Local residents are to be given an exclusive opportunity to look around the new Meadowbank Football Stadium.

Dorking Wanderers and Surrey FA, who will both be based at the state-of-the-art town stadium, have announced an Open Day on Monday 19th March for people who live in and around Dorking to see behind the scenes, along with sponsors, schools and youth groups, businesses and local dignitaries.

Speaking about the plans to showcase the stadium, the Dorking Wanderers Development Director Kris Lea says, “Although Meadowbank is the new home of Dorking Wanderers and Surrey FA, we want it to be seen as a facility for the whole of the town. It really is a brand new town centre destination for everyone.”

Alongside Dorking Wanderers’ home matches, over a thousand young local players will be using the stadium each week, Surrey FA will be organising football for all age groups and communities, a soft play area and cafe will serve the park and the new Dorking Wanderers clubhouse and lounge will be open seven days a week with food and refreshments, offering a place for the public to meet, chat and eat. 

“With everything it offers, Meadowbank is a once in a generation development,” says Kris Lea, “and this Open Day is a once only opportunity to see it before anyone else and before it's fully operational.”

The Open Day will begin at 8am with a press call for the stadium’s formal opening. Local and regional media will be joined by members of Mole Valley District Council, dignitaries and some very special guests for the cutting of the ribbon.

That will be followed by a complimentary lunch for sponsors, local business owners, community groups and charities in the Dorking Wanderers lounge from mid-day.

The public events get underway at 4pm, when staff and pupils from schools in and around Dorking, along with youth clubs and parents, are invited to visit the stadium and see the opportunities for young people.

From 7pm to 9pm, the Open Day continues for the general public. Mole Valley residents and people who work in the town are welcome to turn up, take a tour, ask questions and hear about everything planned for the stadium and how they can make the most of it. Complimentary refreshments will be served in the Dorking Wanderers lounge on the first floor of the clubhouse.

While the morning opening is by invitation, the sessions for businesses and community groups, schools, parents and the general public are open for anyone to turn up on the day.

Meadowbank Football Ground is an £8m development on the site of the original stadium. It has been the home of football in Dorking since 1953 and, with its location in the town centre surrounded by the park and St Martin’s church, it’s considered one of southern England’s most iconic locations in non-league football. The new ground is the result of a partnership between Mole Valley District Council, Surrey FA, Dorking Wanderers FC and the local football community, determined to preserve the site for community sport and maximise the development of football in the town.

“We’re proud to be managing such a fantastic facility on behalf of Mole Valley District Council,” says Caroline McRoyall, the Chief Executive of Surrey FA.

“It's a stadium that’s really going to be the pride of Dorking, so we’re looking forward to opening the doors for the day to show people around and engage with everyone about what it has to offer, and how it will benefit grassroots football locally.”

The Open Day comes just two days before the start of a run of 23 Surrey County Cup finals at the venue, with the U18 Midweek Floodlit Final raising the curtain on Wednesday 21st March. Tickets will be available on the gate, in what is expected to be a tight final between two of Surrey's best academy teams.

MEADOWBANK OPEN DAY TIMETABLE

To view the timetable for the entire day, please download the flyer here, which helps break the day down in an easy to follow format.

GET IN TOUCH

For  any questions, please feel free to get in touch:

Luke Lambourne, Marketing and Communications Officer
Surrey FA
Tel:  01372 384747 / 07468 570649
Email:  Luke.Lambourne@SurreyFA.com