County Ground, Swindon
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| County Ground | |
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| Location | Swindon, Wiltshire, SN1 2ED |
| Opened | 1896 |
| Owner | Swindon Borough Council |
| Surface | Grass (110 x 70 yards) |
| Tenants | |
| Swindon Town F.C. | |
| Capacity | |
| 15,728 | |
The County Ground is a football stadium located near the town centre of Swindon, England. It is home to Swindon Town Football Club and has been for over a century.
The current capacity is 15,728, all-seated.[1]
A record attendance of 32,000 was set on 15 January, 1972, against Arsenal in the 3rd round of the FA Cup.
To the north of the football stadium is Swindon Cricket Club. Their pitch is also named The County Ground.
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[edit] History
Swindon Town have been playing at the County Ground since 1896. They played their games on the site of the adjacent cricket pitch also called the County Ground from 1893 until the ground opened.[2]
Thomas Arkell of Arkell's Brewery donated £300 to finance the construction of a stand on what was then known as the 'Wiltshire County Ground', this investment was enough to begin development of a purpose built football ground. The addition of floodlights in 1951 gave Swindon the honour of being the first League club to do so, beating Arsenal by just a couple of weeks.[3]
Additions included the building of the "new" all-seater Arkell's (or North) stand in 1971 (on the site of the original) and following the Hillsborough disaster; the County Ground was converted to an all-seater stadium beginning with the addition of extra seating in front of the North Stand and the building of a sponsored stand (originally the Intel Stand, now the Nationwide Stand) in the early 90s. The Nationwide Stand replaced the Shrivenham Road enclosure, a two-tiered terrace. During the stand's history, a fire broke out on the top tier making the upper area unsafe. During it's later years of use, the upper tier was used by Television Cameras and Crowd monitoring only.
The County Ground is also the only football stadium in the world with the most prestigious name in watch making acting as its timekeeper - Rolex, who's famous logo adorns the clock on the Stratton Bank stand.[3]
The ground itself is on land owned by Swindon Borough Council to whom the club pay rent. Swindon have in the past considered a move to a club owned stadium to generate more revenue, but have not had the financial backing to do so. In 2006 a redevelopment campaign for the County Ground began,[4] with the club and TrustSTFC (the supporters' trust) raising a petition to 'Save Our Home' urging the Borough Council to "facilitate the redevelopment of the stadium and do everything they can to keep the club within the Borough"[5] including the proposed upgrading of the adjacent Cricket Club to County standard and Athletic Club to Olympic standard.
[edit] Current Stands
[edit] Arkell's Stand
Located on the north side of pitch. The majority of this stand was constructed in 1971, with extra seating being added near the pitch-side in the late 80s. At either end of the stand are large windshields, and there are two roof-supporting beams within the stand. It contains an executive seating area, VIP lounge, the players' dressing rooms and a tunnel out onto the pitch. Named after Thomas Arkell of Arkell's Brewery, who funded the original Arkell's stand. The west corner of this stand is allocated to away fans. 1,200 of the total 3,300 away allocation is here.
[edit] Stratton Bank
At the east end of the pitch. This is a former terrace, now with seats bolted on, and has no roof. This stand makes up the remaining 2,200 of the away allocation. Although, is only really needed for big games (Local Derbys, Big league/cup games) or for larger clubs with big away support. The 1,200 in the Arkell's Stand is usually more than adequate. The stadium scoreboard is located at the back of this stand. A notable feature is a large Rolex clock adjacent to the scoreboard which is owned by Deacons Jewelers, the only one in the world as part of a football stadium.
[edit] Nationwide Stand
To the south of the pitch. A stand built in the early 90s as the Intel Stand. Now sponsored by Nationwide Building Society, who have their headquarters in the town. It is sometimes referred to as the South Stand by supporters. It features a cantilever roof, which means there are no roof-supports obstructing the view of the game. This replaced an old two-tier stand, of which the upper tier had become unusable due to structural problems.
[edit] Town End
At the west end of the pitch, it has its name for being closest to the town centre. As of the mid-00s it has become popular with the more vocal fans, and therefore has what is considered to be the best atmosphere in the stadium on a match day. One factor is the lower prices in this end and same prices on the day as in advance.
The south end of this stand is notable due to the fact that the floodlight located there pierces the stand's roof and is integrated into the stand.
[edit] Other uses
The ground has been used to host England International games, the womens International between England and Holland taking place on 14 March 2007 and also under 17's matches.[6] The ground has also hosted other football events such as local school competitions and community soccer schools.
The ground has in the past been used as a concert venue; most notable for performances by Elton John, Lulu and Bryan Adams.The County Ground is located close to the Magic Roundabout.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Stadium Info. Welcome to the County Ground. Swindon Town FC. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
- ^ In the beginning.... swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-01-14.
- ^ a b STFC Facts & Figures. Swindon Town Football Club. swindonweb.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
- ^ Stadium Development. Swindon Town Football Club. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
- ^ Keep It Up!. Stadium Development. Swindon Town Football Club. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
- ^ Ritson, John. SWINDON TOWN: Going Dutch. Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
[edit] External links
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Swindon Town Football Club
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| Swindon Town F.C. | County Ground |
| History | Former Players | Season history | Club records |
| 1969 League Cup Final |
| Football League Two venues, 2006-2007 |
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| Adams Park | Bescot Stadium | Blundell Park | County Ground The Darlington Arena | Edgar Street | Edgeley Park | Field Mill Fraser Eagle Stadium | Gay Meadow | Gigg Lane | London Road Meadow Lane | Memorial Stadium | Moss Rose | National Hockey Stadium Plainmoor | Racecourse Ground | Saunders Honda Stadium | Sincil Bank Spotland Stadium | Underhill Stadium | Victoria Park | York Street |
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