"Glentoran FC - The Oval"

There is something utterly iconic about the Oval. It’s not perfect by any means – there’s no cover at either end and the whole place looks a bit weary, but this really is an old fashioned PROPER football ground. Being here for a Match it’s easy to imagine what it must have been like back in the 1950s. The view from the Main Stand looks out towards the Harland and Wolff Shipyard, with the whole scene dominated by Samson and Goliath, the two giant cranes. The Main stand itself seems impossibly tall and, in places it still contains old fashioned wooden tip up seats, the terraces at either end of the ground sweep round behind the goals and give the ground its name. Yes, I have to admit it, I really think that Glentoran’s home is probably my favourite ground anywhere!

Location

The Oval is in the eastern side of Belfast, in the Strandtown suburb, very close to the Dockyards area and George Best Airport. The nearest stations to the ground are either Titanic Quarter or Sydenham either of which are about a 15 minute walk. The city centre is only slightly further away, with its huge variety of places to eat and drink. This is just as well as there are actually no pubs in the immediate vicinity of the ground, (in fact the surrounding streets – all residential – displayed signs that made it clear that consuming alcohol outside. There is a car park at the ground although there is plenty of parking in the surrounding streets (the club do request that fans give consideration to local residents).

View

The main entrance into the ground is from the Mersey Road side with the turnstiles set behind the Main Stand. This imposing structure runs approximately 75% of the length of the pitch and climbs high up to give supporters a very elevated view of the action. The seats within the stand are a mixture of modern plastic and old fashioned wood tip ups. The very bottom of the stand is the family area and is accessible from a different entrance. Directly opposite is a smailler stand – again all-seater. This was occupied by the away fans during my visit (a BetMcLean League Cup tie versus Coleraine). Between them these two stands give the grouns a seating capacity of a little over 6000.
Either end of the grounds, behind the goals are two large elliptical banks of terrace (giving the ground it’s name). Whilst these are not in the best of condition they, again, are a reminder of days gone by in England. The far part of the terrace to the left of the main stand was being used by the away fans that chose to stand. Overall capacity for the Oval is officially 26000+ although I believe it may be restricted to less than that.

Facilities

As I was sitting in the Main stand and it is not possible to get to the far side of the ground I can only comment on the facilities in the ‘home’ area. Toilets are located outside the stand near the turnstiles and the club shop is located in the extreme left hand end of the stand on the ground floor (it’s actually accessed through a Bar). The shop was fairly well stocked with replica kit, clothing and momentoes. The programme for this match – as a league cup tie, was a smaller edition than for the Danske Bank Premiership matches, and was priced accordingly. However it still had a fair amount of content and was decent value for the money.

Food & Drink

Catering-wise, there were at least 2 bars within the Main stand itself – one on the ground floor and one halfway up the stairs leading to the seating area. Not having visited either I can’t comment on the rpice nor variety. There was a ‘burger van’ at the far end of the Main Stand and this did a fair variety of fast food etc, although I couldn’t see a price list on show so I can’t be sure exactly what was on sale. What I do know is that a cheeseburger was £4.00 and a cup of tea £1.50 which I though was quite steep compared to grounds I normally visit.

Atmosphere

Atmosphere? Well, Glentoran are regarded as one of the ‘big two’ in Northern Irish football, along with local rivals Linfield. Having said that, they have been perennial underachievers and also-rans for a few seasons now. However the crowd in the Main Stand were vocal throughout. There was one group of fans in the tops seats who sang throughout but for the most part the support was calling out encouragement to their team (or barracking them in some cases) and hurling abuse at Coleraine and the officials. The Coleraine supporters on the far side also played their part, however the atmosphere – although good – must be much better for one of the other Belfast teams.

Write your own review of The Oval Grounds

Have you been to The Oval Grounds? Write a review!