Princes Park, Dartford
Dartford 5-0 Harrow Borough
Att 803
01/10/11
It's good to be green.
Here at PDM we have a terrible habit of saying we will visit a new ground but never get round to it. The Withdean, for years, we said we would visit. We didn't until it was the last season there. Bolton is another. It took us 10. We still have the likes of Middlesbrough and Huddersfield as well. We weren't willing to let this happen with Dartford. We have vowed never to make another trip up to Accrington unless there is no other game. With Aldershot playing them on this day we turned to the magic of the FA cup to give us a game, and with little within close proximity that we hadn't been to we settled on Princes park for this FA cup 2nd qualifying game clash.
The ground is easy to get to. Straight of the M25 along princes road and into the car park which was free. We arrived with good time and took the chance to wander around the stadium. It opened in 2006 (see told you we took our time!) and cost £7 million. It features a Seedum roof blanket (google it!), that provides natural air filtration!?!?!. Solar panels serve the changing facilities and heat the water in the toilets. The roof is supported by wooden beams, some water recycling for the clubhouse, and lots of other stuff but I sense you are getting bored. Yes it's quite Eco-friendly.
Now, the ground itself, featured on a large complex, is a nice size for Dartford. The exterior is really smart with no breeze-block/plastic. Wood, bricks and stone instead. The outside slopes down to the main stand which behind has a two tiered wooden building attached. It looks really smart and houses the social club, directors bar and club offices. On top are the solar panels. You enter behind either of the goals. Curving around 3 sides are 8 steps of terrace. The main stand consists four/five steps of seats that arcs over the dugout and tunnel. Behind the "main" part of the ground is a rail and a open "concourse" similar to MK Dons. This leads to separate rooms that house different amenities. The most bizzare part of the ground is a large wooden man. He looks like he is supporting the roof but is really just a decoration.
We entered behind the "home side" and had a mooch around the large and spacious club shop where I purchased my badge for £3. There weren't a lot of people in the ground, as they were in the social bar. We walked the opposite way to the side terrace passing another large room. This time being the refreshment bar. This had a lot of things on offer. This is the same the other side but with the supporters association being housed there as opposed to another club shop. The views around the ground are unobstructed and the roof curves in an arc formation at the centre.
The game itself was always going to be one sided. Harrow had a player sent off after two minutes. They were 3-0 down after half an hour. Dartford let off the gas and only scored two more. It should have been 10. The ground, however, is impressive. It bodes good signs for loer leagues if grounds can be built like Princes Park and Dorchester. One thing that PDM agreed on was that the curving roofs are what makes grounds interesting, as with chesterfield. Without we would have been bored. A definite must do when you find Dartford at home on the fixture list.
The ground is easy to get to. Straight of the M25 along princes road and into the car park which was free. We arrived with good time and took the chance to wander around the stadium. It opened in 2006 (see told you we took our time!) and cost £7 million. It features a Seedum roof blanket (google it!), that provides natural air filtration!?!?!. Solar panels serve the changing facilities and heat the water in the toilets. The roof is supported by wooden beams, some water recycling for the clubhouse, and lots of other stuff but I sense you are getting bored. Yes it's quite Eco-friendly.
Now, the ground itself, featured on a large complex, is a nice size for Dartford. The exterior is really smart with no breeze-block/plastic. Wood, bricks and stone instead. The outside slopes down to the main stand which behind has a two tiered wooden building attached. It looks really smart and houses the social club, directors bar and club offices. On top are the solar panels. You enter behind either of the goals. Curving around 3 sides are 8 steps of terrace. The main stand consists four/five steps of seats that arcs over the dugout and tunnel. Behind the "main" part of the ground is a rail and a open "concourse" similar to MK Dons. This leads to separate rooms that house different amenities. The most bizzare part of the ground is a large wooden man. He looks like he is supporting the roof but is really just a decoration.
We entered behind the "home side" and had a mooch around the large and spacious club shop where I purchased my badge for £3. There weren't a lot of people in the ground, as they were in the social bar. We walked the opposite way to the side terrace passing another large room. This time being the refreshment bar. This had a lot of things on offer. This is the same the other side but with the supporters association being housed there as opposed to another club shop. The views around the ground are unobstructed and the roof curves in an arc formation at the centre.
The game itself was always going to be one sided. Harrow had a player sent off after two minutes. They were 3-0 down after half an hour. Dartford let off the gas and only scored two more. It should have been 10. The ground, however, is impressive. It bodes good signs for loer leagues if grounds can be built like Princes Park and Dorchester. One thing that PDM agreed on was that the curving roofs are what makes grounds interesting, as with chesterfield. Without we would have been bored. A definite must do when you find Dartford at home on the fixture list.