United kick the new season off at Brunton Park on Saturday with a home game against Swindon Town.
The Blues have bolstered their squad this week with the signings of striker Sam Cosgrove and keeper Shamal George, adding to summer arrivals Richie Bennett, Jack Bonham, Kelvin Etuhu, Hallam Hope and Tom Parkes to make a total of seven new faces through the door.
Town come to Brunton Park with a point to prove following last season’s relegation and they have already been tipped as contenders by the pundits for an immediate bounce-back at the first attempt.
Manager Keith Curle said: “It’s good to be kicking things off at home and we’re all looking forward to getting on with it. The players have built up their fitness and sharpness and there’s a desire inside that dressing room to go one better from what we did last season.
“The preparation we’ve done over these last five weeks has been designed to make sure we hit the ground running on Saturday. The players have had a ball at their feet from day one because I’m a big believer that the best way to get fit for playing football is to play football.
“The games come thick and fast through August and we’re looking forward to seeing you all again. The support you gave us last season was a big part of the reason why we enjoyed a good season.
“You roared us on when we were playing well and you got behind us when things weren’t going our way. That’s all we can ever ask for and hopefully we’ll be giving you plenty to cheer about again."
Remember, you can purchase your tickets by telephone on 0844 371 1921* or buy online and print at home, or order for collection, by clicking HERE.
*Calls to this number are charged at 7p per minute from landlines. Charges from mobiles may vary. A booking fee of £1 applies to all online transactions.
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Thank you to our Big Match Sponsors
This weekend we welcome our back of shirt sponsors World Group as our main Match Sponsors.
World Group have played a huge part in this summer’s refurbishment of our bars, hospitality areas and catering facilities, including significant improvements in our Sunset Suite, and we’re looking forward to seeing them on Saturday.
Our Associate Sponsors are Robert Tweddle and our Match Ball Sponsors are Heineken and House of Vodka. We hope they all enjoy their day in our various hospitality lounges.
As a new season approaches we would like to welcome new advertisers and Business Club members. They include: Scott Duff Solicitors, Lakeland Fleet Management Ltd, Volvo UK, Gordons Construction, Glenrental and Prism Financial Advice.
We also look forward to working with our new catering partners abm Venue Catering and kit suppliers Umbro.
Remember, you can upgrade your match ticket to book a place in Foxy’s Restaurant - £25pp for a two-course meal or £30pp for a three-course meal.
We have an extensive range of sponsorship opportunities available, from Match Day sponsorship to player and ball sponsorship packages. For more information please contact the Commercial Department on 01228 554 155 or email commercial@carlisleunited.co.uk
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Pick up your brand new Umbro home and away replica kits!
Our Blues Store will be open from 10am on Saturday morning for the sale on our brand new double-diamond Umbro home and away kits as we say hello to the 2017/18 campaign.
Both kits have been extremely well received since they were revealed in July and now is the chance for you to show your colours as you back the Blues this season.
Some of our first team players will be popping into the Blues Store at around 2pm – be there for a selfie with your new shirt if you can make it!
Telephone sales: 01228 554 138 (during store working hours only).
To shop at our online Blues Store, click HERE.
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Sunset Suite and catering facilities refurbished
Our new-look Sunset Suite is open again on Saturday following its recent revamp.
Renovations have been in progress over the last few weeks on the room which includes the installation of new flooring, redecorating and the addition new furniture and new TV's.
Sales and Marketing Director Phil King said: “Club sponsors World Group, and Matthew Spooner in particular, have been a great assistance in renovating and expanding the catering facilities at Paddock South and behind the Warwick Road End.
“World Group have also teamed up with other local businesses, including John Heaney at EEC, Colin Carter at Yesss Electrical, Peter Tyson’s, Atlas Interiors, Pioneer Foodservice, Donaldson’s Furnishers and Carlisle Glass in assisting with the refurbishment of the Sunset Suite.
“As I say, we feel the changes we’ve put in place will be well received by our fans and we’re looking forward to hearing the feedback on what we feel is a much improved facility.”
All other hospitality areas and bars will also be open as normal.
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The Mascots
Our mascots for this game are Finley Beveridge and Ellis Rae.
Finley is a big Nicky Adams fan and Ellis tells us his favourite player is Danny Grainger. They are both predicting a comfortable win for United – let’s hope they are right!
Have a great day lads!
And good luck to the children from Northbank who are taking part in this weekend’s half-time penalty shoot-out.
To find out more about our Junior Blues membership and how to become a mascot, click HERE.
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The Man in the Middle
Our match referee this weekend is Andy Haines.
Mr Haines took charge of 37 games last season and showed 113 yellow cards and five reds.
His last visit to Brunton Park was just under a year ago when he was the man in the middle for our 1-0 win over Plymouth. Reggie Lambe scored United’s goal and Danny Grainger was our only name taken on the day.
Our betting partner Sky Bet has some fantastic odds available on all match markets – click HERE for more details.
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The Match Programme
Issue 1 of this season’s The Blues match day programme is on sale from our usual programme selling points and outlets around the ground.
It’s a 64-page publication this season and it’s packed with fun, facts and features to keep you entertained during the half time break.
Our popular Head2Head feature is back and, to kick things off, captain Danny Grainger goes up against Luke Joyce with some searching questions answered. We also find out what makes John O’Sullivan tick as he confines team mates and unsavoury items to Room 101.
Priced at just £3 it’s one not to be missed.
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Match Day Ticket Sales
Match Day Ticket Sales are as follows:
Main Stand [B, C, Pirelli Family Stand and EWM] – from the ticket office situated on the west side of the stadium.
Paddock – from the Paddock ticket office situated at the southern end of the Paddock.
Pioneer Foods Stand and Warwick Road End – from the Pioneer Foods Stand ticket office situated on the ground floor on the east side of the stadium.
Away fans – from the away ticket office situated at the northern end of the Pioneer Foods Stand.
Remember – during the working week our Pioneer Foods Stand ticket office, situated on the first floor of the Pioneer Foods stand, is open for ticket sales for ALL areas of the ground.
The ticket office on the west side of the stadium is open on MATCH DAYS ONLY.
The ticket office is open from 10am to 5pm on weekdays (and until kick off for midweek games) and from 10am to 5.15pm on weekend match days.
It is worth noting that entry can be gained on match days by showing your ticket confirmation email on your smart phone or equivalent device. Simply present the relevant section of your eTicket for scanning at point of entry.
For full ticket office opening times and ticket prices, click HERE.
Remember, you can purchase your tickets by telephone on 0844 371 1921* or buy online and print at home, or order for collection, by clicking HERE.
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Golden Gamble
Keep your eye out for our Golden Gamble sellers around the ground ahead of kick off.
Your tickets can be purchased for just £1 (or at 3 for £2) and give you the chance to win either £100, or the share of a cash pot, in our half time draws.
And, while we’re on the subject, why not sign up to our exciting Blues Lotto? For just £1 you can purchase 10 lucky numbers for our weekly draw giving you the chance to win cash prizes from our fund of nearly £60,000.
There is now the opportunity to pay an additional £1 per week to upgrade to Premier Membership where there is another £17,000 cash, 3 new cars and many other prizes waiting to be won.
For more details visit www.blueslotto.co.uk or email lottery@carlisleunited.co.uk.
Alternatively call 01228 526 237 and ask for Ewan Wood.
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The Blues Store in the East Stand
We are delighted to announce that our Blues Store will be operating from the Club Bar adjacent to the Family Zone in the Pioneer Foods Stand once again this weekend.
A full range of stock will be available with the emphasis on smaller items, suitable for the younger visitors to our extremely popular Family Zone games and play area.
Keep your eye out for our mini-tuck shop selling a range of confectionary and drinks.
Replica kit sales continue to go well in our main Blues Store on Warwick Road and it would be great to see you in your favourite colour [blue or carbon] as you cheer on the lads from the stands and the terraces.
Blues Store opening times:
Monday - 10am to 5pm
Tuesday - 10am to 5pm (open until 7.45pm on a match day)
Wednesday - CLOSED
Thursday - 10am to 5pm
Friday - 10am to 5pm
Saturday - 10am to 3pm (open until 5.30pm on match day)
Sunday - CLOSED
Telephone sales: 01228 554 138 (during store working hours only).
Click HERE to shop at our online Blues Store.
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Challenge 25
We are operating the ‘Challenge 25’ policy at Brunton Park this season.
Please do not be offended if you are asked for ID when purchasing alcohol and if you appear to be under the age of 25 to our bar staff.
Thank you for your cooperation.
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The Supporters’ Car Park
Our supporters’ car park is open with parking available at the stadium at just £3.
Please be aware that the ground can be uneven in places, so take care when navigating and walking around the area.
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Local Match Day Travel with Stagecoach
Carlisle Footyrider – get to the match for half the cost!
Stagecoach Cumbria and Carlisle United are working together to make it easier for you to get to Brunton Park on match days.
The Carlisle Footyrider ticket will get you to every first-team home game for half the price of a normal dayrider ticket.
Stagecoach service 76 and 685 takes you straight to Brunton Park. Simply catch service 76 from The Crescent (Stand U) near the train station or service 685 from Carlisle Bus Station.
What you'll need
To get a Carlisle Footyrider ticket you’ll need to show our driver one of the following:
+ A valid Carlisle United season ticket
+ A ticket for that day's match
Where you can travel?
You can get to Brunton Park from anywhere across Cumbria and North Lancashire.
Depending on where you’re travelling from, you can purchase a Footyrider ticket from within the:
+ Carlisle dayrider zone
+ Carlisle dayrider plus zone
+ Explorer zone
How much does it cost?
+ Carlisle dayrider - £1.50
+ Carlisle dayrider plus - £3.35
+ Explorer - £5.40
Click HERE to visit the Stagecoach website for full travel details.