Millmoor
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| Millmoor | |
|---|---|
| Millmoor | |
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| Full name | The Millmoor Ground |
| Location | |
| Built | 1907 |
| Opened | 1907 |
| Owner | |
| Tenants | Formerly Rotherham United F.C.
dimensions = 110 x 72 yards
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| Capacity | 8,300 |
Millmoor is a football stadium in Rotherham, England. It was built and is used for football matches and was the home ground of Rotherham United F.C.
The stadium was built in 1907 and presently holds around 8,300. It is currently undergoing redevelopment work, with a new main stand being built in place of the previous wooden main stand which was built in the 1950s. The new stand will contain corporate facilities and bring the capacity back to over 10,000. The work is scheduled to finish in 2006, but has faced a series of setbacks, one of which was Japanese Knotweed being found on the site.
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.
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[edit] Pubs and Food
Pubs
The pubs The Millmoor, Red Bull, Prince of Wales, Moulders Rest, The Kingfisher and Shooters are all near to the ground and are popular with home fans but away fans are welcome in most.
The Rotherham United Suite is really popular with home fans as it is in the stadium and shows live football. It is also open after the game.
In the town centre you will find lots of pubs. The town is a 5-10 minute walk away from the stadium.
Food
Hot Dog and Burger stands are set up all outside the ground as well as some takeaways from Chinese to fish and chips.
In the town centre you can find the usual McDonald's, KFC and Burger King as well as other restaurants and takeaways. Most of the pubs do food as well.
Inside The Ground
The stadium sells the usual stadium food such as Pukka Pies.
Pukka Pies
The first football ground to sell Pukka Pies anywhere in the world was Millmoor.[citation needed] The Pukka Pie empire as many people call it now sell pies all over the country.
[edit] The Stands
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Move from Millmoor
In May 2008, Rotherham United were forced to move to the Don Valley Stadium as talks with Ken Booth, owner of Millmoor, broke down. The team will start at the Don Valley in July for the 2008/09 Season. If indeed no football will take place at Millmoor any more, the last ever goal was scored by Jamie Green in the final game in which Rotherham United defeated Barnet 1-0, in the season-ending game on Saturday, 3 May 2008.
[edit] 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 20,000 fans as well as including conference and community facilities and in the past a hotel has been mentioned. The stadium will cost £30 million to build. An announcement on the location and purchase of the land is hoped to be announced within the next month.
[edit] External links
