Latest Brighton & Hove Albion News

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	Capacity		7,950
	Opened		1936
	Pitch Size		110 x 75 yards

Withdean Stadium is an athletics stadium in the Brighton suburb of Withdean which is currently the home ground of football team Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.

The capacity of the ground is 9,000 all seated. The stadium is intended as a temporary home for Brighton before a new stadium is built, with the Falmer Stadium the club’s preferred option. The clubs former stadium, the Goldstone Ground, was sold for redevelopment in by their then-board, none of whom have any involvement with the club anymore, in 1997 and for two years played their home matches at Gillingham’s Priestfield Stadium, over 100 km from Brighton, before moving to the Withdean Stadium.

The temporary nature of the stadium is obvious - The stadium is primarily used for athletics, so the pitch is not exactly the right shape; there is a single permanent stand along one side, with the other stands (one on the opposite side and two at one end) are assembled from scaffolding and are located some distance from the pitch, due to the running track; the other end is left completely open. Changing and hospitality facilities are provided with Portakabins placed haphazardly around the site, and there is very limited onsite car parking.

There was considerable opposition in the community to allowing the club to use the stadium. After some unique concessions were made, the club was allowed to move into Withdean in 1999. Amplified music was banned during football matches (except for the traditional “Sussex by the Sea”), and matchday parking restrictions were imposed within a one-mile radius of the ground. After a year, the music restrictions were eased, but the parking limitations continue in force. The price of each match ticket includes a public transportation voucher allowing free bus or rail travel throughout the Brighton and Hove area.

For Albion’s match against Sheffield United on 2 October 2004 the stadium was temporarily renamed Palookaville as it hosted the launch party for Fatboy Slim’s album of the same name. The album was released on Skint Records, the club’s shirt sponsor, and for that match the team wore shirts bearing the name Palookaville instead of Skint. The name Palookaville was also considered appropriate by fans because it reflected the inadequacy of the club’s temporary home.

The Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, finally gave permission on 28 October 2005 for Albion to build Falmer Stadium.

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Latest Rotherham United News

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Capacity: 7,500
Opened: 1925
Pitch size: 115 x 75 yards

Millmoor is a football ground in Rotherham, England. It was built and is used for football matches and is the home ground of Rotherham United F.C.

Millmoor was built in 1907 and presently holds around 8,300. The pitch is one of the smallest pitches in the country at only 115 x 75 yards (even smaller than the famous Highbury pitch). Rotherham had proposed to extend the pitch width-ways, but this never came to fruition.

Stands at Millmoor:

Tivoli End

The Tivoli is a favourite amongst the fans, and usually full on matchday with the vocal Rotherham United fans sitting in here. The stand holds up to 2,700. It was a former terrace but was later seated during the clubs time in the Football League Championship.

Railway End

The Railway End is the away fans section where over 2,000 fans can be accommodated. This end is covered and all seated. An unusual feature is that away fans can only access this end by going down Millmoor Lane which is a narrow alleyway. The acustics on the railway end are said to be some of the best and fans can generate a lot of noise. If needed, away fans can be given additional seats in a section of the Millmoor lane stand.

The railway referred to in the stand’s name is the now closed line to the former Rotherham Westgate railway station.

Mainstand

Although this is a new stand due to financial difficulties it hasn’t been finished. It is only half built and includes mainly season ticket holders and corporate fans. The stand also includes the Marquee which is a hospitality suite for corporate guests. Work on the main stand has ceased at the moment and in November 2007 the chairman confirmed that the club have no intentions to complete this stand or modernize any part of the stadium due to the difficulty in reaching a deal to purchase the land surrounding Millmoor from the previous Chairman. Denis Coleman (current Chairman) stated that the club hope to move to a new stadium by 2011 (3 years time) at the cost of 25 million pounds.

Millmoor Lane End

Opposite to the Main Stand is the Millmoor Lane side of the ground. It is split up into three sections:

* Tivoli end/Uncovered end - before the ground was all-seated in conformity with the rules of the Football League Championship, the corner of the ground underneath the floodlights was a continuation of the terraces of the Tivoli End. When the section was all seated, the Tivoli End was split up into two parts for safety reasons: the part of the stand segregated from the Tivoli Stand is now simply called “The Uncovered End” due to the fact there is no roof over the heads of the home supporters housed there.
* Millmoor Lane - in the middle of the Millmoor Lane side is the Millmoor Lane, which is a small stand for home supporters.

100 Years at Millmoor

On the 22 September 2007, for Rotherham United’s game against Notts County F.C., it was a special day to celebrate 100 years at Millmoor. The game ended 1-1, with Peter Holmes scoring for the Millers. There were special articles in the matchday programme and a commemorative cover. There were balloons all around Millmoor, with the Millers badge, and the words ‘100 Years at Millmoor’. Fans were urged to wear retro Rotherham United shirts, and if you wore a retro shirt you would be entered into a raffle. Many fans were seen with new scarves with Rotherham United F.C on one side, and 1907-2007 on the other side.

Future relocation

The chairman Denis Colman announced that due to the unsuccessful attempts and negotiations at buying Millmoor the club will relocate. A new stadium is hoped to be built and open within the next three years and is expected to hold 15,000 fans as well as including conference and community facilities and in the past a hotel has been mentioned. The stadium will cost £25 million to build.

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Latest Nottingham Forest News

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Capacity: 30,602
Opened: 1898

The City Ground is a football stadium in Nottingham, England, on the banks of the River Trent. It has been home to Nottingham Forest football club since 1898, and has a capacity of 30,602.

The stadium was one of the venues for Euro 96, and is only three hundreds yard away from Meadow Lane, home of Forest’s rivals Notts County; the two grounds are the closest in England.

Brief history:

Nottingham Forest moved to their new ground on September 3, 1898. In order to raise the £3,000 required to finance the move the club asked members, supporters and businessmen to subscribe to “New Ground Scheme” bearer bonds which cost £5 each. Over £2,000 was raised this way.

The new ground was called the City Ground. It was only a few hundred yards from the old Town Ground at the opposite end of Trent Bridge, which had been named after the Town Arms pub. Nottingham was granted its Charter as a City in 1897 and it was called the City Ground to commemorate this, in spite of the ground being in the county of Nottinghamshire. The ground was wide open on three sides with no protection from the weather. But the pitch was one of the finest in the country. This was due to the presence on the committee of J. W. Bardill, a nurseryman whose family firm still exists in Nottingham and whose company was given the task of preparing the pitch.

In 1935 the club had the opportunity to buy the ground from Nottingham Corporation for £7,000 but it was not proceeded with.

On October 12, 1957 a new East Stand opened at the City Ground costing £40,000 and having benches to sit up to 2,500 fans. The visitors for the opening were Manchester United’s “Busby Babes”. A new record attendance of 47,804 saw United win 2-1 and the ball, signed by both teams, is still in the Trophy Room.

The Main Stand was largely rebuilt in 1965. But on August 24, 1968 fire broke out in the Main Stand during a First Division game against Leeds United. The stand was subsequently burned to the ground but thankfully, despite a crowd of 31,126, there were no casualties. The fire started, probably in the dressing room area, just before half-time and as much of it was built of wood, it spread rapidly and the whole stand went up in flames. As a result Forest played six ‘home’ matches at nearby Meadow Lane and did not win one of them. Sadly much of the club’s records, trophies, memorabilia etc. were lost in the fire. The Stand was rebuilt with a capacity of 5,708.

The Brian Clough Stand was built in 1980 at a cost of just £2m – largely from proceeds of the unforgettable era in which Forest brought the European Cup back to Nottingham in 1979 and 1980. Under Clough’s reign Forest had taken the English domestic game and the European scene by storm and money raised from those outstanding successes was invested in a stand that had a capacity of 10,000. The Stand also incorporated 36 executive boxes and large dining area which was to be the focus of the club’s corporate hospitality arrangements.

More major development took part in 1992-93 with the rebuilding of the Bridgford Stand. Work started in April, 1992 and when completed the Stand had a capacity of 7,710, the lower tier of 5,131 being allocated to away supporters. The unusual shape of the roof was a planning requirement to allow sunlight to reach houses in nearby Colwick Road. The Stand includes accommodation for 70 wheelchair supporters. It also houses a Management Suite, which includes the public address systems, computerised electronic scoreboard controls and, of course, the police matchday operation.

The Trent End was the most recent stand to be rebuilt – in time for Euro ’96 – the European Championships. The new stand, such a prominent landmark by the River Trent, had a capacity of 7,500 to take the ground’s capacity to 30,602.

On July 6 2005, the stadium hosted it’s first music concert when REM performed there.

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Latest Swansea City News

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Capacity: 20,280
Opened: 2005
Owner: Swansea City Council
Operator: StadCo
Construction cost: £27,000,000
Architect: TTH of Newcastle

The Liberty Stadium, formerly the New Stadium and White Rock, is a purpose-built sports and concert arena in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales. The stadium is all-seated, with a capacity of 20,280 making it the largest purpose built venue in Swansea and south west Wales.

On its opening in 2005, it became the home to Swansea City football team and the Ospreys regional rugby team. The opening match at this venue was between Swansea City A.F.C. and Fulham (managed by former Swansea player Chris Coleman) on Saturday, July 23, 2005. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

During its building, a variety of names were suggested for it: particularly commonly-used were “Morfa” and the “White Rock” stadium (after the copper-works of the same name which existed on the site historically). While a sponsor was being sought for the stadium, it was called “New Stadium”. In July 2005, a campaign was mounted by supporters of the football club in favour of the name White Rock. On 18 October 2005, it was announced that the stadium would be named the “Liberty Stadium”, with Swansea-based developers Liberty Properties being unveiled as the new sponsor, having signed a five-year deal. However, many fans still prefer to use the working title of White Rock.

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Latest Wigan Athletic News

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	Capacity		25,000
	Pitch Size		110 x 60 yards

The JJB Stadium is a sports stadium located within the Robin Park Complex in Wigan, Greater Manchester. It is the home ground of both Wigan Athletic F.C. and Wigan Warriors rugby league club. The stadium is named after its principal sponsor, the sporting goods retailer JJB Sports (whose chairman, David Whelan, owns both clubs). It is often commonly called the JJB.

The stadium was opened on August 4, 1999, having cost £30m to construct. It is a modern all-seater stadium with a capacity of 25,000. The stadium’s inauguration was marked with a friendly between Wigan Athletic and Manchester United, who were then reigning European Champions, with Sir Alex Ferguson officially opening the stadium. The first competitive football match there took place on August 7 1999, with Wigan Athletic facing Scunthorpe United in a Division 2 match. Simon Haworth scored twice, including the first competitive goal at the new stadium, as Athletic triumphed 3-0. Wigan Athletic had spent the previous 102 years playing at Springfield Park. Wigan Warriors played their first game at the stadium on September 19, 1999 against Castleford Tigers.

On March 7, 2005 Greater Manchester police announced that they would stop policing Wigan Athletic matches at the stadium from April 2. This move would almost certainly have resulted in the stadium’s safety certificate being revoked, effectively forcing the team to play behind closed doors. The move was part of an ongoing dispute between the police force and David Whelan surrounding £300,000 in unpaid policing costs. The police’s decision would not have affected Wigan Warriors, whose games are stewarded instead of policed. The situation was temporarily resolved on March 8 with both sides reaching an agreement that would allow Athletic to play at the ground until the end of the season. Four months later, Wigan, facing the prospect of playing their home games in the FA Premier League in an empty stadium, grudgingly paid the money they owed to the police. However, the club are now appealing against the payments in court.

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Latest Hull City News

Latest Hull FC News

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	Capacity		25,504
	Opened		2002
	Owner		Hull City Council
	Construction cost		£44m GBP
	Architect		The Miller Partnership

Kingston Communications Stadium or KC Stadium is a new facility for the city of Hull hosting football, rugby league and a series of pop concerts. It is named after the stadium’s sponsors, Kingston Communications.

The stadium is home to Hull City A.F.C. (football) and Hull FC (rugby league), as well as hosting musical acts such as Sir Elton John, Bryan Adams and R.E.M. The seat colours are predominantly black with a white and amber band around the stadium and the word Hull depicted in amber and white. These colours being chosen to remain neutral to the black and white of Hull FC and the amber and black of Hull City. It is the first stadium in England to be built in a parkland setting.

The stadium has an all-seating capacity of 25,504, being designed as a single tier, asymmetrical bowl of approximately 20,000 seats with a second upper tier to the West Stand of over 5,000 seats.

Future expansion to around 35,000 is possible, either by building-up the North, East and South stands or the addition of a second tier on the East Stand. Work could start within months, though this would ultimately depend on a casino and hotel complex being built nearby to finance the work.

The stadium is owned by Hull City Council and run by the Stadium Management Company, headed by Adam Pearson. Also incorporated in the Stadium complex is the 1,500 seat Gemtec Arena sports arena (previously known as the Vulcan Arena), skate park, two multi-use all weather pitches, and a community learning zone, complete with classrooms, health & fitness suite, cyber cafe and library. In 2005 Gemtec Document Network replaced Vulcan Windows as the sponsors of the arena.

Construction of the stadium took 14 months to complete and the total project cost was approximately £44 million. The stadium opened its doors on Wednesday December 18, 2002 and Hull City beat Sunderland A.F.C. 1-0 in a friendly to mark the occasion.

The KC Stadium has become a regular venue for international rugby league, and has hosted Great Britain matches in both the Tri-Nations and the Ashes.

In a 2005 poll, carried out by property consultants Drivers Jonas and decided by football fans from across the country, the KC Stadium was judged to have the best access and facilities in the country, although this poll did not include some of the more recent stadiums

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Old Trafford cricket ground in Manchester has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since 1856. International Test matches have been played there since 1884.

The cricket ground is near the Old Trafford football stadium, in the borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester.

The two ends of the ground were known as the Warwick Road End (to the east) and the Stretford End (to the west). The section of Warwick Road leading to the Metrolink Station was renamed Brian Statham Way (in honour of the former Lancashire and England player) and this end of the ground is now known as the Brian Statham End.

As of 2006, its capacity is 22,000 for Test matches, for which temporary stands are erected, and 14,000 for other matches.

In 1956 Jim Laker was the first to take all 10 wickets in a Test match innings, ten for 53 in the fourth Test against Australia at Old Trafford (the only other bowler to take all 10 wickets is Anil Kumble of India in 1999). Having also taken nine for 37 in the first innings, Laker’s match bowling figures were nineteen for 90.

In 1993, Old Trafford was the site of one of the most remarkable events in the history of cricket, Shane Warne’s so-called Ball of the Century to Mike Gatting.

Future plans:

The need for an improved ground was highlighted when Old Trafford surprisingly lost out as a venue for the 2009 Ashes to Cardiff, much to the disappointment of cricket fans in the region. A financial plan is awaited for the redevelopment, costed at £30m.

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Lord’s Cricket Ground is a cricket ground in St John’s Wood in London, at grid reference TQ268827. It is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB); and until August 2005, the International Cricket Council (ICC). Lord’s is often referred to as the Home of Cricket.

Lord’s today is not the original site, which was used by MCC during the summers of 1811, 1812 and 1813 before being abandoned due to the construction, through its outfield, of the Regent’s Canal. This led to MCC moving around 250 yards north-west, to its current home, in 1814. A plaque was unveiled at the site of the old ground on 9th May 2006 by Andrew Strauss. The ground is named after its founder, Thomas Lord.

Much of Lord’s Cricket Ground was rebuilt in the late 20th century. In 1987 the new Mound Stand, designed by Sir Michael Hopkins, was opened. The Grand Stand (by Nicholas Grimshaw) and the Media Centre (by Future Systems) followed in 1998-9. In 2002-3 the entire outfield was relaid and a much-improved drainage system installed. There is also redevelopment continuing on the historic pavilion, particularly the famous Long Room, through which every player comes before entering the field of play.

The two ends of the pitch are the Pavilion End (south-west), where the main members’ pavilion is located, and the Nursery End (north-east), dominated by the Media Centre. The Pavilion was built in 1890.

One of the most distinctive and famous features of the Lord’s ground is the significant slope across the field. The north-west side of the playing surface is some eight feet higher than the south-east side. This slope causes appreciable deviation in bounce of the ball on the pitch, making it easier to move the ball in to right-handed batsmen when bowling from the Pavilion End, and easier to move it away when bowling from the Nursery End.

Another highly visible feature of the ground is the weather vane in the shape of Father Time, currently adorning a stand on the south-east side of the field. Sir Herbert Baker presented Lord’s with the weather vane in 1926. It adorned the north-western stand until it was replaced by the new Main Grandstand in 1996.

The Lord’s Taverners, a charitable group comprising cricketers and cricket-lovers, take their name from the old Tavern pub at Lord’s, where the club’s founders used to congregate. The pub no longer exists, and the Tavern Stand now stands on its former site.

St. John’s Wood tube station is nearby, whilst the Chiltern railway line runs under the practice ground at the Nursery End. Lord’s gave its name to a tube station which closed in 1939.

Usage:

Lord’s hosts Test matches, one day internationals, Middlesex home matches, MCC matches and (starting with a match between Middlesex and Sussex in July 2004) Twenty20 matches.

Lord’s typically hosts the first Test of the summer, such as The Ashes and the second One-Day match of an English home series. Previously, Lord’s would have hosted the second Test in July, as part of the season.

Lord’s also often plays host to the second semi-final or the third quarter-final (as well as the overall final) of a County series or championship, as well as the final of the National Village Cricket Competition.

The oldest permanent fixture at Lord’s (indeed the world) is the annual Eton versus Harrow match which began in 1805 (Lord Byron played in the 1805 Harrow XI) and celebrated its bicentennial in 2005. The match is always fiercely contested. Since 2000 it has been 55 overs per side, but before that it was declaration and before that it was 2 innings per side over 2 days. Eton has the balance of wins, but the victor in the bicentenary year was Harro