As you may be aware, there have been many changes in and around St Mary's Stadium this summer, here we run you through the official press release on those changes and just how they will affect the everyday Southampton supporter.
So what has changed at St Mary's for the 2024/25 season ? good question and here we run through Southampton FC's guide to those changes and then we will give how we think it can affect you.
Southampton FC have had this so say on their website.
"As you’ll be aware, the stadium and our footprint has undergone significant upgrades this summer with the introduction of safe standing in the home-fan-only Northam Stand, a new Kids Zone and moving the away fans to the Chapel / Kingsland corner, as well as three new Fan Zones and general improvements to the concourses. So, ahead of the new season kicking off, here’s what you’ll need to know so far. We will have further updates coming so please keep an eye on our news pages for details. "
Getting to the stadium
By foot
With the introduction of a new away end, now located in the Chapel / Kingsland corner, you might notice that your usual route getting into the stadium and on to our footprint has now changed. Access into the stadium is best reached via Marine Parade, Britannia Road or via the Railway Footbridge off Northam Road. If fans are sitting in the Chapel Stand, we would advise entering the stadium via Marine Parade. Away fan coaches will now be parked on Melbourne Street, so access for home fans on a matchday will be limited via Melbourne Street.
Comment
In simple terms it will be a pain in the rear for those who used to access the stadium via the Melbourne Street Industrial Estate, as shown on the map below, where up to last season, coming from the Itchen Bridge/Ocean Village/St Mary's Church direction meant if you were going into the Kingsland Stand you could access via the Chapel/Kingsland corner, now you will have to go all the way around the stadium and enter via the the back of the Northam End, as the Chapel Kingsland corner will be away fans only access.
Again for those in the Kingsland after the game will be a nightmare as you will only be able to leave by the same route.
Away fans will only be able to enter their new section via the Melbourne Road Industrial Estate, this will also create crowd segregation issues for those coming by train or by car and parking in the City centre.
The club are yet to announce how they will tackle these issues and prevent crowd congestion, but i would think that it is all reliant on a fair proportion of home fans staying in the fan zones for a drink after the game.
Digital Tickets
The Saints Tickets App is new for the 2024/25 season and is available to download now. It ensures fans have the most convenient and flexible way to support Saints at St Mary’s, including the ability to easily transfer tickets to friends or family members. Fans are encouraged to download the app before arriving at the stadium and register using their ‘MySaints’ email address that they used to purchase their Season Ticket or match ticket. Not only will this give you easy access to your ticket, but it will give you the opportunity to benefit from any promotions and offers.
Tickets will be available in the app a week before each match. However, for the first game against Nottingham Forest, these have been added a month out to allow you to check your tickets and ensure everything is set up correctly for this new process.
Download the app in the Apple App Store (iOS) and the Google Play Store (Android). For more information and to follow along with the full step-by-step guide on using the app, see the club's official website.
Comment
Hopefully this will all work like a dream and in theory it should
Safe Standing
We are pleased to say that all safe standing has now been installed. It’s one of the largest in the country, with over 7,000 home fans standing in the new Northam Stand and there will also be safe standing in the new Away End in the Chapel / Kingsland corner.
A polite reminder that there will be NO home standing allowed in the Chapel/Kingsland areas. Anyone repeatedly standing will be asked to leave the stadium. We really don’t want to spoil your day so if you want to stand, the Northam Stand is where you need to be.
Comment
I look forward to seeing us have a proper home end again for the first time in 23 years, there has been a lot of support for it and hopefully this will show itself in the supporters, but having created the home end, it will only work if those stood in there make some noise, so raise the roof
New Kids Zone
You’ll notice that the old Family Stand has moved due to the new Away fans area. We are delighted to launch our new Kids Zone, which can be found in between the Chapel Stand and the Itchen Stand. The Kids Zone is the place to be for all Junior Saints fans. Keep an eye out for activities in the family-themed concourse.
New Food and Drinks Offerings
We have a wide range of new food and drink offerings available in each stand. Guinness and Sapporo will now be available in all parts of the ground, and we will also be offering Robinsons fruit drinks and Yazoo Milkshakes.
In terms of food options, we are delighted to announce that we have increased our range by nearly 40% across the stadium. Several items, including burgers, have been replaced by a higher quality range and we’ve added loaded fries, chicken strips and strombolis to our matchday offering within different areas of the stadium.
Our range of confectionary has also been increased by 100%, with a whole new range of sweets, crisps and chocolate on offer.
Comment
It will be interesting to see what these new offerings are, but given that most stadium food & drink is over priced, it is no use introducing all these great new lines if people don't buy them because they cost too much, people go to football matches to see the football and take selfies of players taking corners, not to enjoy gourmet food at top dollar, keep it simple and keep it cheap, should be the club's mantra here, we shall see.
Perimeter Fence
When you approach St Mary’s you may spot a new red fence which goes all the way around the footprint, and you may be wondering why we have we built this if we are trying to encourage more fans to the stadium!
Our perimeter fence allows fans to be able to enjoy the outside spaces before kick-off and to soak up the pre-match atmosphere. Those fans sat in the Chapel, Northam and Kingsland Stands will also be able to go outside at half-time in a safe environment. The perimeter fence also allows us to create dedicated fan zones and areas on non-matchdays where we will be able to host a variety of events.
comment
I applaud the club in doing this and trying to offer the supporters something different, but my worries lie in the fact that St Mary's is hemmed in on three sides, it was always very congested getting in and out of it and now we are adding to that congestion by putting more fences in the way, I am also concerned that some areas would find it difficult to be evacuated quickly in an emergency, I hope I am proved wrong here
All new Fan Zones
We’re excited to open three dedicated fan zones for all home fans to enjoy as part of your matchday. An updated map of the St Mary's footprint can be viewed below:
Northam Fan Zone – opening on 24th August
Located in the North Car Park, the new Northam Fan Zone will be the ultimate place for all Saints fans for your pre- and post-match entertainment. Please note that the Northam Fan Zone will open for the first home game in the Premier League at 12.00 on Saturday 24th August. A detailed schedule of events will be shared before each match but to give you an idea:
The perfect place to grab a pre-match pint or celebrate that Saints win in our new 700-capacity covered structure with more bars and food on offer than ever before.
There will be a stage for some fantastic entertainment. Fans can expect live music, pre- and post-match interviews with ex-Saints Legends, current players and the manager amongst much more.
There will also be a new 7m screen showing the early and late kick off games.
The Northam Fan Zone will also include a new retail unit, located on the Northam / Kingsland Corner, with all the latest merchandise and new season kits on sale.
Family Zone – opening on 7th August
Located just opposite the Chapel Stand and Kids Zone, in the old South Car Park, is the new Family Zone. The Family Zone will be open for our first pre-season friendly against Lazio on Wednesday 7th August.
On matchdays this area will offer supporters fun for the entire family to enjoy, with games, competitions and great entertainment from special guests.
You can expect a visit from Sammy and Mary Saint here as well as a range of food and drink outlets and bathroom facilities.
Kingsland Fan Zone – Will be ready for the 10th August
Outside the Kingsland Stand you’ll find our new Kingsland Fan Zone. The Kingsland Fan Zone will first open on Saturday 10th August for our game against Getafe
Here you will find a wide range of food and drink offerings, a big screen to watch the early game as well as new covered outdoor seating areas
The Gasworks Bar will still be open on matchdays for everyone to enjoy too
Ticket Office and The Dell Bar
The current Ticket Office is still open; however, it will be moving to make way for a new bar called The Dell. The ultimate Saints tribute, The Dell will be a new bar open both on matchdays and non-matchdays. More details on The Dell's official opening will be announced soon.
The Ticket Office will be moving to a new home, with a temporary location set up at the Chapel End of the stadium. We will give an update with full details of the current Ticket Office closure and the temporary office in due course.
Comment
As I have said earlier I am in favour of a lot of what is going on, my reservations are all about the movement of the crowd and the safety of those attending the matches, with so many people being squeezed in one space, especially after the game ends, there has been a lot of upheaval for Saints supporters both in terms of having to move seats, but also in their usual route into the ground now being blocked to accommodate the away fans in their new corner.
The club have created the environment for a big new home end, but ultimately you can have the best stadium in the country, but if all the fans just sit in silence it will have the worst atmosphere, some fans have been very vocal in wanting this to happen, now it has been implemented, it is down to the Southampton supporters to make it all worthwhile.