A nice summer day in August 2023 and staying at a hotel nearby – visiting the EFL Championship match of the Queens Park Rangers and Ipswich Town at Loftus Road Stadium just felt too tempting not too do it. As tickets were available, I felt to introduce you to this London stadium in the most important way out there – during a match. Hope you enjoy me taking you to a soccer match in West Central London in the second highest English soccer league.
Loftus Road Stadium – Location & Traffic
Loftus Road is located in White City, London. Like many British traditional stadiums, the ground is really located right inside a residential area and surrounded by houses. The four stands cn be accessed by different entrances. I did not visit the QPR FC Superstore, which is located in the Northwest corner of the venue (and thus, ironically, close to the away fans’ area). The Westfield London shopping mall is just a few minutes away, I also introduced you to the Puttshack outlet there.
Going to the stadium by car is rather optimistic – I would definitely recommend to use public transport. The closes Underground station is White City (Central Line), but you can also opt for Wood Lane or Shepherds Bush Market (Circle Line, Hammersmith & City Line). The vibrant Uxbridge Road, which is featuring a wide range of basic shops and restaurants, is also featured by a couple of bus lines. From Heathrow Airport, (LHR), the quickest option is the Elizabeth Line to Ealing Broadway, followed by a transfer to Central Line.
Loftus Road Stadium – Arena & Ticket Situation
Loftus Road Stadium used to run under a significantly higher capacity. The record attendance was over 35k in the 1970’s, nowadays, there are up to 18,439 fans in the ground. The areas behind the goals are reserved for away fans resp. members and families. I have been in the Southern stand named after club legend Stanley Bowles. The stadium does feel quite traditional and has a nice traditional style. I feel even QPR fans would not criticize me to name this one a bit of outdated, compared to modern stadiums, but that’s also the charming part of the visit.
QPR are searching for a place for a new ground rather than upgrading the stadium, as far as I read. However, that will likely be quite a challenge in Central London. I was quite surprised that I managed to get a reasonable ticket the day before the match against Ipswich Town, especially as both clubs come with quite some tradition and the weather forecast was nice. If you are not going for the really limited seats, ticket prices don’t vary too much between 30 GBP and 45 GBP. Even though I was located quite at the West end of the stand (block X), I had a really nice view of the whole pitch. My seat was rather narrow – but that’s also due to my body size.
Loftus Road Stadium – Atmosphere
Even though both teams committed quite a lot of mistakes at that beginning-of-season battle, the atmosphere at Loftus Road Stadium was really great. Finally, that’s the advantage of grounds like this Loftus Road. You still feel English soccer (or football – sorry, I decided to use the American English word to avoid confusion…) as you expect it to be: close to the game, no nets behind the goal, a good fight and brilliant atmosphere. The locals love their Rangers and support them from all spots of the stadium – and Ipswich did their best to create an overall impressive experience.
Loftus Road Stadium – Food & Shopping
Food booth are located right behind the stand. there are some typical stadium favorites, fries, sausages, burgers, some pizza – and of course beer and other drinks. Like in all British stadiums, you are allowed to drink beer in that area, but not on the stands. The price for food was absolutely reasonable. My cheese-loaded fries with a coke were nice and cost 7 GBP. Maybe rather unusual for abroad guests is also that you can do sports betting in the stadium. The sanitary facilities were typical stadium style – not too romantic, but at least efficient. And, to be honest, fancy luxury toilets just would not fit to the charm of Loftus Road Stadium anyway.
Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road Stadium – My View
Even though the match was rather thrilling and dramatic than high class, I had a really good time at the Queens Park Rangers. The stadium might not be as comfortable as modern ones – but that’s exactly why I would consider Loftus Road over Emirates Stadium or its peers. The cheaper and easier ticket situation is also part of that consideration as well as the nice public transport connection. I liked it, definitely.
