SUNDERLAND V IPSWICH TOWN SATURDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2020, KICK OFF 15:00 Information in this guide is correct as at 5 February 2020. Any updated information on this fixture will be published on the club website (www.itfc.co.uk), twitter (@IpswichTown and @ITFC_Tickets) and facebook (www.facebook.com/officialitfc). INFORMATION FOR TOWN FANS We travel to Sunderland on 8 February 2020 in League One. The following guide has been produced for Town fans making the trip to the Stadium of Light. This is based on information on the Sunderland website plus additional information specific to this game. For any further information, please contact Elizabeth Edwards, Supporter Liaison Officer on [email protected] or (+44) (0) 7968 876504 or on Twitter at @ITFC_SLO. Sunderland information for visiting fans Address: Sunderland Stadium of Light, Sunderland, SR5 1SU Website: https://www.safc.com/ Phone number: 0371 911 1973 Email: [email protected] Facebook: @sunderlandafc Twitter: @SunderlandAFC, @StadiumOfLight Supporter Liaison Officer and Disability Liaison Officer: Chris Waters, phone 0191 551 5122 or email [email protected] The Sunderland website includes various bits of information including: Directions and parking: https://www.safc.com/club/how-to-find-us Stadium guide: https://www.safc.com/fans/stadium-guide Accessibility: https://www.safc.com/tickets/accessibility Frequently asked questions: https://www.safc.com/club/faqs www.footballgroundguide.com provides some information here: https://www.footballgroundguide.com/leagues/england/league-one/stadium-of-light- sunderland.html We have picked out the key information for Town fans below and added other material based on our own experience of visiting the Stadium of Light and information that is specific to our fans. Specific information for Town fans: Ticket news Tickets for this game are priced at £20 for adults, £17 for seniors over 65, £12 for U22s and £7 for U16s. Subject to availability, tickets can be purchased from www.itfcdirect.com (under tickets/away matches) or in Planet Blue on a non-matchday or at the Ticket Office on Constantine Road from 9am prior to home games. Note that supporters who are less able to stand for prolonged periods and who wish to be located in a designated seated area should call the ticket office on 03330 050503. Disabled fans requiring tickets should contact ITFC’s Disability Liaison Officer Lee Smith on 01473 400556 or by email on [email protected]. Travelling to Sunderland Supporters Coach Official coach travel for this game is now sold out. For those travelling from Ipswich the official coaches are leaving Portman Road promptly at 06:45 (please be at Portman Road at least 15 minutes before this). Coaches are estimated to arrive back at Portman Road at 11:45pm. There is a planned stop on both the outward and return journey. Pick-ups at Stowmarket, Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket can be arranged for this game. If you want to organise a pick-up please call the Ticket Enquiries Team on 03330 050503 or email [email protected]. The cut-off point to request a pickup is midday on Wednesday 5 February. Your details will then be passed onto the coach company, Suffolk Norse. Note that all official coaches are non-smoking and the consumption of alcohol on board is strictly forbidden. ITFC recommend that all supporters under 16 are accompanied by an adult. Coaches will park right outside the visitors turnstiles at the stadium to allow fans to get off the coach. They will then return to outside the turnstiles to pick up after the game. Car Note 1: There are long-term roadworks on the A14 (several miles either side of Cambridge) which are resulting in evening and weekend road closures and considerable delays, as it is a very busy road. These are not normally announced until just a day or two in advance. We recommend that you keep an eye on @A14C2H on Twitter – any closures are announced here. Note 2: A new stretch of the A14 is now open which impacts both the outward and return trip. On the outward trip the junction of the A14 / A428 / M11 on the edge of Cambridge is not well signposted, so take it slowly, and beware of even locals getting confused and doing late lane changes! On the return trip the new stretch is from the A1 to about 5 miles west of Cambridge, so you must follow road signs and not your Sat Nav. In particular, if you are joining the A14 from the north on the A1, you will now follow the A1 for a few extra miles before reaching the junction for the A14 East. The Sat Nav postcode for the Stadium of Light is SR5 1SU. The obvious route is the A14 / A1 / A19. As noted above there are major long-term roadworks on the A14 for several miles either side of Cambridge, with a 40mph limit policed by cameras. There is a new stretch open on both the outward and homeward journey. On the outward trip the junction of the A14 / A428 / M11 on the edge of Cambridge is not well signposted, so take it slowly, and follow the road signs. On the return trip the new stretch is from the A1 to about 5 miles west of Cambridge, so you must follow road signs and not your Sat Nav. From the A1 take the exit for the A168 towards the (signposted) A19 / Thirsk / Teesside. Continue on to the A19. From the A19 take the slip road to the A1018 towards Sunderland. Follow the A1018 which goes over the River Wear, and follow signs for the Stadium of Light / Sunderland AFC. Once over the river, turn left into Sheepfolds North (you will go past St Peters railway station) and right into Hay Street. At the end of Hay Street turn left into Millennium Way. At the roundabout take the second exit and you will see the Stadium of Light. The journey time is around four and half hours to five hours but we would recommend allowing at least an hour beyond the AA / Google / SatNav suggested journey time. Note, if there are problems on the A168 / A19, then you can continue on the A1(M) to junction 16 and take the A690 into Sunderland. Parking Parking in the immediate areas around the stadium is limited. Note, that there is permit only parking in some areas and that Police parking restrictions are also put in place around the stadium on a matchday with fixed penalty tickets being issued. Experience suggests that there is street parking nearish to the ground if you are very, very early, but otherwise it is probably best to park in the town centre. The Sunderland website advises fans to park at St. Mary’s (SR1 3AH), Sunniside multi-storey (SR1 1UL) or The Bridges (SR1 3PZ). These are in various positions around the Town Centre and roughly a 10 to 15-minute walk from the stadium. Parking charges apply in these car parks. From experience we have used The Bridges Car Park which links to The Bridges Shopping Centre, which you enter via Debenhams ( http://www.thebridges-shopping.com/shops/). There are usually Town fans in the Debenhams café, wondering how on earth they are having breakfast despite having been up for six hours already. www.footballgroundguide.com also suggests the Stadium of Light Metro Station which charges £4 for car parking. Park and Ride A Park and Ride scheme runs from the Sunderland Enterprise Park on Wessington Way (A1231) which is accessible from the A19. It is clearly signposted; the SatNav postcode is SR5 3XG. Pick up and set down points are clearly marked. Note that these are permanent bus stops at the Enterprise Park, while the pick-up points at the stadium are to the north of the ground on Keir Hardie Way. Buses run every five minutes before the game from 2 hours prior to kick-off and regularly after the game until all fans are back with their cars. Disabled Supporters Parking There are six accessible parking spaces available at the stadium. Disabled supporters needing to book or enquire about accessible car parking spaces can contact the Sunderland general ticket office on 0191 5515004 or via email at [email protected]. Alternatively, contact ITFC’s Disability Liaison Officer Lee Smith on 01473 400556 or by email on [email protected]. Train Note 1: If you are planning on travelling cross-country then note that there is a rail replacement bus between Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds. The nearest stations to the Stadium of Light are Stadium of Light and St Peters which are on the Tyne and Wear Metro line from Newcastle Central Metro to Sunderland Metro. Sunderland station is the next stop from St Peters and is the best stop if you are going into Sunderland town centre before the game. St Peter’s is nearest to the away end, although note that you will need to use the Stadium of Light station to return to Newcastle after the game (see below). Depending on the time of travel (and connection times) it takes anything from just over 5 hours to 5 hours 45 minutes from Ipswich to Sunderland if you go cross-country. Via London, the journey time is around 6 hours. www.greateranglia.co.uk shows cross-country options to get you to Sunderland for kick-off. Leaving Ipswich by bus to Bury St Edmunds at 05:25 or 07:25, the first change is at Bury St Edmunds for a train to Peterborough, where you then take a train to Newcastle.