Home of the Set Fare Arena - Livingston

The Home of the Set Fare Arena: A Comprehensive Guide

For football enthusiasts seeking a genuine Scottish experience, the Set Fare Arena, officially known as the Tony Macaroni Stadium, presents a compelling destination. Located at Address: Alderstone Rd, Livingston Village, Livingston EH54 7DN, United Kingdom, this stadium serves as the primary home ground for Livingston Football Club. Prospective visitors will find convenient access via public transport, with readily available bus services. The stadium’s telephone number is Phone: 1506417000, and a detailed website provides comprehensive information: Website: livingstonfc.co.uk. The primary specialty of the arena is, of course, providing a venue for live football matches, offering a vibrant atmosphere and a taste of Scottish football culture.

Location and Accessibility

The Set Fare Arena is situated in Livingston Village, a suburb of Edinburgh, within West Lothian. Its location offers a relatively easy commute for fans traveling from across the region. The stadium’s accessibility is a notable feature, boasting a wheelchair-accessible car park and a wheelchair-accessible entrance, ensuring that individuals with mobility requirements can comfortably attend matches. Public transportation is also well-integrated, with numerous bus routes servicing the area, making it a convenient option for those without personal vehicles. Proximity to Livingston village also provides access to a range of amenities and services.

Stadium Features and Amenities

The stadium itself is a well-maintained facility, designed to deliver a positive match-day experience. The pitch is in excellent condition, reflecting the club’s commitment to maintaining a high standard of play. The stadium’s lighting system is reliable, ensuring optimal visibility for both players and spectators. While the stadium caters primarily to the needs of a football ground, it does offer seating for all attendees.

Feedback and Observations – Key Considerations

Customer feedback highlights several aspects of the stadium experience. While many visitors appreciate the safe-feeling atmosphere and the overall enjoyment of watching Scottish football, there are areas for potential improvement. A recurring suggestion is the need for enhanced catering facilities. Many patrons have expressed a desire for a café or indoor seating options, particularly during training sessions, to provide a more comfortable and convenient environment.

Practical Matters and Potential Drawbacks

Parking at the stadium is generally considered good, although it can become congested during peak match times. Temperature control within the stadium has been identified as an area needing attention, with some visitors noting it can be cold and exposed. The seating comfort has also been noted as average, which is typical for a football ground. Furthermore, reports of cold and drafty toilets have been received, suggesting a need for improved maintenance and insulation. Despite these drawbacks, the core functionality of the stadium – providing seating, a roof, and the opportunity to witness live football – remains a significant draw.

Detailed Breakdown of Key Aspects

• Reviews: The Set Fare Arena currently has 425 reviews on Google My Business, offering a broad range of perspectives from attendees.
• Average Opinion: The average rating on Google My Business is 3.7 out of 5, indicating generally positive sentiment, though with room for improvement.
• Accessibility: The provision of wheelchair-accessible facilities is a strong positive, demonstrating a commitment to inclusivity.
• Transportation: Bus routes provide convenient access, enhancing the stadium’s overall accessibility.
• Pitch Condition: The pitch is consistently praised for its excellent condition.

In conclusion, the Set Fare Arena represents a solid venue for experiencing Scottish football. While improvements to catering, temperature control, and toilet facilities could further enhance the overall visitor experience, the stadium’s accessibility, convenient location, and well-maintained pitch make it a worthwhile destination for fans and visitors alike. The average opinion of 3.7/5 suggests a generally positive experience, but also highlights areas where the club can focus its efforts to elevate the stadium to the next level. It’s a place where the passion of Scottish football is palpable, offering a genuine and engaging atmosphere for all who attend.

👍 Reviews of Home of the Set Fare Arena

John R.

4/5

Enjoyable, relaxed and very safe-feeling first experience of watching Scottish football!

S J.

4/5

Could do with having a cafe or some indoor seating as some other clubs do. E.g. while training is on.

Car parking is good.

It's a bit cold/exposed and the seats are nae that comfy - its a football ground so to be expected. But it has seats, it has a roof and you can watch football. Pitch is fine nick and the lights work.

Toilets cold and drafty.

Handy for public transport by bus.

Been to better, been to worse.

Phil S.

2/5

I was the 1st one through the turnstiles in the away end. I headed straight to the gents and the cubicle doors were open. All toilet seats were on the floor!!! At the wash station, there was just cold taps and no soap!!! Not a good start to be honest. I got to my seat, row N seat 32 and the backrest was missing FFS! They're waving goodbye to the premiership and judging by my findings, good riddance!!

Stuart B.

4/5

Parked in the multi storey car park at Almondvale shopping centre costing 50p per hour. From there it was less than a 5 minute walk to the stadium.
I had been able to register as a member online and this enabled me to buy a ticket costing £27.00, which was to print at home or download to phone.
Easy access to my chosen stand and found my seat with ease.
The half time coffee and Scotch pie could have been better and definitely not worth £5.00.
The attendance was 5,531 and the majority were Hibs fans, who created a good atmosphere.
Plenty of police in the ground, but due to the excellent crown segregation their number was overkill. Special mention to the Amberstone steward [582] who, for a young man, excelled.
Good day out and another ground (187) boxed off.

Stephen T.

4/5

The Tony Macaroni Arena also know as the (The Almondvale Stadium or Spaghettihad i wonder where they got that from🤣)is a purpose built stadium opened in 1995 its a small compact but smart stadium with a capacity of 9,512 all four stands are roughly of the same height and two corners of the ground are filled with covered seating .Overall i found it to be an enjoyable day out on my last visit with the Livingston fans being really friendly

Michael D.

4/5

Decent wee stadium & look after the away fans very well, the lounge at the stadium is excellent with great food available for the away support.

lee B.

5/5

Nice community club, good facilities. Good modern stadium. Pictures are from a recent charity match for MND for one of our friends (it's not the livi team ha!).

Simon ?. S.

3/5

Whilst we live in Edinburgh, both my sons were born in St Johns Hospital so both decided they wanted to be Livingston fans. As a Brentford fan I can see the attraction of supporting a team who is never going to be consistently at the top of the league. So we visit the 'Spaghettiad' on a regular basis and whilst I have come to love Livingston FC, the Tony Mac Arena is starting to look a bit worn out. The stands are OK, there are always queues at the food outlets and the toilets, whilst not the worst I've seen need some TLC. Loose taps and sinks barely clinging to the wall and clearly leaks in the ceiling when it rains all adds to the slightly run down ambience. I appreciate it's difficult for clubs at this level to know where to put their money and there have been investments in hospitality and other areas, just not the main stands it would seem. We recently visited Fir Park (Partick Thistle), perhaps a similar sized club and the fan experience of the stadium was much better.
The areas around and underneath the stadium also have a slightly run down look with little if any revenue being generated from the stadium outside of match days.
So in summary, maybe I should have given 2 stars as perhaps that's the way it's heading, but I do know how difficult it is at this level of football to make any sort of money so 3 stars it is and fingers crossed things improve.