⚽ THE SHAY ⚽

FC Halifax Town – Your Complete Travel Guide for 2026-27

ℹ️ 2026-27 Season Guide: All information has been researched and verified for the 2026-27 National League season. Always check fchalifaxtown.com for the latest ticketing and matchday updates before you travel. Note that the ground is officially the MBi Shay Stadium for sponsorship reasons but is almost always referred to simply as The Shay. A new hybrid pitch was installed in summer 2025.

🏟️ ABOUT THE SHAY

The Shay has been a sporting venue in Halifax since 1921 and remains, even now, an unusually large ground for its level,  officially holding around 14,000, though the realistic configuration for football is closer to 10,400. Set into the side of a hill, it has a genuinely distinctive, enclosed feel with green slopes visible beyond the stands, a rare and rather attractive setting for a fifth-tier ground. The stadium is owned by Ken Davy, owner of Huddersfield Giants, who also uses the venue for his rugby league interests; both Halifax Panthers and, from 2025-26, Huddersfield Panthers play here alongside FC Halifax Town.

The ground has four stands. The Main Stand (East) is a single-tiered, sheltered stand seating 3,500 with corporate hospitality boxes, built during the 2001-02 redevelopment. The South Stand is a terraced area, traditionally the most popular with home fans and home to the South Stand Bar, open to all supporters, but with a capacity of only 200, so it fills up fast. The Skircoat (West) Stand, the oldest part of the ground, is all-seated and, when open, is allocated to away supporters. The North Stand is presently unused.

A notable piece of stadium trivia: part of the Skircoat Stand’s roof was originally sold to Halifax by Manchester City in 1923, salvaged from City’s old Hyde Road ground before their move to Maine Road. The most significant recent change came in summer 2025, when a new hybrid pitch was installed, 95% grass, 5% synthetic, replacing the old surface that had been blamed for injury problems in recent seasons. It makes sense given the ground’s heavy dual use with rugby league.

FC Halifax Town, known as the Shaymen, were formed in 2008 following the liquidation of the original Halifax Town A.F.C., which had played at the same site since 1911. The reformed club has steadily rebuilt, becoming a consistent National League presence and winning the FA Trophy in 2015-16 and 2022-23. They finished 8th in 2025-26 and play in blue and white.

Halifax itself is a genuinely worthwhile West Yorkshire town to visit, with Victorian industrial architecture, the spectacular Piece Hall, and an excellent children’s museum all within easy walking distance of the station and ground.

📊 STADIUM SPECIFICATIONS – 2026-27

🚗 GETTING TO THE SHAY

The Shay is a 10- to 15-minute walk south of Halifax railway station, on the Calder Valley line, with connections to Leeds, Manchester, Bradford, and beyond. The town is also well served by the M62, around 40 minutes from Leeds via the M621 and A58, or from Manchester via the A646 and M62. There is limited parking on site (£3-5), plus town centre car parks within easy reach.

🗺️ STADIUM LOCATION MAP

The Shay Address: Shay Syke, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX1 2YS | Satnav: HX1 2YS

🚂 BY TRAIN – A Short, Easy Walk from the Station

The Calder Valley Line: Halifax station sits on the Calder Valley Line, with regular services to Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Manchester, Blackpool, and York. There’s also a direct Grand Central service from London King’s Cross, making Halifax more accessible from the capital than many National League grounds. From the station, exit and turn left onto Church Street; you can see the floodlights of The Shay from the station approach, and it’s roughly seven minutes’ walk.

Journey Times to Halifax Station:

Getting from Halifax Station to The Shay

💡 Top Tip: The walk from the station passes near the old platforms, which are now part of the Eureka! National Children’s Museum grounds — an interesting bit of local trivia if you’re walking with family.

🔗 Train Times & Tickets: nationalrail.co.uk | thetrainline.com

🚗 BY CAR – M62 Junction 24

From the M62, leave at junction 24 and follow signs for Halifax along the A629. The Shay will be on your right after roughly three miles. There’s a stadium car park (around £3-5), though it can sell out despite a reasonable size; a more basic car park is also available on the banking above it.

If You’re Driving:

• From Manchester/West (M62): Take the A646 towards the M62, then leave at junction 24 and follow signs for Halifax. The ground is on the right after about three miles.
• From Leeds/East (M62): Follow the M621 then A58 into Halifax (approx. 40 mins), or use the M62 junction 24 approach as above.
• From Bradford/North (A629): Follow the A629 directly south into Halifax town centre, with The Shay clearly signposted as you approach.

Parking Options:

• Stadium Car Park (East side): The main car park, usually sells out despite ample size — arrive early. Charges of around £3-5 apply.
• Banking Car Park: A more basic car park on the banking above the main one, also on stadium premises.
• Smaller Car Park near Three Pigeons: A useful option for away fans allocated the Skircoat Stand — smaller but convenient, situated between the railway station and the ground.
• Town Centre Car Parks: Several available within a short walk if the stadium options are full.

💡 Top Tip: Getting out of the ground and town area after the game can involve a mild bottleneck, but once clear of the immediate area the roads home are generally fairly straightforward.

🍺 PUBS & DRINKS NEAR THE SHAY

👍 Genuinely Good Pubs Nearby: Halifax punches well above its weight for pub quality near the ground. The Three Pigeons Ale House is the standout — a Grade II listed gem on the route between the station and the stadium, regularly featured in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide and welcoming to both home and away fans. The South Stand Bar at the ground is also open to all supporters, though its small capacity of 200 means it fills up fast.

🍺 On the Walk from the Station (Recommended)

🍺 Town Centre (10 mins walk)

🍻 At the Stadium

🍴 Food Options: Inside the ground, standard concourse fare is available, with reasonably priced burgers and chips, plus Bovril at half-time, according to away fan reports. The walk from the station passes plenty of food options in the town centre if you want to eat before heading up to the ground.

🍺 Local Tip: The Pump Room, another well-regarded pub on the route, has sadly been closed and boarded up in recent years — check current status before relying on it as a meeting point.

🏨 WHERE TO STAY IN HALIFAX

Halifax has a decent spread of accommodation, from budget chains to characterful independent options, many of them in converted historic buildings that reflect the town’s Victorian industrial heritage. Leeds and Manchester are both within easy reach if you want a wider choice for a weekend trip.

💷 Budget Options (£50-80 per night)

💷💷 Mid-Range Options (£70-120 per night)

💷💷💷 Luxury & Characterful Options

🎯 THINGS TO DO IN HALIFAX

Halifax is a genuinely underrated West Yorkshire town, with a magnificent piece of Georgian architecture at its heart and a strong industrial heritage that’s well preserved across several excellent museums. Nearly everything worth seeing is within easy walking distance of both the station and the ground.

Nearby

🏴️ HALIFAX EXPERIENCE

⚽ MATCHDAY EXPERIENCE

💭 FINAL THOUGHTS

The Shay is one of the more visually distinctive grounds in the National League; set into the side of a hill with genuine green character around it, and large enough to feel like a proper football venue rather than a cramped non-league box. The Skircoat Stand, when allocated to away fans, offers a decent, all-seated vantage point with good acoustics, and the recent hybrid pitch installation should improve the quality of football on display after recent injury-plagued seasons.

Halifax itself deserves more credit than it typically gets. The Piece Hall is a genuinely magnificent piece of Georgian architecture, beautifully restored and now a thriving hub of independent shops and cafes; there’s also a summer series of well bands performing here too, so check out the schedule to combine it with your football trip. It’s well worth a visit anyway and just a short walk from either the station or the ground. Combined with Eureka! for families and Shibden Hall for history buffs, this is a town with genuine substance beyond the football.

For the pre-match pint, the Three Pigeons is an unmissable stop: a CAMRA-recognised, Grade II-listed Art Deco gem conveniently placed between the station and the ground. Combined with good rail connections from across Yorkshire and beyond, this is a genuinely enjoyable, well-rounded away day.

A proper ground, a proper town, and a proper pub on the way. ⚽

⚽ Up the Shaymen! ⚽

📞 USEFUL CONTACTS

⚡ QUICK REFERENCE – THE SHAY

⚽ Football Nonsense — Your complete guide to English football away days

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