Somerton Park
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Somerton Park | |
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Location | Cromwell Road, Newport |
Opened | 1932, reopened 1992 |
Closed | 1989, and 1993 |
Demolished | 1993 |
Owner | demolished |
Operator | Cardiff Arms Park Company and Newport City Council (both former) |
Tenants | Newport County, Newport Wasps, Greyhound racing |
Capacity | 25,000 |
Somerton Park was a football, greyhound and speedway stadium in Newport, Monmouthshire. It was purchased by the Cardiff Arms Park Company in 1932 and Newport County played their first football match there on 27 August against Clapton (Leyton) Orient. On 17 November 1932, the first greyhound meeting took place at the stadium.
The stadium remained the home of Newport County until the original club went bankrupt on 27 February 1989. County's 57 years at the stadium had brought many highs and lows, the most notable being the Welsh Cup and Fourth Division promotion triumph in 1980 and the European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final appearance in 1981, but the final few years brought the trauma of two successive relegations which saw the club lose its Football League status after 68 years.
The club was reformed within four months and began the 1989-90 as a Hellenic League side. The new club's first two seasons were spent at Somerton Park, but relocated to the Newport Stadium in 1991-92 and by 1993 Somerton Park had been redeveloped as a housing estate.
The stadium's record attendance was 24,268 for a Football League Third Division South match between County and arch-rivals Cardiff City on 16 October 1937.
The stadium was home to the Newport Wasps speedway team between 1964 and 1977, attracting some the biggest names in the sport. The tight track meant that turf had to be brought on to make the corner flag area for football matches and removed once the match had finished.
[edit] See also
- Newport Stadium - Current Newport County stadium
- Rodney Parade
- Liswerry
- Newport County A.F.C
- Lovells Athletic F.C.
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