate affair for around 120 guests.

King Power Stadium Hotels

1. The Holiday Inn Express Leicester City – About £60. Address: Filbert Way, Raw Dykes Road, Leicester, England, LE2 7FL. Located about 0.2 miles from The King Power Stadium the Holiday Inn Express has a restaurant, bar and conference facilities.
2. The Star Inn – About £90. Address: 37 The Green, Leicester, England, LE7 4UH. The Star Inn is about 9 miles from the ground in the nearby town of Thrussington. The rooms are above a pub that does great food and you’ll get parking, a newspaper in the lobby and internet included in the price you pay for your booking. 
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3. Quorn Country Hotel – About £110. Address: Charnwood House, Leicester Road, Quorn, Loughborough, England, LE12 8BB. Located around 8.4 miles from The King Power Stadium, the Quorn Country Hotel is an upmarket hotel with a restaurant, bar and internet access. 

Pubs & Bars Near King Power Stadium

Probably the best bet for away fans is the Counting House pub on Freemens Common Road. It has a good mix of both sets of supporters, with all the normal facilities on offer. This pub is located just off the Aylestone Road, behind the Local Hero pub (home fans only) and next to Morrisons Supermarket.

It does though exclude away supporters when the game is deemed to be a ‘high profile’ one. Away fans are welcomed at the Huntsman pub on Narborough Road (next to Iceland supermarket) about a 15 minute walk away from the King Power Stadium. It shows BT televised sports and offers car parking at a cost of £5.

Also in the same area as the Huntsman is the Westcotes Constitutional Club on Wilberforce Road, which allows in visiting supporters at no cost and is family friendly.

For those arriving by train, then as you come out of the main entrance turn left and cross to the other side and there you will find ‘The Hind’ which is rather a basic pub, but does have real ales. A better bet may be the Wetherspoons pub called the ‘Last Plantagenet’.

If you turn right out of the station and cross the road and turn left into Granby Street, then this pub is down on the left. Also in the city centre which is around a 15-20 minute walk away from the King Power Stadium is the Kings Head and Broood@VinQuatre Bar, both located on King Street. The latter is a new modern bar with seven real ales on tap.

Most of the pubs near to the stadium, are as you would expect for home fans only. In particular ‘The F Bar’ should be avoided by visiting supporters. Plus the ‘Symphony Rooms’ located just over the road from the away end, is another home fans bar. Otherwise alcohol is available inside the stadium, however this can be a bit of a ‘hit and miss affair’ depending on which team you support.

Certainly alcohol isn’t available in the away end on our visit. The pumps are covered with black bags and the signs are covered with cardboard! It appears that alcohol is not sold for high profile games.

If you are lucky enough that alcohol is available then it is in the form of; Singha Lager (£4.95 pint), IPA Bitter (£4.75 pint), Guinness (£4.95 pint),  Stowford Press Cider (£4.65 500ml bottle), Kopparberg Fruit Cider (£4.85 500ml bottle) and Wine (£4.95 miniature bottle).

History

The King Power Stadium opened in 2002 and has hosted Leicester City’s football matches ever since. It also has the rights to hold up to 12 concerts a year thanks to a ruling by Leicester city council. It has been used as the location for numerous rugby matches and in 2015 the KP was a venue for the Rugby World Cup, hosting three pool matches.

Most Foxes fans would have loved the club to have stayed at Filbert Street, their old ground. The growth in demand for tickets to see Leicester play combined with the fact that the old place was falling apart somewhat meant this wasn’t possible, however. The old manager, Martin O’Neil, once joked that when he showed prospective players the stadium he would walk them out of the tunnel backwards so that they didn’t see the East Stand!

Thankfully there are no such problems at The King Power Stadium and the state of the art development should be the club’s home for the long term future.