What’s changed at St Mary’s? Everything you need to know

As you’ll be aware, the stadium and our footprint has undergone significant upgrades this summer with the introduction of safe standing in the home-fan-only Northam Stand, a new Kids Zone and moving the away fans to the Chapel / Kingsland corner, as well as three new Fan Zones and general improvements to the concourses. So, ahead of the new season kicking off, here’s what you’ll need to know so far. We will have further updates coming so please keep an eye on our news pages for details. 

Getting to the stadium  

• By foot

With the introduction of a new away end, now located in the Chapel / Kingsland corner, you might notice that your usual route getting into the stadium and on to our footprint has now changed. Access into the stadium is best reached via Marine Parade, Britannia Road or via the Railway Footbridge off Northam Road. If fans are sitting in the Chapel Stand, we would advise entering the stadium via Marine Parade. Away fan coaches will now be parked on Melbourne Street, so access for home fans on a matchday will be limited via Melbourne Street.  

• By shuttle bus

Information will be coming soon on new pick-up and drop-off points for anyone taking a shuttle bus from Southampton Central Station or Town Quay to the stadium.

Parking at St Mary’s Stadium

Please be aware that only seasonal pre-booked accessibility parking is available at St Mary’s stadium on matchdays. We will be contacting those that had accessible parking last season shortly to confirm next steps. Unfortunately, due to limited space there are no new spaces available for the pre-booked accessibility parking so please don’t contact us to enquire. We will be launching some paid-for seasonal parking spaces in Ocean Village, with full details and an on-sale date to be announced on our website next week.

Digital Tickets

The Saints Tickets App is new for the 2024/25 season and is available to download now. It ensures fans have the most convenient and flexible way to support Saints at St Mary’s, including the ability to easily transfer tickets to friends or family members. Fans are encouraged to download the app before arriving at the stadium and register using their ‘MySaints’ email address that they used to purchase their Season Ticket or match ticket. Not only will this give you easy access to your ticket, but it will give you the opportunity to benefit from any promotions and offers.

Tickets will be available in the app a week before each match. However, for the first game against Nottingham Forest, these have been added a month out to allow you to check your tickets and ensure everything is set up correctly for this new process.

Download the app in the Apple App Store (iOS) and the Google Play Store (Android). For more information and to follow along with the full step-by-step guide on using the app, click here.

Safe Standing

We are pleased to say that all safe standing has now been installed. It’s one of the largest in the country, with over 7,000 home fans standing in the new Northam Stand and there will also be safe standing in the new Away End in the Chapel / Kingsland corner.

A polite reminder that there will be NO home standing allowed in the Chapel/Kingsland areas. Anyone repeatedly standing will be asked to leave the stadium. We really don’t want to spoil your day so if you want to stand, the Northam Stand is where you need to be. 

New Kids Zone

You’ll notice that the old Family Stand has moved due to the new Away fans area. We are delighted to launch our new Kids Zone, which can be found in between the Chapel Stand and the Itchen Stand. The Kids Zone is the place to be for all Junior Saints fans. Keep an eye out for activities in the family-themed concourse.

New Food and Drinks Offerings

We have a wide range of new food and drink offerings available in each stand. Guinness and Sapporo will now be available in all parts of the ground, and we will also be offering Robinsons fruit drinks and Yazoo Milkshakes.

In terms of food options, we are delighted to announce that we have increased our range by nearly 40% across the stadium. Several items, including burgers, have been replaced by a higher quality range and we’ve added loaded fries, chicken strips and strombolis to our matchday offering within different areas of the stadium.

Our range of confectionary has also been increased by 100%, with a whole new range of sweets, crisps and chocolate on offer.

Perimeter Fence

When you approach St Mary’s you may spot a new red fence which goes all the way around the footprint, and you may be wondering why we have we built this if we are trying to encourage more fans to the stadium!  

Our perimeter fence allows fans to be able to enjoy the outside spaces before kick-off and to soak up the pre-match atmosphere. Those fans sat in the Chapel, Northam and Kingland Stands will also be able to go outside at half-time in a safe environment. The perimeter fence also allows us to create dedicated fan zones and areas on non-matchdays where we will be able to host a variety of events.  

All new Fan Zones

We’re excited to open three dedicated fan zones for all home fans to enjoy as part of your matchday.

Northam Fan Zone – opening on 24th August

Located in the North Car Park, the new Northam Fan Zone will be the ultimate place for all Saints fans for your pre- and post-match entertainment. Please note that the Northam Fan Zone will open for the first home game in the Premier League at 12.00 on Saturday 24th August. A detailed schedule of events will be shared before each match but to give you an idea:  

• The perfect place to grab a pre-match pint or celebrate that Saints win in our new 700-capacity covered structure with more bars and food on offer than ever before. 

• There will be a stage for some fantastic entertainment. Fans can expect live music, pre- and post-match interviews with ex-Saints Legends, current players and the manager amongst much more.  

• There will also be a new 7m screen showing the early and late kick off games. 

New Retail Unit 

The Northam Fan Zone will also include a new retail unit, located on the Northam / Kingsland Corner, with all the latest merchandise and new season kits on sale.

Family Fan Zone – opening on 7th August  

• Located just opposite the Chapel Stand and Kids Zone, in the old South Car Park, is the new Family Fan Zone. The Family Fan Zone will be open for our first pre-season friendly against Lazio on Wednesday 7th August.  

• On matchdays this area will offer supporters fun for the entire family to enjoy, with games, competitions and great entertainment from special guests.  

• You can expect a visit from Sammy and Mary Saint here as well as a range of food and drink outlets and bathroom facilities.  

Kingsland Fan Zone – Will be ready for the 10th August  

• Outside the Kingsland Stand you’ll find our new Kingsland Fan Zone. The Kingsland Fan Zone will first open on Saturday 10th August for our game against Getafe  

• Here you will find a wide range of food and drink offerings, a big screen to watch the early game as well as new covered outdoor seating areas  

• The Gasworks Bar will still be open on matchdays for everyone to enjoy too  

Ticket Office moving and The Dell Bar

The current Ticket Office is still open; however, it will be moving to make way for a new bar called The Dell. The ultimate Saints tribute, The Dell will be a new bar open both on matchdays and non-matchdays. More details on The Dell's official opening will be announced soon.

The Ticket Office will be moving to a new home, with a temporary location set up at the Chapel End of the stadium. We will give an update with full details of the current Ticket Office closure and the temporary office in due course.

CHAMPAGNE BAR - Coming soon! 

We will be converting six of the executive boxes on the top floor of the Itchen North end of the stadium into a new Champagne Bar. This lounge will be available for matchdays and can also be used on non-matchdays as a celebration space for birthdays, anniversaries and much more. More details and the full launch will come later in 2024.