Sandy Park
| Sandy Park Stadium | |
|---|---|
 The exterior of the stadium | |
| Location | Exeter, Devon, England |
| Coordinates | 50°42′33.51″N 3°28′3.26″W / 50.7093083°N 3.4675722°WCoordinates: 50°42′33.51″N 3°28′3.26″W / 50.7093083°N 3.4675722°W |
| Opened | September 1, 2006 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | £15m[1] |
| Capacity | 10,744 |
| Tenants | |
| Exeter Chiefs | |
Sandy Park is a rugby union stadium in Exeter, England. It is the home ground of Exeter Chiefs who from the 2010/11 season have been playing in the Aviva Premiership, the top flight of the English rugby union league system.[2] The club relocated there from their former stadium at the County Ground in 2006. The stadium can hold 10,744 spectators and is located adjacent M5 junction 30 which is around 5 miles from Exeter City Centre.[3] There are plans to expand the stadium's capacity to 20,600 if Exeter establish themselves as a top-flight side.[4]
Sandy Park is 1 of 13 venues that will stage the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The ground will host 3 pool matches including teams from Pool C and D. The games scheduled to be played at Sandy Park are Tonga vs Africa 1 Qualifier, Africa 1 Qualifier vs Europe 1 Qualifier and Italy vs Europe 2 Qualifier.[5]
Sandy Park played also host to the England Saxons vs Ireland Wolfhounds on 28 January 2012, The England Saxons won 23-17.[6]
Expansion
The club announced a 5 year plan to redevelop the ground to hold 20,600 in late summer of 2012, which will be carried out in phases, starting with the existing west stand to provide a much larger bar area and extended the grandstand the full length of the pitch (in place of the existing temporary seating). This will enable the club to have income from bars, restaurants and conference facilities. The second phase (subject to finance) will involve building a large conference centre to the south and then extending the main grandstand around the corner and along the south end of the ground. The proposed stands behind each of the goal posts will be much larger than the existing main grandstand, but the proposed east stand will be similar in size to the main stand, due to its proximity adjacent the M5 motorway restricting its size.[7]
By the time the 2015 World Cup starts the capacity of Sandy Park will be at 12,300.[5]
Gallery
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Main stand
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Terrace stand
References
- ↑ "History - The home of rugby in Exeter and Devon". Exeterchiefs.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
- ↑
- ↑ "Clubs : Exeter Chiefs". Premiership Rugby. 2010-08-17. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
- ↑ "Steenson's Chiefs are best in the west - Club Rugby, Rugby Union". The Independent. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "RWC 2015 Official Site". International Rugby Board. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ "England Saxons 23-17 Irish Wolfhounds". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
- ↑ "Club announce redevelopment plans". Thisisdevon. Retrieved 2012-07-19.
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