Supporter Information: Portsmouth

Watford will be back in action at The Vic for Boxing Day football when they host Portsmouth in the Sky Bet Championship on Thursday (December 26, 3pm KO).

All at the club are delighted to welcome fans back once again, however it is vital that everyone works together to keep matchdays safe. Ahead of kick-off, below is a list of everything stadium visitors need to know…

Getting to the ground

Stadium address:

Vicarage Road Stadium
Vicarage Road
Watford
WD18 0ER

By Train Or Tube

The nearest station is Watford High Street, a 10-minute walk away from the ground. Watford Junction train station is about a 20-minute walk.

Watford has its own London Underground tube station, which is on the Metropolitan Line and is situated just under one mile from Vicarage Road.

By Car

Due to the club’s partnership with Event Support Team (EST), fans are able to reserve parking spaces in the Field Junior School, Ascot Road Primary School or Holywell Primary School car parks on a match-by-match or seasonal basis, by clicking HERE.

There is no parking available at the ground and street parking is restricted for local residents with matchday permits. Watford General Hospital ensure that their security and parking staff monitor the entrances to the hospital car parks to prevent people from parking on-site.

Discounted CitiPark Parking

CitiPark offers a 25 per cent discount on parking at the Church, Gade and Sutton car parks for Watford supporters.

After parking and watching the game, use the promo code WATFORDFC24 when you are ready to make your payment after the match. This must be done via the CitiPark app at the end of your stay.

With car parks being updated to become fully digital and barrierless, discounted permits that supporters previously used will no longer be active.

Accessibility

All accessible entrances will be open as detailed in the stadium map below:

Full details of the club’s provision for supporters with all types of disability, including visiting supporters, can be found in our Access Statement HERE.

For any access queries please email disabled.supporters@watfordfc.com or call 01923 496262.

Ticketing

All tickets during the 2024/25 campaign will be issued as NFC (Near Field Communication) Mobile Tickets.

Fans can use Apple Wallet or Google Wallet to store their NFC (Near-Field Communication) matchday and season tickets. 

We encourage anyone who experiences difficulties downloading or using their tickets to get in touch with the club directly by emailing supporters@watfordfc.com or calling 01923 223023, so these issues can be resolved.

Dedicated ticketing staff will be on hand at the turnstiles, as well as at the Ticket Information pods, to provide further assistance on the day to anyone who needs it.

Please Arrive Early

In order to reduce the potential for delayed access into the stadium, supporters are asked to arrive as early as possible.

Turnstiles will open 90 minutes before kick-off. The ideal latest arrival point to the stadium is over half-an-hour before kick-off time, please. 

Supporters are advised that arriving after 2.30pm may result in missing the start of the game.

Searches & Bag Checks

Our Bag Policy has been developed to ensure a safe environment for all and to significantly speed up access into the stadium for those coming without bags. Those choosing to bring a bag to the stadium, which meets the criteria below, should be aware that they will be delayed whilst their bag is searched by our security team.

No bag greater than A4 in size (21cm long x 30cm high) is allowed into the stadium.

The following bags will be allowed into the stadium:

·  Personal bags of A4 size or smaller (21cm long x 30cm high)

·  Watford FC paper bags will be allowed into the stadium if the item bought is not deemed by the person searching it to be dangerous. If it is, then the bag is to be taken back to the shop and collected at the end of the game.

·  Any person who requires medicine or medical equipment to be brought in with them and have been issued a Medical Exemption card by Watford Football Club.

All bags that meet the required size to bring into the stadium will be searched by either a steward or SIA Operative.

We Campaign

The We campaign - which sees dedicated club staff working with the hate crime unit at Herts Police to investigate and take appropriate action with all discrimination and abuse incidents reported - is into its sixth season having received over 100 complaints since its inception in Autumn 2019. We thank those supporters who have used the We campaign to date.

If you hear discriminatory abuse, excessive anti-social behaviour or see safeguarding issues, please text ‘We’, followed by seat numbers and details, to 66777 straight away.

The same details will be used at all Watford FC men’s and women’s matches, and Community Trust events, so please work with us to make our stadiums and events enjoyable for all supporters.

Use of the ‘G-Word’

During last season, the club started to raise awareness of the use of the ‘g-word’ in stadiums, which is the derivative of ‘gypsy’ used at the end of a popular chant about our local rivals.

We are fully aware that our supporters have used this chant for several years, and we’re also aware that many of our supporters consider the word to be ‘football banter’ and ‘part of the game’. The word in question is racist, its use can be classed as a hate crime and we will no longer ignore its use at our matches.

Everyone, regardless of their background or beliefs, should feel truly welcome to be part of or associated with our club, so please help us ensure Vicarage Road remains free of racial abuse.

Catering

Watford FC has engaged with a new catering partner this season - Gather & Gather.

Over the course of the campaign, fans can expect to see changes to some of the previous menus and offerings.

Non-Smoking

The club would like to remind supporters that Vicarage Road is a non-smoking stadium, and that this includes vaping.

Supporter Services

Our Supporter Services team are here to help with any queries you may have.

You can get in touch by emailing supporters@watfordfc.com, or via X (@WatfordFCMoose).

On matchday, fans can seek assistance from the team of Vicarage Roadies. The team are dressed in green and are armed with the tools and knowledge to answer all the common queries we receive. They are here to help their fellow Hornets, so if you see a member of the team, please take the time to say hello!