Wolves return to Molineux on Sunday afternoon as the Old Gold take on Chelsea in the first Premier League clash on Christmas Eve for almost 20 years.
For the thousands of supporters who will be attending the 1pm kick-off, here is everything you need to know ahead of travelling to Molineux…
Tickets
There are a limited number of tickets available through our ticketing website, tickets for this fixture are on sale to supporters who hold a Membership, or for Season Ticket Holders wishing to purchase up to two additional tickets for friends / family.
Season ticket holders will be able to gain entry to the stadium using their season ticket smartcard. When arriving at the turnstile, supporters should tap and hold their smartcards at the front of the reader.
Match to match tickets for this fixture were delivered as print at home tickets or uploaded to membership smartcards. If supporters have selected to upload to smartcard at the checkout when purchasing tickets, to gain entry at the turnstile you will need to tap and hold your smartcard at the front of the reader.
Print at home tickets must be printed in high quality on A4 paper or can be opened on a mobile device allowing for the QR code to be scanned at the turnstiles. Ticket holders should scan barcodes or QR codes in the mouth of the reader when at the turnstiles.
Any supporters who experience any issues relating to their tickets are advised to visit the ticket office prior to kick off.
Flags – Premier League guidance
The safety of all those attending our matches is a priority. Following the Premier League’s consultation with safety and security experts, clubs, football partners and external stakeholders, supporters attending matches will not be permitted to bring Israeli and Palestinian flags into Premier League stadiums for the foreseeable future.
Matchday specific information
Wolves is highlighting its zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination of any kind ahead of the game against Chelsea this Christmas Eve.
At the same fixture last season, arrests were made by West Midlands Police for homophobic chanting and Wolves were also fined £100,000 by the Football Association and issued with an Action Plan by the FA that remains in place for the entirety of the 2023/24 season, which includes increasing awareness of unacceptable behaviour and promoting how to report discrimination at Molineux.
Ahead of the fixture, it is important that all supporters understand that the ‘rent boy’ chant is defined as a homophobic slur by the Crown Prosecution Service – the main public agency for prosecuting crimes in England and Wales – and therefore a hate crime and a prosecutable offence.
More information can be found here.
Travel Advice
Train services will reduce through to the early evening, and cease operating by 7pm. Buses in the local area will be operating on a Sunday schedule up until 10.30pm, and tram services into the city will also be operating on a Sunday timetable.
Supporters are recommend to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journey to Molineux, especially if travelling via public transport. Check full festive services operating across the Transport for West Midlands Network here: http://www.tfwm.org.uk/festive
Train Disruption
Unfortunately, West Midlands Trains services will be significantly impacted on Christmas Eve. Due to a combination of factors across their network, they are anticipating widespread disruption to services in the run up to the Christmas break. Other train operators are also similarly affected with on the day cancellations and changes highly likely.
Fans travelling to the fixture on Christmas Eve are advised to travel as early as possible, continue to check their entire journey throughout the day and make alternative arrangements where possible.
Kit Colours
Wolves will be wearing the 2023/24 gold home shirt and black shorts, with the goalkeeper wearing the pink goalkeeper shirt and pink shorts.
Chelsea will be in their black away shirt with the black third shorts, with the goalkeeper wearing their green goalkeeper shirt and green shorts.
Entering the stadium
Supporters will only be able to gain entry to the stadium using the turnstile block designated on their ticket or season ticket smartcard.
Security and bag searches will take place at the turnstiles. Bags larger than an A4 size will not be permitted. Supporters may be requested to open your own bag to allow it to be searched.
All supporters over the age of 14 will be searched by a steward when entering the stadium.
More information in regard to searching can be found in the ground regulations.
Molineux Fan Zone
The Molineux Fan Zone is located next to Block 5 of the Sir Jack Hayward stand. The Fan Zone will open at 10am and gives an opportunity for supporters to grab food and drink whilst taking in the matchday atmosphere before making their way into the stadium.
This season will see new food and drink vendors in place at the Fan Zone, while bar units will be selling draught beer, wine, spirits and soft drinks. Chatty Patty are due to provide the food, and there will be festive themed activities taking place throughout the Fan Zone.
With family fun and entertainment, Dicky Dodd will once again be hosting the event, which includes the usual Wolves Foundation speed cage as well as inflatable football darts and prizes to be won. Plus, junior members and season ticket holders can also collect their Matchday Passports.
North Bank Bar
The North Bank Bar is located next to block ND of the Stan Cullis stand and is accessible to season ticket holders and MyWolves members and will be open from 10.30am. It will also be open for one hour following the final whistle.
Please note that supporters may be denied entry once capacity has been reached. Junior supporters are welcome.
Food and drink
Concourse catering kiosks will be open inside the stadium for this fixture serving food hot and cold drinks and alcoholic drinks.
A wide range of food options will be available, with both vegan and vegetarian alternatives provided.
Molineux is a cashless stadium and supporters are advised to ensure they have card or contactless payment ready when being served.
Ticket Office
The ticket office is located between the Stan Cullis and Billy Wright Stands and will be open from 9am and will close after kick-off around 2pm.
Molineux Megastore
The Molineux Megastore is located in the Stan Cullis Stand and will be open from 10am up until kick-off, the re-opening following the final whistle until 4pm.
Fan Services
The Fan Services team will be reachable by phone and email from 10am on matchday to answer any matchday enquiries.
The phone line (01902 810485) will close two hours prior to kick-off at 11am, however the fanservices@wolves.co.uk inbox will be monitored up until kick-off.
Supporters can also find up-to-date information on the Fan Services Twitter page at twitter.com/wolveshelp.
Matchday Programme
The official Wolves matchday programme for 2023/24 will be available to purchase outside Molineux before every match this season, with a new-look 84-page edition focusing on the latest Premier League clash and packed full of exclusive and bespoke content and features.
As Wolves welcome Chelsea to Molineux, the programme will include columns from head coach Gary O'Neil and captain Maximilian Kilman, as well as a special look at what Christmas means for footballers as current full-back Matt Doherty compares Christmas 2023 as a player to that of Steve Daley's 1970s festivities.
The programme also includes exclusive chats with leadership group pair Kilman and Mario Lemina, who take part in the Sports Day and Football Beginnings features.
There is also focus on the other areas of the club, as women's first-team striker Amber Hughes talks about the centre-forward position before looking into the future In Five Year's Time, while under-21 defender Kam Kandola outlines the football figures he'd like to pick the brains of and we get to know under-18 goalkeeper Stan Amos.
Programmes, priced at £4, are available to buy by from the Molineux Megastore, from the various programme sellers around the stadium, from the catering kiosks, and by clicking here.
Travelling to Molineux and parking
With as many as 32,000 people trying to get to Molineux Stadium on a matchday, we are very conscious of the impact on the environment and our neighbours.
When making your journey to Molineux Stadium we ask you, wherever possible, to consider travel options that will help us to reduce local traffic jams and inconsiderate parking around the stadium.
Here at Wolves, we want all our fans to be able to travel safely when using public transport, so we’ve partnered with Moovit, the world’s number one urban mobility app, to ensure you have the most up-to-date and accurate journey planning capabilities at your fingertips.
Moovit will provide special instructions for Wolves fans about the best public transport routes to ride, including how to arrive at the dedicated fan areas and specific fan entrances. Not a Moovit user? The Moovit App is available for free on iOS, Android and Huawei AppGallery
Alternatively, supporters can simply use our new journey planner tool by clicking here to plan any journey, benefiting from real-time alerts, service alerts and more, for anywhere across the world.
Supporters can check availability for official matchday parking and book spaces here. Details of further council owned car parks in the city can be found here.
Road closures
A number of road closures around the stadium as part of spectator safety measures will affect supporters on matchdays. Please refer to the road closure map here and information below for details.
Waterloo Road will be closed from the roundabout leading to ASDA up to the traffic lights at Newhampton Road from 90 minutes before kick-off up until a period at the discretion of the matchday safety officer at the end of the game – expected to be between 15 and 30 minutes.
Molineux Street and Sir Jack Hayward Way will be closed from one hour before kick-off, and Whitmore Hill will be closed from 30 minutes prior to kick-off. Road closures are detailed further on the map here. Car parks will be closed until the discretion of the matchday safety officer at the end of the game.
Away fans
Visiting supporters will be located in the lower tier of the Steve Bull Stand for this fixture and can enter the stadium via Turnstile Block 3.
Concourse catering kiosks will be available for away fans, serving food and hot and cold drinks and alcoholic drinks.
Molineux is a cashless stadium and visiting supporters are advised to ensure they have card or contactless payment to hand. Visiting supporters will also be welcome in the Molineux Fan Zone.
Reporting incidents
Supporters can speak to a steward or text WOLVES to 07723 479887.
Here at Wolves we are One Pack, each one of us can embrace this ethos by providing an enjoyable, safe and welcoming environment to everyone at Molineux.
Discrimination, harassment and victimisation relating to gender, sex and sexual orientation as well as religion or race and disability will not be tolerated.
If you experience or witness any form of discriminatory or offensive behaviour and language including comments, chanting and gestures or are feeling unsafe at any point during a matchday, then please let us know and report the incident to your nearest steward or by text message.
Please include your location (for example, the stand you are in, row number, seat number etc), description of the person and details around the incident. We will then monitor the situation discreetly through our matchday control room or matchday staff before deciding on a suitable resolution. All information you provide will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Wolves remain proactive in our attempt to eradicate hate and abuse whether in the stadium or online.
'Not in our Pack' is a clear message that there is no room for racism, homophobia, and all forms of discrimination, sexism and anti-social behaviour, those who do not live up to the standards we expect of our supporters can be subject to a lifetime ban for ALL Wolves matches.
Please show respect to ALL of your fellow spectators, players, staff and any guests in attendance so everyone is able to enjoy their experience at Molineux.
Disabled supporters
The Baroness Heyhoe-Flint accessible lounge will be open for this fixture. The accessible lounge has two accessible toilets, chairs and tables and is a space where disabled supporters can meet others before the game and half time. The room is located in the lower Stan Cullis Stand opposite NL1. Please do not store wheelchairs in this room while the game is in progress.
Audio Description Commentary is provided by a specially trained team giving second by second commentary of where the ball is and what is happening in the game. It is available for supporters who need that extra help watching the game but must be pre booked by emailing fanservices@wolves.co.uk. Once booked a set will be delivered to your seat before kick-off. This service is available to both home and away fans.
Disabled liaison stewards will be available for your questions and support throughout your visit. We have the specially trained stewards at wheelchair locations in Stan Cullis, Steve Bull and Sir Jack Hayward Stands.
Wolves offers support to Deaf supporters who use British Sign Language to communicate. Interpreters are present on a match day and available if needed in the Ticket Office, Megastore and Fan Zone.
An in-depth guide to accessibility at Molineux can be found here.
Leaving Molineux
After final whistle at Molineux, roads leading away from the stadium are immediately very congested leading both into the city centre and outwardly too.
There are walking routes back into the city centre, where the bus, coach and train stations are located.
Official car parks will reopen around 10 to 20 minutes after the final whistle but can also change at the discretion of the Matchday Safety Officer.
Friendly stewards will also be located around the area as you leave and will be happy to answer any questions supporters may have whilst leaving the stadium.
Matchday FAQs
Supporters can view a series of FAQs relating to matchdays at Molineux by clicking here.
The Molineux match day guide for home supporters can be downloaded here.
Questions and feedback
Any supporters who have questions or need further assistance in relating to matchday should email fanservices@wolves.co.uk.
We welcome your feedback on your matchday experience and you can direct and feedback to the same email address.
