We’re delighted to be hosting England Men’s 1000th Test which will be against India from Wednesday 1 August. As always, we are very much looking forward to welcoming our fans throughout the Specsavers Test Match. Edgbaston has invested and made significant improvements to the stadium’s facilities to make sure we deliver a truly unforgettable match day experience for all those attending. Please continue reading for your full spectator guide so that you can start planning your day before you arrive to Edgbaston.
SPECTATOR GUIDE – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Firstly, here are our TOP four things to remember:
1. Gates open at 9am on all days
2. We strongly recommend leaving bags at home to speed up entry
3. If you have booked car parking – you MUST register your number plate
4. Please keep hydrated and we also recommend you bring a hat and sun cream (especially if you have kids coming along with you).
TICKETS
If you haven’t purchased tickets yet, there is still some available so please click below to secure a few of the remaining tickets.
If you do have any ticketing queries prior to the match, then please email tickets@edgbaston.com and we would be delighted to help with any questions you may have. Please note, ticket collection point will be at our Indoor Cricket Centre located on the main car park. If you are wondering what the refund scheme is, then please check the back of your tickets – full terms and conditions can be found there.
KEY TIMINGS
09.00 – Gates Open
11.00 – Match starts
13.00 – Lunch
13.40 – Afternoon session begins
15.40 – Tea
16.00 – Evening session begins
18.00: Scheduled close
CAR PARKING
If you’re travelling to Edgbaston by car, please note that the streets around the stadium are all residential and as such they are subject to stringent parking restrictions throughout the day. The on site car park at Edgbaston Stadium is exclusively for allocated blue badge permit holders and bookings need to be made in advance of our major match days with our Ticket Office, as there is limited availability. Public car parks will be open from 8am and will close at 8pm.
Please note that car parking is now unavailable to book in advance. However, we do have on the day parking available for all days in Calthorpe Park – Red Car Park – (B5 7PH) priced at £15 on a first come first served basis.
IMPORTANT: ADD YOUR NUMBER PLATE
If you have purchased a car parking ticket – PLEASE SEE BELOW – as there has been some recent changes – and we need your car registration numbers.
To speed up entry into our car parks and improve the spectator experience for visitors to Edgbaston this season, we are introducing a new automatic number plate recognition system (ANPR) for all prepaid parking. This will be operated by our official traffic management partner, Park-Live.
Through this system we will be able to:
- Process you into our parking area more quickly
- Improve the safety and security of your vehicle
- Provide a seamless experience to re-book your parking with us in the future
Simply click the button below, enter your booking reference (that you received when making your booking) and add your number plate. It only takes a second, we promise!
SHUTTLE BUSES
National Express West Midlands, our official shuttle bus provider to Warwickshire County Cricket Club, is running regular shuttle buses from the city centre to Edgbaston. Shuttle buses will be available from Smallbrook Queensway (opposite TK Maxx and close to the Bullring) and are convenient for users of both New Street and Moor Street Train Stations.
Buses will be running from to city centre as well as from Edgbaston after close of play. A return journey on our shuttle bus service is available for just £5 for adults and £3.50 for children. You can pre-book your ticket by clicking here or you can purchase on the day.
VIRGIN TRAINS – 10% OFF ADVANCED FARES
As part of the new agreement, Virgin Trains – which operates services to and from Birmingham New Street – will provide discounted fares to Warwickshire Members, international spectators and event delegates who are travelling to the stadium.
Birmingham New Street which is 2 miles away from the Stadium. There are a further 2 main train stations in the City Center, Moor Street (3.1 miles away) and Snow Hill (3.4 miles away).
ROAD CLOSURES
Edgbaston Road directly outside the stadium between the Pershore Road junction and Willows Road will be closed to traffic as usual for 2 hours before the start of play on each day (9-11am) and up to 2 hours after the match finishes.
Safety & Security
Arrive early and minimise what you carry. We strongly recommend leaving bags at home. Fewer bag searches speed up entry.
You will also see additional bag searches and individual ‘pat downs’ which will no doubt add a little more time to your entry in to the stadium. With that in mind, we would recommend that fans head to the stadium in plenty of time to avoid the expected match-day queues. Prior to the match day please make sure that you have checked the full list of what you can and can’t take into the venue which includes cans and glass. For full terms and conditions, please click here.
FOOD & DRINK
Fordhall Farm are our exclusive major match day food catering partner. They supply all 29 units that are open all around the stadium at Edgbaston. All of their meat is fully traceable back to the individual animal. The burgers are 100% Aberdeen Angus, and the sausages are from outdoor reared, free-range pigs- neither contain any artificial additives and are all handmade on the farm in the butchery.
There is also plenty of public catering around the stadium for you and your guests to enjoy. We have worked hard to make sure our public catering has wide range and is full of flavour and includes vegetarian, Halal and healthy alternatives. You will find street food at its finest including pizza, curry, noodles, fish and chips, kebabs, coffee, crepes and doughnuts to ensure all fans have a range of options available. Look out for our latest additions – including our brand new Gin Bar and our Yorkshire Pudding Wraps outlet – which we predict is going to be big hit!
Test Match Hampers
We have recently introduced Picnic Hampers (for 2 people) which are available to pre-order for the Test. These hampers will include breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. The menu is made with the freshest ingredients and has been carefully selected for a day at the cricket. With gates opening at 11am and play scheduled to close at 6.30pm, these hampers will mean you can enjoy world class cricket as well as amazing food during the whole day. For full details on hampers including price and what’s included, please click here.
There will also be a selection of hampers that can be purchased on the day from cubs corner.
Cub’s Corner
For the first time ever, there is a dedicated food outlet, especially for children. Located in the Exhibition Hall, here you will find kids lunchboxes for sale, as well as a variety of snacks and treats.
Other Kids Options
Around the ground, every food outlet will have a kids option- all £5 with a bottle of water included. Some examples of this are sausage & chips, slow cooked pork & chips, half yorky pud, beef & veg and half cheese salad baguette & salad.
Real Ale
Due to customer demand and our fantastic partnership with Marston’s Brewery we have put a real focus on real ale over the last couple of years having arguably the best range of cask ales across any stadium in the country. We have two dedicated real ale bars serving 6 different cask ales , including seasonal guest ales as well as craft beer, and a wide array of bottled ales in hospitality areas.
E-Cups
Edgbaston Stadium understands how important sustainability is and works hard to make sure the products we use are responsibly sourced whist reducing our carbon footprint – reusable e-cups have therefore been in place at Edgbaston since 2016. With the help of our fans, we are going to be able to reduce the volume of waste at the Stadium and lower our carbon footprint and our aim to reduce landfill waste by 10 tonnes.
Matchday spectators will pay a £1 deposit for their e cup with their first drink. Every subsequent drink will be poured into a clean e cup and when the spectator has finished drinking, they can either keep the e cup as a souvenir or return it to an e cup refund point in exchange for their deposit.
The e cups can be reused many times over and then at the end of their life they are recycled into other useful objects.
Hydration Station
We have also placed 5 hydration stations around the ground, so you’ll be able to fill up your water bottle all day from where ever you are seated. With this weather, please make sure that you keep hydrated throughout the day.
Bringing Food & Drink Into The Stadium
Picnics are allowed in the ground, but alcohol, glass bottles are cans are all prohibited and will be taken on arrival. For full terms are conditions please click here.
Dietary Information
In terms of GF/Vegetarian(V)/Vegan(VG)/Halal options each trader on the day will have all the product information and will be happy to come up with some options for customers. Some examples are included for some of the units.
Fordhall Farm BBQ/Shack BBQ/Burger Barn: (V, CG,GF,H) Chips (GF, V, VG) Falafel & Spinach Burger (V) Without Bun-sub salad/chips (GF, VG, H)
All units have up to date allergen sheets, and on Fordhall Farm units we can put together a meal to fit with allergens if customers make us aware.
Free Stadium Wi-Fi
Working with the ECB and The Cloud, Edgbaston has installed a state of the art free Wi-Fi available for all spectators in 2018. To connect search for Wi-Fi networks and select “_The Cloud” upon connection login using your existing Cloud account or complete a once only registration form.
Prayer Area and Baby Changing Facility
Edgbaston has a prayer room, which is accessible throughout play, located on the first floor of the West Stand by the entrance to the Visitor & Learning Centre. In the South Stand on the concourse, you will also find a baby changing facility should you require this.
A smiling band of volunteers together with Edgbaston’s experienced team will be on hand throughout the day to assist, direct and generally ensure you have a great time at Edgbaston so please don’t hesitate to ask them should you need directions or have any other questions.
Merchandise
Please visit the Edgbaston Shop where you will be able to find a range of fantastic merchandise including replica kit, caps, t-shirts and jerseys.
Eric Hollies Stand – Snaptivity
If you’re sat in the Eric Hollies Stand, download the Snaptivity app on your smart phone to access photos of your Test Match experience.
