National Hockey Stadium
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| National Hockey Stadium | |
|---|---|
| The Hockey Stadium | |
| awaiting image | |
| Full name | National Hockey Stadium and Conference Centre |
| Location | Milton Keynes |
| Built | 1995 |
| Opened | 1995 |
| Owner | English Partnerships |
| Tenants | vacant |
| Capacity | 4,000 all seated |
| Field dimensions | 100 x 64 m |
The National Hockey Stadium is a sports stadium in Milton Keynes, England, with a current capacity of around 4,000 seats (9,000 between 2003 and 2007). It was used by England Hockey as their national stadium from 1995 to 2003 and as a professional football stadium (for Milton Keynes Dons F.C.) from 2003 to 2007. As of 2007, the ground is unused following the Dons' move to stadium:mk but England Hockey retains the buildings as its national headquarters.
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[edit] Hockey
The stadium was built in 1995 as a new national field hockey stadium, with a synthetic pitch. The ground was used for national and international (field) hockey until 2003.
In 2003, the ground was leased to Milton Keynes Dons, a grass pitch was laid, meaning that the stadium was out of commission for hockey for the time being. Internationals and playoffs are thus being held at various leading club grounds around the country. At the end of the lease (May 2007), the temporary stand and seating was dismantled and removed.
On 2 April 2007 the trustees of the National Hockey Foundation which owned the lease of the stadium announced that they had arranged to hand the lease back to English Partnerships as detailed study had shown that the stadium would no longer be viable as a hockey venue, particularly in light of the building of another hockey facility in Stratford, London, as part of the 2012 Olympics facilities.
England Hockey will continue to maintain their offices there for the foreseeable future, the Foundation will use the money raised from the release of the lease to pursue their charitable objectives.
The stadium is expected to be redeveloped for community sporting use.[1]
[edit] Football
The stadium was the home of Milton Keynes Dons from September 2003 to May 2007. The club moved in during 2003, converted the synthetic pitch to grass and added additional stands and seating (with up to 9,000 seats). Adjacent to the Home supporters stand (known as "The Cowshed") sported a small herd of concrete cows 'grazing' .[2] As a result of the cow link, the team mascots are two pantomime-style cows named "Donny" and "Mooie". On several occasions, the cows were 'mooved' by jovial fans to make them look as if they were mating. In July 2007 the club moved to its new stadium:mk (which has been nicknamed the Moocamp) at Denbigh North, near Bletchley prior to the start of the 2007-08 season. There will also be a Cowshed stand at the new stadium.
Record attendance at the National Hockey Stadium: 8,306 v Tottenham Hotspur League Cup 3rd Round, October 25th, 2006.
Average Attendance At the National Hockey Stadium: 2006-2007: 6,034 (League Two) 2005-2006: 5,776 (League One) 2004-2005: 4,896 (League One)
[edit] Location
- The stadium is just beside Milton Keynes Central railway station, near the A509 exit from the A5.
- Nearest postcode for GPS: MK9 1FA
- 1:10,000 mapping
- National Hockey Stadium is at coordinates Coordinates:
- Hi-res aerial view from MKWEB
[edit] References
- ^ "National Hockey Stadium", England Hockey website, news section, 2007-04-02. Retrieved on 2007-05-15.
- ^ [1].
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