County Ground, Swindon
Encyclopedia
The County Ground is a stadium located near the town centre of Swindon
, England
. It is home to Swindon Town Football Club
and has been for over a century.
The current capacity is 15,728, all-seated. It has been at this level since the mid 1990s.
A record attendance of 32,000 was set on 15 January 1972, against Arsenal
in the 3rd round of the FA Cup
.
To the north of the football stadium is Swindon Cricket Club. Their pitch is also named The County Ground
.
They played their games on the site of the adjacent cricket pitch also called the County Ground from 1893 until the ground opened.
Thomas Arkell of Arkell's Brewery
donated £300 to finance the construction of a stand on what was then known as the 'Wiltshire County Ground', this investment was enough to begin development of a purpose built football ground. Since its original construction, the ground has been periodically updated with new features or fittings. A cover on the Shrivenham Road side was erected in 1932, followed by the current roof at the Town End. This cost £4,300, which was raised by the Supporters Club, and was opened on 27 August 1938 by local MP, W.W. Wakefield
.
The War Department took over the ground in 1940, where for a while POWs were housed in huts placed on the pitch. For this the club received compensation of £4,570 in 1945.
The addition of floodlights
in 1951 at a cost of £350, gave Swindon the honour of being the first League club to do so. These were first tried out v Bristol City on 2 April 1951 beating Arsenal
by six months.
These original set of lights were supplemented by lights on both side stand roofs, which were sufficient for the County Ground to stage its first floodlit league match on 29 February 1956 v Millwall. (7 days after Fratton Park became the 1st ground to stage a floodlit league fixture). The present pylons date from 1960.
Additions included the building of the "new" all-seater Arkell's (or North) stand in 1971 (on the site of the original) and following the Hillsborough disaster
; the County Ground was converted to an all-seater stadium beginning with the addition of extra seating in front of the North Stand and the building of a sponsored stand (originally the Intel Stand, then the Nationwide
Stand, now the Don Rogers Stand) in the early 90s. The Nationwide Stand replaced the Shrivenham Road enclosure, a two-tiered terrace. During the stand's history, a fire broke out on the top tier making the upper area unsafe. During its later years of use, the upper tier was used by Television Cameras and Crowd monitoring only.
The County Ground is also the only football stadium in the world with the most prestigious name in watch making acting as its timekeeper - Rolex
, whose famous logo adorns the clock on the Stratton Bank stand.
The ground itself is on land owned by Swindon Borough Council to whom the club pay rent. Swindon have in the past considered a move to a club owned stadium to generate more revenue, but have not had the financial backing to do so. In 2006 a redevelopment campaign for the County Ground began, with the club and TrustSTFC (the supporters' trust
) raising a petition to 'Save Our Home' urging the Borough Council to "facilitate the redevelopment of the stadium and do everything they can to keep the club within the Borough" including the proposed upgrading of the adjacent Cricket Club to County standard and Athletic Club to Olympic standard.
Relocation was first proposed around the year 2000, but since then redevelopment appears to have been the preferred option.
In September 2009 Swindon Town announced that the County Ground would be redeveloped into a 25,000-seater stadium ready for the 2012-13 season. Had Bristol become a World Cup host city, it had been hoped that international Teams will use the County Ground as a training ground in 2018 or 2022. However, England's bid to host the World Cup failed in December 2010.
In January 2011, revised plans were announced, to expand the stadium capacity to 19,000 by rebuilding the town end to a 4,000 seater stand, putting a roof over the stratton bank, putting executive boxes in the Don Rogers stand, then finally refurbishing the Arkells stand with a technology park built behind for more income. It was also suggested that in the future, if needs be, the stadium could be increased to hold 25,000. This proposition was chosen due to the increased financial viability and sustainability for the future. The land which the county ground is on will also be bought in the process.
These plans, however, have been delayed due to Swindon Town's relegation to League Two at the end of the 2010-11 season.
Located on the north side of pitch. The majority of this stand was constructed in 1971, with extra seating being added near the pitch-side in the late 1992. At either end of the stand are large windshields, and there are two roof-supporting beams within the stand. It contains an executive seating area, VIP lounge, the players' dressing rooms and a tunnel out onto the pitch. Named after Thomas Arkell of Arkell's Brewery
, who funded the original Arkell's stand. The west corner of this stand is allocated to away fans. 1,200 of the total 3,300 away allocation is here. This stand has undergone a face lift with the multiple coloured seats replaced with red or white seats to give the stand a cleaner, more up to date look.
It also is home to the two new dugouts which were built during the face-lift. The stand will be thoroughly refurbished during the county ground future developments
It has a capacity of roughly 6,800.
This is at the east end of the pitch. It is a former terrace, now with seats bolted on, and has no roof. Although planning permission was granted to build a roof on the stand, due to the club's financial plight at the time the necessary funds were not available. The Stratton Bank stand makes up the remaining 2,200 of the away allocation, but is only really needed for big games (Local Derbies, Big league, cup games) or for larger clubs with big away support. The 1,200 in the Arkell's Stand is usually more than adequate. The stadium scoreboard is located at the back of this stand. A notable feature is a large Rolex
clock adjacent to the scoreboard which is owned by Deacon's Jewellers, the only one in the world
as part of a football stadium.
On 28 February 2009 for Swindon Town's 40th anniversary of winning the league cup in 1969 they announced they will be holding a competition to rename Stratton Bank to whatever the winner choses for the 2009/10 and 2010/11 season. The winner, The Adkins Family Stand, was announced on Sky TV show Soccer A.M on 2 May 2009 with the draw being done by Then Swindon Town chairman Andrew fitton
.
To the south of the pitch. A stand built in 1994 as the Intel Stand, then sponsored by the Nationwide Building Society
until the end of the 2006/07 season and then sponsored by the Kingswood Group until March 2008. It is sometimes referred to as the South Stand by supporters. It features a cantilever roof, which means there are no roof-supports obstructing the view of the game. This replaced an old two-tier stand, of which the upper tier had become unusable due to structural problems.
There is a second concourse inside the stand which can be opened and used as a second executive area to the ground. If some seats are removed this would allow the club to use this concourse to add executive boxes to the County Ground stadium.
It is understood this concourse has never been opened due to the lack of funds Swindon Town have had over the last 10 years.
On 14 April 2008, Chief Executive Nick Watkins told a fans forum that the club is currently considering opening up the second concourse to add executive boxes to the ground and in 2011, when plans for redeveloping a new county ground, this was confirmed.
From the start of the 2007/08 season, the stand was renamed as the Don Rogers Stand.
It currently has a capacity of around 5,000.
At the west end of the pitch, it has its name for being closest to the town centre. As of the mid-2000s it has become popular with the more vocal fans, and therefore has what is considered to be the best atmosphere in the stadium on a match day. One factor is the lower prices in this end and same prices on the day as in advance.
The south end of this stand is notable because the floodlight located there pierces the stand's roof and is integrated into the stand. The Town End is sponsored by Fast Plant as of October 2010 which was first seen at Swindon Town's derby match against Bristol Rovers on 9 October 2010 which Town won 2-1.
The Town end holds approximately 2000.
and Holland
taking place on 14 March 2007 and also under 17's matches.
The ground has also hosted other football events such as local school competitions and community soccer schools.
The ground has in the past been used as a concert venue; most notable for performances by Elton John
, Lulu
and Bryan Adams
.In 2006 the County Ground was in the running to be one of the venues for Bon Jovi
's 'Have A Nice Day Tour', however the County Ground was rejected as it was said to be too small. The County Ground is located close to the Magic Roundabout
.
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is home to Swindon Town Football Club
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
and has been for over a century.
The current capacity is 15,728, all-seated. It has been at this level since the mid 1990s.
A record attendance of 32,000 was set on 15 January 1972, against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in the 3rd round of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
.
To the north of the football stadium is Swindon Cricket Club. Their pitch is also named The County Ground
County Cricket Ground, Swindon
The County Ground is a cricket ground in Swindon, Wiltshire. The ground is located to the north of the County Football Ground used by Swindon Town. The ground was established in 1866, when Great Western Railway Swindon played Welsh Wanderers....
.
History
Swindon Town have been playing at the County Ground since 1896.They played their games on the site of the adjacent cricket pitch also called the County Ground from 1893 until the ground opened.
Thomas Arkell of Arkell's Brewery
Arkell's Brewery
Arkell's is an English brewery located in the town of Swindon, Wiltshire. The brewery has been owned by members of the Arkell family since its establishment in 1843. It is Swindon's oldest established company...
donated £300 to finance the construction of a stand on what was then known as the 'Wiltshire County Ground', this investment was enough to begin development of a purpose built football ground. Since its original construction, the ground has been periodically updated with new features or fittings. A cover on the Shrivenham Road side was erected in 1932, followed by the current roof at the Town End. This cost £4,300, which was raised by the Supporters Club, and was opened on 27 August 1938 by local MP, W.W. Wakefield
Wavell Wakefield, 1st Baron Wakefield of Kendal
William Wavell Wakefield, 1st Baron Wakefield of Kendal , known as Sir Wavell Wakefield between 1944 and 1963, was an English rugby union player for Harlequins and England, President of the Rugby Football Union and Conservative politician.-Background and education:Wakefield was born in Beckenham,...
.
The War Department took over the ground in 1940, where for a while POWs were housed in huts placed on the pitch. For this the club received compensation of £4,570 in 1945.
The addition of floodlights
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
in 1951 at a cost of £350, gave Swindon the honour of being the first League club to do so. These were first tried out v Bristol City on 2 April 1951 beating Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
by six months.
These original set of lights were supplemented by lights on both side stand roofs, which were sufficient for the County Ground to stage its first floodlit league match on 29 February 1956 v Millwall. (7 days after Fratton Park became the 1st ground to stage a floodlit league fixture). The present pylons date from 1960.
Additions included the building of the "new" all-seater Arkell's (or North) stand in 1971 (on the site of the original) and following the Hillsborough disaster
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
; the County Ground was converted to an all-seater stadium beginning with the addition of extra seating in front of the North Stand and the building of a sponsored stand (originally the Intel Stand, then the Nationwide
Nationwide Building Society
Nationwide Building Society is a British building society, and is the largest in the world. It has its headquarters in Swindon, England, and maintains significant administration centres in Bournemouth and Northampton...
Stand, now the Don Rogers Stand) in the early 90s. The Nationwide Stand replaced the Shrivenham Road enclosure, a two-tiered terrace. During the stand's history, a fire broke out on the top tier making the upper area unsafe. During its later years of use, the upper tier was used by Television Cameras and Crowd monitoring only.
Rolex
Rolex SA is a Swiss watchmaking manufacturer of high-quality, luxury wristwatches. Rolex watches are popularly regarded as status symbols and BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex No.71 on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most valuable global brands...
, whose famous logo adorns the clock on the Stratton Bank stand.
The ground itself is on land owned by Swindon Borough Council to whom the club pay rent. Swindon have in the past considered a move to a club owned stadium to generate more revenue, but have not had the financial backing to do so. In 2006 a redevelopment campaign for the County Ground began, with the club and TrustSTFC (the supporters' trust
Supporters' trust
In British sports, a supporters' trust is a formal, democratic and not-for-profit organisation of fans who attempt to strengthen the influence of supporters over the running of the club they support...
) raising a petition to 'Save Our Home' urging the Borough Council to "facilitate the redevelopment of the stadium and do everything they can to keep the club within the Borough" including the proposed upgrading of the adjacent Cricket Club to County standard and Athletic Club to Olympic standard.
Future Developments
Swindon Town's new owners released a 10 point plan after they took over the club in January 2008 outlining future plans for the County Ground. In this 10 point plan various upgrades to the current ground were noted. The club plans to replace all of the seats that are not red and white and replace them with red and white seas to unify the seating and make the stadium look more up to date. The club also plan to improve disabled access and improve the playing surface. The current owners of Swindon Town also hope to commence with a ground redevelopment at the County Ground site or new stadium for Swindon Town, hence the reasons for minor modifications until a new stadium becomes a reality.Relocation was first proposed around the year 2000, but since then redevelopment appears to have been the preferred option.
In September 2009 Swindon Town announced that the County Ground would be redeveloped into a 25,000-seater stadium ready for the 2012-13 season. Had Bristol become a World Cup host city, it had been hoped that international Teams will use the County Ground as a training ground in 2018 or 2022. However, England's bid to host the World Cup failed in December 2010.
In January 2011, revised plans were announced, to expand the stadium capacity to 19,000 by rebuilding the town end to a 4,000 seater stand, putting a roof over the stratton bank, putting executive boxes in the Don Rogers stand, then finally refurbishing the Arkells stand with a technology park built behind for more income. It was also suggested that in the future, if needs be, the stadium could be increased to hold 25,000. This proposition was chosen due to the increased financial viability and sustainability for the future. The land which the county ground is on will also be bought in the process.
These plans, however, have been delayed due to Swindon Town's relegation to League Two at the end of the 2010-11 season.
Arkell's Stand
Arkell's Brewery
Arkell's is an English brewery located in the town of Swindon, Wiltshire. The brewery has been owned by members of the Arkell family since its establishment in 1843. It is Swindon's oldest established company...
, who funded the original Arkell's stand. The west corner of this stand is allocated to away fans. 1,200 of the total 3,300 away allocation is here. This stand has undergone a face lift with the multiple coloured seats replaced with red or white seats to give the stand a cleaner, more up to date look.
It also is home to the two new dugouts which were built during the face-lift. The stand will be thoroughly refurbished during the county ground future developments
It has a capacity of roughly 6,800.
Stratton Bank
Rolex
Rolex SA is a Swiss watchmaking manufacturer of high-quality, luxury wristwatches. Rolex watches are popularly regarded as status symbols and BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex No.71 on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most valuable global brands...
clock adjacent to the scoreboard which is owned by Deacon's Jewellers, the only one in the world
as part of a football stadium.
On 28 February 2009 for Swindon Town's 40th anniversary of winning the league cup in 1969 they announced they will be holding a competition to rename Stratton Bank to whatever the winner choses for the 2009/10 and 2010/11 season. The winner, The Adkins Family Stand, was announced on Sky TV show Soccer A.M on 2 May 2009 with the draw being done by Then Swindon Town chairman Andrew fitton
Andrew Fitton
Andrew Fitton is a Telecoms specialist, as well as part owner and former chairman of Swindon Town F.C..He works currently for Transcomm plc. as chief executive.He also worked with Mobitex and United Wireless Holdings.-Swindon Town Football Club:...
.
Don Rogers Stand
Nationwide Building Society
Nationwide Building Society is a British building society, and is the largest in the world. It has its headquarters in Swindon, England, and maintains significant administration centres in Bournemouth and Northampton...
until the end of the 2006/07 season and then sponsored by the Kingswood Group until March 2008. It is sometimes referred to as the South Stand by supporters. It features a cantilever roof, which means there are no roof-supports obstructing the view of the game. This replaced an old two-tier stand, of which the upper tier had become unusable due to structural problems.
There is a second concourse inside the stand which can be opened and used as a second executive area to the ground. If some seats are removed this would allow the club to use this concourse to add executive boxes to the County Ground stadium.
It is understood this concourse has never been opened due to the lack of funds Swindon Town have had over the last 10 years.
On 14 April 2008, Chief Executive Nick Watkins told a fans forum that the club is currently considering opening up the second concourse to add executive boxes to the ground and in 2011, when plans for redeveloping a new county ground, this was confirmed.
From the start of the 2007/08 season, the stand was renamed as the Don Rogers Stand.
It currently has a capacity of around 5,000.
Fast Plant Town End
The south end of this stand is notable because the floodlight located there pierces the stand's roof and is integrated into the stand. The Town End is sponsored by Fast Plant as of October 2010 which was first seen at Swindon Town's derby match against Bristol Rovers on 9 October 2010 which Town won 2-1.
The Town end holds approximately 2000.
Other uses
The ground has been used to host England International games, the women's International between EnglandEngland women's national football team
The England women's national football team represents England in international women's football. The side has been quite successful of late, qualifying for three World Cups, 1995, 2007 and 2011...
and Holland
Netherlands women's national football team
The Netherlands women's national football team represents the Netherlands in international women's football. The team played the first women's international recognized by FIFA, on 17 April 1971 against France.-World Cup record:-Current squad:...
taking place on 14 March 2007 and also under 17's matches.
The ground has also hosted other football events such as local school competitions and community soccer schools.
The ground has in the past been used as a concert venue; most notable for performances by Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Lulu
Lulu (singer)
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE , best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day...
and Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
.In 2006 the County Ground was in the running to be one of the venues for Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
's 'Have A Nice Day Tour', however the County Ground was rejected as it was said to be too small. The County Ground is located close to the Magic Roundabout
Magic Roundabout (Swindon)
The Magic Roundabout in Swindon, England was constructed in 1972 and consists of five mini-roundabouts arranged in a circle. It is located near the County Ground, home of Swindon Town F.C. Its name comes from the popular children's television series The Magic Roundabout...
.