⚽ ROOTS HALL ⚽

Southend United – 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 southendunited.co.uk for the latest ticketing and matchday updates before you travel. ⚠️ IMPORTANT: Roots Hall is currently undergoing a phased redevelopment following the club’s 2024 takeover, with the North West Corner reopened to home fans in April 2026. Capacity and away allocation figures can shift as work progresses, so it’s worth double-checking before you set off.

🏟️ ABOUT ROOTS HALL

Roots Hall has been Southend United’s home since 1955. Built on the very site where the club first played in 1906, the ground was donated to the club by its own supporters after a fundraising effort, and it remains the largest football stadium in Essex. Officially, capacity is 12,392, though it’s currently operating at a slightly reduced capacity while redevelopment work continues across the ground.

The East Stand is the traditional main stand, running along one side of the pitch with executive boxes and the club offices tucked in behind. The West Stand and North Stand both retain their old-fashioned barrel roofs, while the South Stand — a smaller, double-decker affair with the upper tier overhanging the lower — is the most modern part of the ground, dating from 1994. The North West Corner (Blocks X, Y and Z) has been steadily reopening to home fans since 2025 as part of the club’s redevelopment plans.

Away fans are housed in the Solopress North Bank, on one side of the North Stand, with a typical allocation of around 815 seats. For bigger away followings or cup ties, the whole North Bank can be opened up to visiting supporters. Refreshments come from a straightforward kiosk setup inside the stand, and the whole ground — bars, kiosks, ticket office and turnstiles alike — now operates on a cashless, card-only basis.

Southend United, nicknamed the Shrimpers, were founded in 1906 in the Blue Boar pub just up the road from the ground and play in royal blue and white. The club spent a golden spell in the mid-2000s, reaching the Championship as League One champions in 2006, memorably dumping reigning Premier League and League Cup holders Manchester United out of the League Cup 1-0 at Roots Hall that same year. After relegation from the Football League in 2021, Southend have rebuilt steadily in the National League, finishing 6th in 2025-26 and winning the FA Trophy — the club’s first major trophy — on penalties against Wealdstone at Wembley.

Southend-on-Sea itself is a proper seaside town on the Thames Estuary, home to the world’s longest pleasure pier, a lively seafront and an easy train ride from central London — making it a genuinely enjoyable away day even outside the football.

📊 STADIUM SPECIFICATIONS – 2026-27

🚗 GETTING TO ROOTS HALL

Roots Hall is one of the more accessible National League grounds thanks to its proximity to central London — Prittlewell station, on the Greater Anglia line from London Liverpool Street, is just a five-minute walk away. By car, the A127 and A13 both run into Southend from the M25, with street parking available behind the away end and a scattering of town centre car parks within easy walking distance.

🗺️ STADIUM LOCATION MAP

Roots Hall Address: Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, SS2 6NQ | Satnav: SS2 6NQ

🚂 BY TRAIN – Five Minutes from Prittlewell

One of the Easier National League Away Days by Rail: Prittlewell station is just under half a mile from Roots Hall — a flat, five-minute walk. It sits on the Greater Anglia line from London Liverpool Street, with services roughly every 20 minutes and a direct journey of about an hour. Southend Victoria, the line’s terminus, is a similar distance from the ground if you prefer it. Southend Central, served by c2c from London Fenchurch Street, is further out — around a 20-25 minute walk.

Journey Times to Prittlewell / Southend Victoria:

Getting from Prittlewell Station to Roots Hall

💡 Top Tip: Prittlewell, not Southend Victoria or Southend Central, is genuinely the closest station to the ground — don’t be tempted to head straight to the bigger-named stations if Prittlewell is on your route.

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

🚗 BY CAR – A127/A13, Street Parking Behind the Away End

Roots Hall sits close to Southend town centre, reached via the A127 or A13 from the M25. The stadium’s own car park is reserved for season ticket holders and corporate guests, so away fans should plan on street parking or one of the nearby pay-and-display car parks.

If You’re Driving:

• From the M25 (Junction 29): Follow the A127 towards Southend, continuing through the town centre and following signs towards Victoria Avenue.
• From the A13 (Basildon/Thurrock direction): Follow the A13 east into Southend, joining the town’s ring road system and following signs for Victoria Avenue.
• From the North (Chelmsford/A130): Take the A130 south to join the A127, following it into Southend town centre.

Parking Options:

• Street Parking (behind the away end): Residential streets off Fairfax Drive and around are commonly used by away fans — check for restrictions and park considerately.
• Town Centre Car Parks: Several pay-and-display options are available within a 15-20 minute walk of the ground, a solid fallback if the immediate area is full.
• Stadium Car Park: Reserved for season ticket holders and corporate guests — not generally available to away fans.

💡 Top Tip: Arrive in good time to bag a spot on the residential streets behind the North Bank — they fill up quickly for well-supported away followings.

🍺 PUBS & DRINKS NEAR ROOTS HALL

⚠️ IMPORTANT ADVICE: The pubs immediately around the ground are small, local, and matchday-focused. For a wider choice with less risk of feeling like you’re gatecrashing a home pub, the High Street and seafront area — a short bus or taxi ride away — offers plenty more options.

🍺 Near the Ground

⚠️ Near the Stadium (Exercise Caution)

🍺 Southend Town Centre / High Street

🍔 Food Options: East Street and the surrounding streets near the ground have a handful of chippies and takeaways, while Southend’s High Street and seafront offer a far wider choice of cafes, restaurants and the classic seaside fish-and-chip shops.

💡 Local Tip: If you fancy combining the pre-match pint with a look at the seafront, Southend’s Golden Mile has plenty of bars and pubs with an easy bus link back up to Victoria Avenue in time for kick-off.

🏨 WHERE TO STAY IN SOUTHEND-ON-SEA

Southend has a good spread of accommodation from budget chains to seafront hotels with proper sea views, reflecting its status as a long-established seaside resort. Booking ahead is sensible for busier weekend fixtures, particularly in summer when the town is also popular with holidaymakers.

💷 Budget Options (£50-80 per night)

💷💷 Mid-Range Options (£80-140 per night)

💷💷💷 Luxury Options (£140+ per night)

⚠️ Booking Advice

🎯 THINGS TO DO IN SOUTHEND-ON-SEA

Southend is a proper traditional British seaside resort, and there’s genuinely enough to fill an entire weekend around the football, particularly if the weather plays ball.

Nearby

🦀 THE SOUTHEND EXPERIENCE

⚽ THE MATCHDAY EXPERIENCE

💭 FINAL THOUGHTS

Roots Hall is a ground with genuine scale and history behind it — the largest stadium in Essex, built on the very site where the club began, and currently in the midst of an encouraging redevelopment as new owners try to restore some shine to a club that’s had a genuinely tough couple of decades. The away end is compact but well-kept, and the whole ground now operates cashless, so come prepared with a card.

Southend-on-Sea itself is the real bonus here. This is a proper seaside resort with the world’s longest pleasure pier, a lively seafront, and enough family attractions to fill a whole day either side of kick-off. Few National League away days offer such an easy combination of football and a genuine day at the seaside.

Add in one of the easiest rail journeys in the division for anyone travelling via London — under an hour from Liverpool Street straight to Prittlewell’s doorstep — and this is a genuinely low-hassle away day with plenty to see beyond the 90 minutes. Southend’s recent FA Trophy success only adds to the sense that the club is on the way back up.

A proper seaside away day with an easy journey and a ground full of history. ⚽

⚽ Come On You Blues! ⚽

📞 USEFUL CONTACTS

⚡ QUICK REFERENCE – ROOTS HALL

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

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