Princes Park, Dartford

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Princes Park

Location	Dartford, Kent, England
Broke ground	2005
Opened	2006
Owner	Dartford Borough Council
Operator	Dartford F.C.
Surface	Grass
Construction cost	£7 million
Architect	Alexander Sedgley
Tenants	Dartford F.C. Charlton Athletic Ladies Kent Ravens Dartford Road Runners
Capacity	4,100 (642 seated)

Princes Park is a football stadium in Dartford, Kent. It is the new home of Dartford Football Club, the Dartford Roadrunners, the Kent Ravens rugby league club, and Charlton Ladies. The stadium's postcode is DA1 1RT, the closest possible representation of the word "Dart". DA1 1FC was unobtainable, as the letter C is not allocated for use at the end of British postcodes.

Construction work began on November 14, 2005. The first game to be played at the stadium took place on November 11, 2006. Dartford FC, who had been without a home ground in the borough since 1992, beat Horsham YMCA 4-2 in an Isthmian League Division One South league fixture.

Designed by Alexander Sedgley architects, the stadium can hold a capacity of 4,100 (642 seated), and has been described as one of the most ecologically sound ever built: the stadium boasts timber cladding, its own water recycling system and water-collection lake, solar panels and a "living" grassed roof^[1]. The pitch level is sunk 2 meters below the external ground level to reduce noise and light pollution. It is estimated to have cost around £7 million.

Princes Park is also home to an all-weather training pitch available for community use, and the stadium's clubhouse (containing bars, banqueting suites and meeting rooms). A 9-hole golf course, forced to close when construction work on the stadium began, re-opened in October 2007^[2].

Located close to Dartford town centre and the M25 motorway, Princes Park is also served by a dedicated "Fastrack" bus stop. The use of public transport for travel to the ground is encouraged, although there is a dedicated car park with spaces for up to 300 vehicles. Vehicle access is via Grassbanks, a new road named by the winner of a local newspaper competition. On non-matchdays, this is available for use as a "park and ride" station for users of the Fastrack bus service.

Princes Park Logo

The stadium has received many commendations for its design and environmentally-friendly features. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors acknowledged the stadium for being "green", and the venue has received significant publicity in the national press. The stadium's design has also attracted praise: in January 2007, Princes Park was named the Best New Non-League Ground, 2006 by Groundtastic magazine.^[3]; fashion designer and architect Wayne Hemingway called Princes Park "the absolute number one new stadium in the country" - ahead of Arsenal's Emirates Stadium and the new Wembley Stadium - on Sky Sports' Soccer AM in April 2007.^[4]