Carlisle Utd FC
Brunton Park,
Warwick Rd,
Carlisle,
CA1 1LL

Carlisle United’s crest, adopted in 1995, is based on the city’s coat of arms. The red wyverns flanking the shield represent the ancient Kingdom of Cumbria, while the motto below – “Be Just and Fear Not” – is taken from Cardinal Wolsey’s speech to Thomas Cromwell in Shakespeare’s Henry VIII.

Earlier club badges featured a fox, reflecting Carlisle’s traditional nickname, the Foxes, linked to the region’s hunting heritage and the legendary huntsman John Peel. Though now more commonly known as the Cumbrians, the fox remained a club symbol for decades. A long-running matchday ritual once saw mascot Olga the Fox parade a mounted, taxidermied fox before kick-off. This ended in 2015 when flood damage rendered the fox unusable.

One of the old foxy crests previously used by the club

Carlisle is in Cumbria, nearly 10 miles short of the Scottish Border. From the Stroud area it is over 250 miles and takes a bit over 4 hours by road – second only in distance to the journey to Gateshead..

By Supporters Club Coach – this is by far the cheapest and easiest way to travel. For information about Away Travel, including precise details of pick-up locations – look here. For this match, the departure times are The New Lawn – 11.30am, Sainsbury’s Dudbridge – 11.45am, Stonehouse Brunel Way – 12pm

The prices for coach tickets to this match are as follows (Supporters’ Club members get a £3 discount): Adults £44, U-16 £25, U-11 £12

Please note that for 26/27 season, the coach travel for the four long-range trips (Harrogate Town, Barrow, Carlisle United & Gateshead) will be subject to a minimum number of bookings, and thus may not operate.

The decision will be made two weeks before the game so that supporters have sufficient notice and so that we can avoid any cancellation fees for the coach.
If a coach does not operate to an away game, any supporter who has booked on will receive a full refund, and Travel Club members will also receive a pro-rata refund

To book a seat with the supporter’s club discount, please call 0333 123 1889  on Monday, Thursday, or Friday at 11am to 2pm.  Please try to book early.

By Train – Going by train would definitely involve an overnight stay, as there is no way of getting back from Carlisle to Stroud after the game.  It is possible to get there by train, should you wish to see any of this fascinating city pre-match: The journey from Stroud typically takes around five hours,  with changes of train required at Cheltenham Spa and Birmingham New Street. Trains run hourly. The ground is about a 20-minute walk from the station. Bus 685 (usually 2 an hour) runs directly from the station to outside the ground, while bus 63 (every 20 minutes, destination Durranhill) runs from the nearby Cadelli bus stop to near Brunton Park too.

While a standard adult return ticket (valid overnight) costs around a whopping £197, this can be reduced by over one-half through judicious use of split ticketing and advance purchase tickets.

By Car

Brunton Park is situated 1.5 miles on the main route from the M6 (junction 43) to Carlisle City Centre. Use postcode CA1 1LL.

Car parking is available in the Supporters Car Park, £5 for cars, £15 for Minibus and £20 for coaches

Currently there is only unreserved Blue Badge parking available on the east side of the stadium on a first come, first served basis. This is accessed from Warwick Road at the crossroads by the traffic lights.

Local streets operate as disc zones and offer 2 hours free parking.

Carlisle United have played at Brunton Park since 1909. It’s a ground full of character, most visually notable for the Warwick Road End to the south, the triple-triangle roof of which gives it a distinctive silhouette. Brunton Park is also the largest stadium in England still to feature terracing – and plenty of it – though much of this is rarely opened, with the near-18,000 capacity far exceeding current attendance levels.

A quirky feature is the east stand, which is visibly misaligned – extending awkwardly beyond the goal line. This stems from an abandoned plan to modernise the ground and shift the pitch northwards; only this stand was built before the scheme was shelved.

Set on the floodplain of the River Eden and the River Petterill, Brunton Park has a long history of flooding. The most serious incident came in December 2015, when the stadium was left underwater, forcing Carlisle to host “home” games at venues as far afield as Blackburn, Blackpool, and Preston.

The away ticket office is located at the north end of what’s now known as the Andrew Jenkins Stand Sponsored by Pioneer Foodservice, just to the right at the rear of the ground and close to the away fans’ entrance. This year, away fans are housed in the uncovered terrace at the north end of the ground, the Petterill (or Waterworks) End, so don’t forget a raincoat!  Refreshments are available but no alcohol can be served in this area. While this area is mostly standing, there are also 66 (unreservable) seats provided.

Away fans are welcome to use the Fan Zone located on the West side of the ground

Please note that all payments in the away end are CARD and CONTACTLESS ONLY

Ticket prices for the 2026/27 season are as follows, and can be purchased here.

• Adults – £20 (in advance), £23 (on the day)
• Senior  (65+) – £17 (in advance), £20 (on the day)
• Young Person (18-22) – £14 (in advance), £17 (on the day)
• Junior (14-17) – £9 (in advance), £10 (on the day)
• Junior (11-13) – £9 (in advance), £10 (on the day) – must be purchased with an over-18 ticket
• Family Junior (11-17)  – £7 (in advance), £8 (on the day) – must be purchased with an over-18 ticket
• Child (7-10) – £6 (in advance), £7 (on the day) – must be purchased with an over-18 ticket
• Child (Under 7) – Free – must be purchased with an over-18 ticket
• Wheelchair – £17 (in advance), £20 (on the day)
• Carer – Free

*Up to two Family Junior tickets can be bought with each Adult ticket, or one with each Senior ticket.

Wheelchair tickets and Carer tickets will need to be purchased direct from Carlisle United. Please email ticketoffice@carlisleunited.co.uk. All ambulant disabled supporters on an enhanced rate of care qualify for a free carer’s ticket. A PIP or DWP letter will need to be provided.

Legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly took his first step in management in 1949 at Carlisle, where he stayed for 2 years.

Trying to live up to expectations of being among the favourites tipped for promotion, in short. The Cumbrians finished a very respectable third in last year’s National League contest, with a points tally of 95 that in other years might have gained them automatic promotion. In the end, fourth-placed Boreham Wood, fresh from eliminating Rovers from the promotion race, knocked out Carlisle in the semi-final, although they required extra time to do it. Over the summer the recruiting team have been busy: on the one hand there has been a big clear-out; on the other hand, there are lots of incomers. Perhaps first and foremost among them is Rovers very own Harvey Bunker, who has already made a very positive impression in the fifth tier’s northernmost team. Other new signings include Archie Mair as goalkeeper and central midfielder Miguel Azeez, both of whom came to Carlisle from Morecambe. Incoming manager Rob Elliot three players from his old team,. Gateshead: right-back Kenton Richardson, centre-back Brad Nicholson and keeper Adam Desbois. Centre-back Toby Mallarkey has come in on loan from Fleetwood Town. 

The Cumbrians’ early season performance has been adequate rather than outstanding, with two wins (over Scunthorpe Utd and Hornchurch), three draws and two losses among their first seven games. More positively, Carlisle have scored 15 goals in league games so far – a tally currently exceeded only by the current top three teams: Boreham Wood, Harrogate Town and AFC Fylde.

Rob Elliot joined Carlisle at the end of last season, on 28 May 2026. He had spent the previous five months working wonders at Gateshead, ensuring they escaped the relegation zone following a dreadful start to the season, being bottom-placed when he started with them. In his previous spell managing the Heed in 2022/23, he had taken the team to the brink of promotion from the National League (only for the club to be excluded from the playoffs because of their lease on the ground not meeting EFL requirements) as well as to victory in the FA Trophy. In 2024 Elliot moved on to Crawley Town, but remained in post for only six-and-a-half months. As a player, Elliot was a goalkeeper, spending seven years at Charlton Athletic, and nine years at Newcastle Utd (although he was their first choice keeper for only one season). He also played on loan from Charlton for Accrington Stanley.

Carlisle United were formed in 1904, and for most of their existence – since 1909 – have played at Brunton Park. After initially playing in the Lancashire Combination and the North Eastern League, in 1928 they were elected to Division Three (North). Although most of the subsequent decades found them in either the third or fourth tier, the team spent 15 seasons in the Division Two between the mid-1960s and mid-1980s, their success peaking in 1974/75, when they spent one season in Division One. Although they finished bottom and were instantly relegated, three games into the season, having defeated Chelsea, Middlesbrough and Spurs, Carlisle were on top of English football. – somethat that not even Bill Shankly could have dreamed of when he managed the club as his first managerial role, although he had described their promotion to Division One as “the greatest feat in the history of the game”.

Carlisle United endured a turbulent spell in the 1990s under owner Michael Knighton, who had previously held a stake in Manchester United. Knighton boldly declared his ambition to take Carlisle into the Premier League—but things quickly unraveled. After controversially appointing himself manager, the club was relegated to the fourth tier. Their Football League status was saved in dramatic fashion in 1999, thanks to a last-minute goal by loan goalkeeper Jimmy Glass.

Relegation to the Conference finally came in 2003, making Carlisle the first club to have played in all top five tiers of English football. A revival followed, with back-to-back promotions lifting them to League One by 2006. They remained at that level until 2014, reaching the play-offs in 2007/08, before slipping to League Two in 2016/17. Promotion back to League One in 2022/23 brought fresh hope, but was followed by back-to-back relegations—leaving the Cumbrians once again outside the Football League.

Last season’s away fixture at Brunton Park, played on a Saturday in October, was rather a disappointment for Rovers fans, but especially the intrepid 124 who’d made the long trip north – although it was an enjoyable game for a neutral, with six goals in total. Carlisle took the lead in the first half, with a goals from Regan Linney. FGR equalised through Jayden Clarke, only for Linney to give the Cumbrians the lead again just before half time. A second-half goal from Harvey Bunker (which Carlisle’s management clearly noticed) put things back on a level pegging, but another goals from Carlisle in the closing minutes of the second half, followed by an injury time penalty, left the result 4-2.   The result sent Rovers from second in the table down to fifth, and was their second (and second consecutive) defeat of the season.

Last season’s match at The New Lawn between the two teams, held on Valentine’s Day, was no less frustrating for Rovers, ending in a 3-1 defeat. Carlisle were 3-0 up by half time, with Jay Mingi scoring the one goal for Rovers early in the second half.  This was the third defeat in a row for Rovers – even if, in retrospect, there may be some consolation in the two previous defeats having been at the hands of the teams that were eventually promoted at season’s end – York City and Rochdale.

Carlisle is a fascinating place to visit, with a distinctive character shaped by its position as a border city with a long and often turbulent history.

Carlisle Castle —”One of the most besieged castles in England”, once home to the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots, and now includes Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life

Carlisle Cathedral — at the heart of the city for over 900 years, including its famous starlight ceiling designed by Owen Jones

Tullie — Museum and art gallery

Hadrian’s Wall begins just outside the city, while the land-and-sea scapes of the Solway Firth are nearby, too.

A Curiosity of the Twentieth Century: The `Carlisle Experiment’ of Government-owned pubs:

In 1915, concerned about the impact of heavy drinking on munitions production during World War I, the Government took a radical step: it nationalised pubs. The issue was deemed most pressing in the Carlisle–Gretna area, where construction of a massive munitions factory had drawn thousands of workers.

By 1916, the State owned all breweries and around 300 pubs across north Cumbria. The changes were sweeping—beer was watered down, prices were raised, advertising removed, and landlords were paid fixed salaries to discourage overselling. This bold social intervention became known as the Carlisle Experiment.

Surprisingly, it worked. Alcohol-related incidents dropped, productivity improved, and the scheme continued—albeit in a reduced form—until the 1970s. It was also believed to have inspired the design of many privately owned `improved’ pubs built across England between the World Wars.