Stadiums in Northampton

Founded back in 1897, Northampton Town Football Club – affectionately known as the Cobblers – has grown to become an 8,000-capacity football club with an impressive history.


It’s quite the transformation from 1899, when they broke their transfer record, spending £50 on Frank Howard. Currently in the lower reaches of English football, the team has yo-yo’ed between divisions in recent times due to repeated relegations and subsequent promotions.
 

The team has had its fair share of problems and were put into administration in the mid-90s and issued with a winding up petition by HM Revenue and Customs in 2015 for unpaid taxes. Despite that, the club has continued to battle on and in 2016 broke its club record for consecutive victories, notching up nine wins on the bounce. Now helmed by ex-Premier League star Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, they’re aiming for a good cup run to rival 2010, when they knocked Liverpool out of the third round of the League Cup.


One of the town’s most recognised and widely-used landmarks, Northampton Racecourse is no longer a functioning track but a 118-acre multi-purpose plot of sports and recreation land used by football, cricket and rugby teams. Alongside that, it boasts several tennis courts, a basketball court, a bowling green, a running track and an adventure playground with a zip-wire and climbing frame complex. Busy every weekend, more than 20 football teams use the pitches for their Sunday League games, while the Listed Pavilion is home to the Umbrella Fair Café and The Medieval Restaurant; both easy to get to when you need to recharge your batteries after a game. Located a mile out of town, the racecourse is a 15-minute walk from our Town Centre hotel, or 10–15 minutes’ drive from our Bedford Road hotel, and a great place to explore as a family or for those looking to get active.

One of the town’s most recognised and widely-used landmarks, Northampton Racecourse is no longer a functioning track but a 118-acre multi-purpose plot of sports and recreation land used by football, cricket and rugby teams. Alongside that, it boasts several tennis courts, a basketball court, a bowling green, a running track and an adventure playground with a zip-wire and climbing frame complex.

Busy every weekend, more than 20 football teams use the pitches for their Sunday League games, while the Listed Pavilion is home to the Umbrella Fair Café and The Medieval Restaurant; both easy to get to when you need to recharge your batteries after a game.

Located a mile out of town, the racecourse is a 15-minute walk from our Town Centre hotel, or 10–15 minutes’ drive from our Bedford Road hotel, and a great place to explore as a family or for those looking to get active.

Found 15 miles and a 25-minute drive away – unless you’re Lewis Hamilton – Silverstone is perhaps Northampton’s greatest claim to fame. The iconic Silverstone circuit is the current home of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, the British MotoGP and Silverstone Classic Weekend. It’s been synonymous with high-speed racing since its first Grand Prix back in 1948.

Taking place in July and August, these events are a draw for people from across the world, with concerts, activities and entertainment taking place in addition to the main racing events. As well as high-octane racing, the circuit also lets you take control of the wheels, offering a range of driving experiences, lessons and even track hire if you’re feeling particularly generous. Race weekends can get heavily congested, so plan your route in advance and arrive early as the roads off the M1 can get very busy. Northampton is the nearest train station with several bus routes servicing the circuit.

Franklin's Gardens opened in 1880 and is home to the Aviva Premiership rugby club, Northampton Saints. Following renovations in 2001, 2005 and 2015, the stadium has a current capacity of over 15,000.

A mile from the town centre, it takes 15 minutes to walk to the ground or you can make the short drive from our Northampton West (Harpole) hotel and take advantage of over 2,000 parking spaces. Alternatively, catch the number 5, 9 or 15 buses, which not only stop outside the stadium but also outside Northampton train station.

There are plenty of eating and drinking options on site, including the recently expanded Village beer marquee, the Rodber Suite, which has its own high-speed beer dispensers (and a pie and pasty stand for the hungry rugby fan), as well as Club Heroes, the stadium’s main restaurant. You can buy tickets from the Northampton Saints’ website for a taste of top-flight rugby union action.