The MK Dons' marvellous new stadium (
stadiummk) is due to open in Milton Keynes at the end of July, 2007.
It will have a capacity of around 30,000 seats and includes hotel, restaurant and conference facilities.
There is parking at the ground for more than 2,000 cars.
visitmkdons.com owner, Ken Mackenzie, and his son, Sam,
paid a visit recently and, during a free, official tour, they
took some pictures.
Get a free tour
"We booked ourselves onto one of the free guided tours that the MK Dons conduct from time-to-time," said Ken.
"You can reserve a slot online at the MK Dons official website.
The tour takes about 40 minutes and is well worth the visit - the guides tell you all about the features of the stadium,
future plans, etc.. For example, the sound system is concert-quality and
Robbie (Williams) only needs to plug his mike into it when he visits MK next.
But is it art?
"A piece of art has been commissioned that consists of a wall of steel that goes completely around the unique concourse
inside the stadium - it will have the headshots of 40,000 local schoolkids (including Sam, he hopes) etched into it for free so that they
become part of the history of the stadium and can visit the stadium in the future with their own children and grandchildren.
We think that's a great piece of community art!
That's just not football
"The stadium will support not only football. MK Lions basketball team will play in an indoor arena attached to the south side of the ground.
It is also rumoured that a "top" rugby union club will play at the stadium on Sundays -
not sure which club this is, but there will definitely be top-class rugby played there.
The pitch is durable enough to support both sports, apparently, and is the same as that layed at the new Wembley.
Leg room
"You also get to try out the new, padded, extra leg-room seats as you wander around. They're the same ones that are in the directors' boxes
at the Arsenal's new stadium, allegedly - except that, at the MK Dons, everyone gets one.
Dodgy burgers
"There are unrestricted views of the pitch from every seat and vantage point. Apart from in the toilets, you can see the pitch from everywhere.
A covered walkway (the concourse) goes right around the stadium between the upper and lower tiers. This contains the bars and facilities, of which there are plenty.
So no more queueing in the rain for dodgy burgers, trying to figure out what's happening on the pitch by the noise of the crowd because you can't see!
Oo' are ya, Oo' are ya?
"Seating for away fans is located in the right-hand corner of the North Stand (looking from the pitch).
On matchdays, gates come across to segregate the fans. The away fans have their own bars and facilities within the segregated area.
I can see clearly, now
"The floodlights are hung from just below the roof of the stadium. They are high-definition (HD) lights, which means that they
are compatible with Sky TV's requirements for shooting matches in HD format - apparently there's more chance of a match
being televised if Sky can shoot and broadcast in HD.
Come on, ye Dons!
"It's an amazing stadium and, although not completed when we went round at Easter 2007, you get a real feel for its scale and majesty.
Sam and I are really looking forward to the first match to be played there - we'll be there with the rest of the lads in the Cowshed,
singing and chanting and cheering on the Dons!"
