Commercial and Hospitality
The Club now also has a plush hospitality suite, offering services day and night, on a full week basis; this consists of one major restaurant and over ten corporate boxes, these are held for an array of occasions varying from businesses holding meetings or for clients to entertain business colleagues, private functions such as group meals and parties, and for other events for the public to attend such as Slimming World, football programme fairs and company meetings.
The restaurant itself has earned rave reviews from local and far flung visitors, and is generating a constant flow of income for the club, coupled with this, many events such as charity balls, and sportsmans' dinners have been held at the club, enabling after-dinner speakers such as Ron Atkinson, Neil Ruddock and others to come to the club. Other events the stadium has held include an amateur boxing event in order to raise money for local charities. Greenhous Meadow now also has a fully operational clubshop open throughout the week; the club shop is now purpose-built, as opposed to being a stand-alone cabin, as they once had.
The ground has good access to the A5 road/A49 road (at the Shrewsbury by-pass), and also sits adjacent to the Shrewsbury to Hereford railway line (plans for a small halt for football supporters have been mentioned but there have been no firm plans for this.)
The ground is adjacent to the large Meole Brace Retail Park and the Bannatyne's Health Club/Meole Brace Municipal Golf Course complex, however neither site allows football supporter car-parking on match days. Although parking is limited, there is more car parking and far better vehicular access than at the club's old Gay Meadow.
In February 2008 work was completed on a 7-pitch artificial turf complex by the company Powerleague. The complex is located within the grounds of the stadium, between the North Stand and Oteley Road. The company organises 5-a-side football tournaments as well as offering a 7-a-side pitch and bar facilities.
Moving to the new ground, enabled the club for the first time, to win the award of 'League 2 Pitch of the Year' in 2007/08. The award had previously evaded the club owing to the situation of the previous pitch at Gay Meadow which was prone to flooding because of its proximity to the River Severn.
The Club are also shortlisted for 'Family Club of the Year 2009' an award made on the criteria of the club's family facilities, along with the general operation of the club and stadium.
Read more about this topic: New Meadow
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