| Victoria Stadium | |
|---|---|
| Location | Wincham Avenue, Wincham, Northwich England |
| Broke ground | 2003 |
| Opened | 2005 |
| Owner | Northwich Victoria |
| Operator | Northwich Victoria |
| Surface | Grass |
| Capacity | 5,046 (1,180 seated) |
| Field dimensions | 102 x 68 m[1] |
| Tenants | |
| Northwich Victoria (2006–present) Northwich Villa (2006–present) Manchester United F.C. Reserves (2007–2008) |
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The Victoria Stadium is a football stadium in Wincham, Northwich in the county of Cheshire, England, and is home to Northwich Victoria Football Club, who play in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, and their feeder team Northwich Villa, who play in the North West Counties Football League Division One. For sponsorship reasons, it was formerly known as the Marston's Arena.
Following the sale of the Drill Field, Northwich's former ground in 2003, and a ground-sharing agreement with Witton Albion, Northwich moved into the Victoria Stadium in 2005. The stadium is located on a 9 acres (36,000 m2) site in Wincham Business Park. The Trent and Mersey Canal passes behind the stadium and separates Northwich from their fiercest rivals Witton Albion.[2] On 17 August 2005, Northwich played their first game at the ground, beating Gainsborough Trinity 2-0.[3]
The ground was officially opened on 30 November 2006 by Sir Alex Ferguson, who fielded a Manchester United team in a friendly match.[3] Manchester United Reserves played at the ground for 14 months in 2007-08 and 2008-09 reserve seasons.[4]
In February 2008, the ground was used for filming a new Nike advert, directed by Guy Ritchie and featuring Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. It was one of only three grounds, along with the Camp Nou in Barcelona and the Emirates Stadium in London, to be selected by Nike for filming.[5]
The future of the stadium was cast into doubt in January 2009, when then owner Mike Connett removed safety equipment from the ground; this forced Northwich to temporarily move to rivals Altrincham's Moss Lane and Witton Albion's Wincham Park grounds. It also spelt the end of Manchester United Reserve's tenancy at the stadium, as they moved their permanent home, who also moved to Moss Lane.[6]
A team consisting of actors from Cheshire-based soap Hollyoaks and an All-Star XI consisting of former professional footballers and special guests played at the stadium on 10 October 2009 in a charity match for St. Luke's Hospice in Winsford.[7]
Plans for a marina on the Trent and Mersey Canal, located to the rear of the stadium, a cinema and a hotel on site were announced in September 2010, with a wealthy American investor reportedly interested in expanding their portfolio into England. The ground is worth around £1.2 million, with chairman Jim Rushe in the process of securing the stadium.[8]
A record attendance of 3,154 was achieved on the penultimate game of the 2005-06 season, when Northwich defeated their nearest rivals Stafford Rangers 3-1 to win the Conference North[9], however this was bettered in the 2009-10 season on 28 November when Northwich played Lincoln City in the Second Round of the FA Cup, a game which was witnessed by 3,544 spectators.[10]
The main Victoria Stand has a seating capacity of 1,180 supporters. It houses the club offices, shop, changing rooms for players and match officials, kit room, medical facilities, treatment room, fitness centre, staff and public toilets. Rare for a non-league ground, there are several executive boxes situated above the outdoor seats. The stand is also home to a bar and two restaurants. The green and yellow seating on this stand spells out 'NVFC', the acronym for the club.[1]
The terraced Dane Bank Stand has a capacity of 2,988 spectators, and was moved from the club's original Drill Field ground in Northwich Town Centre following the stadium's demolition.[11]
Both of the goal-ends are open, and can accommodate 434 spectators each.[1]
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