dcfc.co.uk takes a look at what’s happening in-and-around Pride Park Stadium for tonight’s npower Championship game against Charlton Athletic.
Match Tickets
Tickets for tonight’s npower Championship clash with the Addicks will be on sale right up until kick-off. Match tickets for Derby County fans are on sale from 9am from the Digonex Ticket Office, right the way through to 7:45pm. Supporters will be able to gain entry to the home areas of the stadium from 6:30pm and an attendance of in and around 20,000 is expected. To take a look at matchday prices for tonight’s game, which is a Bronze category fixture, under the wing of Demand Based Pricing; please visit WeAreDerby.com to view the best possible price.
Ticket Collections
Matchday ticket collections can be made from the Ticket Collection Booth located outside of Starbucks.
Away Fans
Charlton Athletic had sold around 300 tickets as of 9am this morning, and visiting supporters can purchase tickets right up until kick-off. Tickets can be purchased from the Digonex Ticket Office.
Matchday Programme
The 76-page edition of Derby County’s official matchday programme, The Ram, will be on sale in-and-around Pride Park Stadium this evening for just £3. The Ram is packed with exclusive Derby County content, and includes a one-on-one interview with injured Club Captain Shaun Barker, as well as plenty of columns and features from those that matter at Pride Park – including Dishing The Dirt with Frank Fielding and John Brayford provides his First, Last & Everything. Chairman Andy Appleby also provides an update from the Boardroom to review the Transfer Window, which came to a close on the final day of last month.
Matchday Sponsors
Matchday Sponsor - Principle Match Sponsor (Franklin Underwood)
Franklin Underwood are corporate partnership specialists working from their purpose built offices on Pride Park, and offer a wide range of accounting, auditing and taxation services. Their team of qualified accountants work together to provide a service that is second to none, and their hard work, professionalism and dedication to their diverse range of clients has led to their continued success and development. For more information log on to franklinunderwood.co.uk.
Matchday Sponsor - Mitre Matchball Sponsor (Bott)
Bott, with over 35 years’ experience in delivering a quality service and value for money in the specialist vehicle enhancement industry. Their highly skilled team provides bespoke solutions for an extensive range of applications, including emergency services, utilities, business services and public sector. From consultation, design and manufacture to installation, logistics and recycling, they will manage it all for you. Bott will work with you to optimise your vehicle conversion, while meeting legislative and regulatory requirements. Safety is integral to their designs and Bott’s commitment to product durability means they will provide you with a long-term investment.
Matchday Sponsor – Kit Sponsor (Kuhne & Nagel)
Kuhne & Nagel are a leading global provider of innovative and fully integrated supply chain solutions across Airfreight, Seafreight, Contract Logistics and overload transportation. For more information please visit kuhne-nagel.com.
Concourse Offers
The ‘Early Bird’ offer will continue to run on the concourses for tonight’s game and will be running between 6:30pm-7:30pm. All supporters who purchase a pint of lager during the first hour of the turnstiles being open will receive a 60p discount, meaning all pints cost £3. After 7:30pm, pints of lager will cost £3.60. Also, supporters who purchase a pie by new suppliers Holland’s will receive a loyalty card which entitles them to a free pie for every five they buy during the season.
McFarland’s Bar @ The Pedigree Suite
The newly-named McFarland’s Bar @ The Pedigree Suite will be open for supporters. The bar is open exclusively for season ticket holders on a membership only basis, costing just £25 per person. McFarland’s Bar @ The Pedigree Suite will be hosted at each home game by a Derby County compere who will deliver sports quiz competitions, interview special guests and distribute prizes courtesy of Club Partner Marston’s. Past and present Derby County players, plus mascot Rammie, will be regularly in attendance throughout the campaign. In addition a wide range of wines, beers and soft drinks will be on offer, with the best beer prices around from only £2.50 per pint available from opening time until 90 minutes before kick-off. A choice of hot food will also be available to purchase from the newly installed Butcher’s Block facility. Find out more about McFarland's Bar by calling 0871 472 1884.
DCFCMEGASTORE
The DCFCMEGASTORE, located at Pride Park Stadium, will be open from 9am -with the new-look home and away shirts currently on sale after going on sale last month. Manufactured by Kappa, both kits have been a big hit with supporters and the Rams are pleased to confirm healthy sales figures. As well as the DCFCMEGASTORE, supporters can purchase merchandise from the DCFCMEGASTORE unit located outside Starbucks, with training and leisurewear items, as well as plenty of pocket money items for kids, are also available.
The Big Screen
The recently-installed big screen at Pride Park Stadium made its league bow against Sheffield Wednesday two weeks ago, and there’s plenty more content coming your way tonight. There’s plenty of pre-match content to be viewed, including chats with Nigel Clough and Frank Fielding – plus an interview with Shaun Barker ahead of ‘Shaun’s Shave’ on Saturday. Be sure to be in your seats by 7:30pm to ensure you’re part of the pre-match build-up, with the Big Screen showing footage prior to kick-off to build up the atmosphere inside the Stadium.
Flag Walk
The giant Derby County flag which is normally floated through the stands pre-match will be paraded around the pitch pre-game as a mark of respect to 86-year-old Rams fan Douglas Else, who sadly passed away last week.
Man Of The Match Voting
Derby County fans will be able to vote for their Man of the Match against the Addicks, to add a more interactive feel to matchdays at Pride Park. Fans will be able to vote for their star man and play their part during the 90 minutes via text message; with full details to appear on the Big Screen during the game on how to vote. One lucky fan will be selected at random, who voted for the Man of the Match winner, to win a signed photograph of the player.
New Official Derby County Car Park At Railway Technical Centre (DE24 8UP)
Tonight’s match against Charlton sees the launch of a new official Derby County matchday car park on the site of the Railway Technical Centre (RTC) on London Road. From tonight, and for the rest of the season, supporters can park at the RTC for £5 per car and the site will be clearly signed and managed before, during and after each match by parking attendants working on behalf of the Club. There is room for 400 cars in total and the site has good pedestrian access to the stadium via Deadman’s Lane and Royal Way. This is a great place to park if you want to beat the post-match traffic getting away from Pride Park after the final whistle.
New Matchday Bus Services To Pride Park
The Sheffield Wednesday and Watford games saw the launch of two new matchday bus services from Mickleover (DC1) and Sinfin (DC2) to Pride Park Stadium, run by Arriva Midlands – and the services will run throughout the campaign. A single costs £2 and a return is £3.50, while group return tickets, for up to five people, cost £10. The buses drop-off and pick-up right outside the stadium on Royal Way, and you can find timetable and route information by CLICKING HERE.
Charity Collection
Olympics swimmers Rebecca Adlington, Ross Davenport and Mel Marshall are cycling 450km across Africa in four days for Sport in Action. They use sport as a vehicle to educate on Aids/HIV domestic violence and many other key issues.
Rebecca, Ross and Mel are cycling around the side of the pitch at Pride Park Stadium at half time, accompanied by friends and family who will be taking donations for the charity. Derby County fans are asked to kindly donate, either by visiting www.justgiving.com/Zambiacycle to donate via text 70070 enter TPDF50 £10.
Outside Events
The EA Sports Hub will be in town for tonight’s game and will be located outside Starbucks. Supporters will be able to drop by and play the new FIFA 13 Demo, ahead of the game’s launch at the end of this month.
Stay Up To Date On dcfc.co.uk
Derby County supporters who can’t make it to Pride Park Stadium for the game can keep up to date with proceedings right here on dcfc.co.uk. Team news will be posted online from 6:45pm, once the teamsheets have been exchanged in the tunnel – and from there it’s down to Rams Player to keep you up to speed with exclusive match commentary with the BBC Radio Derby sports team. After the game, a full match report, match images and post-match reaction will follow on both dcfc.co.uk and Rams Player.
If there’s anything you think we’ve missed, please get in touch by emailing press.office@dcfc.co.uk.