Denbigh Stadium
Encyclopedia
Stadium mk is a football ground in the Denbigh district of Milton Keynes
, Buckinghamshire
, England
. Designed by Populous, it has completed phase one construction by civil engineering
company Buckingham Group Contracting. It is the home ground of Milton Keynes Dons FC
.
The stadium was officially opened on 29 November 2007 by the Queen
.
The initial configuration of the stadium uses only the lower tier to hold 22,000, but using the upper tier there is provision to increase the capacity to 32,000. However, should it be needed there is also an option to increase the maximum capacity to 45,000 with the introduction of a new tier. When complete the design will comply with UEFA's Elite Stadium specifications and includes a Desso GrassMaster
playing surface.
The plans of the complex include an indoor arena, arena:mk
, that was to be the home of the Marshall Milton Keynes Lions
professional basketball
team from 2008. However, the retail developments that would have provided enabling funding have been deferred due to the national economic situation, leaving the Lions searching for an alternative arena.
In addition to association football, the stadium is occasionally host to rugby union
. In May 2008, (who normally groundshare with at Vicarage Road
) played Bristol
at stadiummk because Watford needed their ground for a Championship
play-off. In 2011, Northampton Saints
RFC used the ground for their Heineken Cup
quarter and semi final matches because their home ground is too small for major events.
sought permission to relocate to Milton Keynes
from their original home some 60 miles (96.6 km) away in South London
. It was originally planned that the new stadium would be ready for the 2004–05 season, but it was to be another three years after this date before the stadium was opened. In the meantime, Wimbledon had played at the National Hockey Stadium
and had been refounded as Milton Keynes Dons
.
XI, which resulted in a 4–3 win for the home side. Later in July an England
Legends XI took on a World Legends XI in a match in memory of the late England footballer Alan Ball.
In November 2007 the stadium hosted its first FIFA
sanctioned international football match when the England Under 21
team hosted their Bulgarian counterparts in a UEFA
Euro 2009 qualifier
. Since then, the stadium has been used a number of times to host England Under 21
internationals, such as a June 2009 warm-up game for the 2009 Under-21 European Championship
against Azerbaijan Under-21's
(which England won a resounding 7–0).
The stadium was used as a centrepoint for the 40th birthday celebrations of Milton Keynes
which took place during 2007.
The stadium also marked another first on 8 May 2008 when it hosted its first rugby union
fixture. Guinness Premiership
side Saracens
entertained Bristol
away from their regular Vicarage Road
ground, due to Watford F.C.
playing at home in the 2008 Championship play-off semi-final.
stadiummk was chosen as a host stadium for England's bid for the 2018 FIFA World Cup
. This nickname was also used for the home end at the Dons' previous ground.
Rugby union
club announced that their 2010-11 Heineken Cup quarter final match against Ulster
would take place in the stadium, because their Franklin's Gardens ground is too small to meet the minimum 15,000 seats demanded by the organisers
.
The Saints had previously indicated that they might play future major games at stadiummk as their proposal to expand Franklin's Gardens using an enabling (ASDA supermarket) development has encountered planning difficulties.
Accordingly, their quarter-final match was played at the stadium on Sunday 10 April 2011 in front of a stadium record crowd of 21,309 supporters who witnessed the Saints (the 'home' side for the day) beat Ulster 23-13. This secured for the Saints a place in the semi-final of the Heineken Cup where they went on to beat USA Perpignan
, again at the stadiummk.
civil parish, near the junction of the A5
and the A421
. The nearest railway stations are Bletchley
and Fenny Stratford
, about 1.3 miles (2.1 km) away each. The Central station
, about 2.6 miles (4.2 km) away, has more intercity services.
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, 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...
. Designed by Populous, it has completed phase one construction by civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
company Buckingham Group Contracting. It is the home ground of Milton Keynes Dons FC
Milton Keynes Dons F.C.
.Milton Keynes Dons Football Club is an English professional football club founded in 2004 and based since 2007 at Stadium mk, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire...
.
The stadium was officially opened on 29 November 2007 by the Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
.
The initial configuration of the stadium uses only the lower tier to hold 22,000, but using the upper tier there is provision to increase the capacity to 32,000. However, should it be needed there is also an option to increase the maximum capacity to 45,000 with the introduction of a new tier. When complete the design will comply with UEFA's Elite Stadium specifications and includes a Desso GrassMaster
Desso GrassMaster
Desso GrassMaster is a sports playing field surface composed of natural grass combined with artificial fibres. The artificial grass fibres are injected deep, and cover about 3% of the surface. While the grass is growing, the roots intertwine with the artificial fibres...
playing surface.
The plans of the complex include an indoor arena, arena:mk
Arena:MK
The Arena:MK is a planned 4,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, but construction work has been delayed by the credit crunch It remains planned to be the home of the Milton Keynes Lions of the British Basketball League, replacing their current venue Bletchley...
, that was to be the home of the Marshall Milton Keynes Lions
Milton Keynes Lions
The Milton Keynes Lions, officially called Prestige Homes Milton Keynes Lions due to sponsorship, is a basketball team which represents Milton Keynes in the British Basketball League, the top level men's basketball league in the United Kingdom. The franchise’s only trophy success to-date is the BBL...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team from 2008. However, the retail developments that would have provided enabling funding have been deferred due to the national economic situation, leaving the Lions searching for an alternative arena.
In addition to association football, the stadium is occasionally host to rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
. In May 2008, (who normally groundshare with at Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road, a stadium in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, is the home of the football club Watford and their tenants, the Saracens rugby union club. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 17,477.-History:...
) played Bristol
Bristol Rugby
Bristol Rugby is a rugby union club based in Bristol, England. The club currently plays in the RFU Championship and competes in the British and Irish Cup. They rely in large part on the many junior rugby clubs in the region, particularly those from 'the Combination'...
at stadiummk because Watford needed their ground for a Championship
Championship
Championship is a term used in sport to refer to various forms of competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.- Title match system :...
play-off. In 2011, Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....
RFC used the ground for their Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
quarter and semi final matches because their home ground is too small for major events.
Background
The stadium was first proposed in May 2002, when Wimbledon FCWimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
sought permission to relocate to Milton Keynes
Relocation of Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football prior to a "fairytale" rise through the divisions following election to The Football League...
from their original home some 60 miles (96.6 km) away in South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
. It was originally planned that the new stadium would be ready for the 2004–05 season, but it was to be another three years after this date before the stadium was opened. In the meantime, Wimbledon had played at the National Hockey Stadium
National Hockey Stadium
The National Hockey Stadium was a sports stadium in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, with a nominal capacity of around 4,000 seats . It was used by England Hockey as their national stadium from 1995 to 2003 and as a professional football stadium from 2003 to 2007...
and had been refounded as Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons F.C.
.Milton Keynes Dons Football Club is an English professional football club founded in 2004 and based since 2007 at Stadium mk, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire...
.
Stadium size
Initially there were concerns that the size of the stadium may have been too optimistic. Although attendances increased since leaving the National Hockey stadium, the stadium has yet to sell out for Dons' games. The MK Dons average attendance of 10,550 during the 2008-09 League One season remains below half the ground capacity. The MK Dons average home attendance for the first part of the 2009/10 season was ranked 6th out of 24 teams in League One.Early events
Although Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the stadium in November 2007, it hosted its first game on 18 July 2007, a match against a ChelseaChelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
XI, which resulted in a 4–3 win for the home side. Later in July an England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
Legends XI took on a World Legends XI in a match in memory of the late England footballer Alan Ball.
In November 2007 the stadium hosted its first FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
sanctioned international football match when the England Under 21
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
team hosted their Bulgarian counterparts in a UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
Euro 2009 qualifier
2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Qualification Group 3
The teams competing in Group 3 of the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championships qualifying competition are Bulgaria, England, Montenegro, Portugal, and Republic of Ireland.-Standings:Key:...
. Since then, the stadium has been used a number of times to host England Under 21
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
internationals, such as a June 2009 warm-up game for the 2009 Under-21 European Championship
2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship began on 15 June 2009, and was the 17th UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. This was the first tournament after the competition reverted to a two-year format, following the single-year 2006-07 competition, which allowed the change to...
against Azerbaijan Under-21's
Azerbaijan national under-21 football team
The Azerbaijan national under-21 football team are a feeder team to the Azerbaijan Senior team.- UEFA U-21 Championship Record:* 2002: Did not qualify. Finished 5th of 6 in qualification group....
(which England won a resounding 7–0).
The stadium was used as a centrepoint for the 40th birthday celebrations of Milton Keynes
History of Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes is a large town in South East England, founded in 1967. This history of Milton Keynes details its development from the earliest human settlements, through the plans for a 'new city' for 250,000 people in south central England, its subsequent urban design and development, to the...
which took place during 2007.
The stadium also marked another first on 8 May 2008 when it hosted its first rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
fixture. Guinness Premiership
Guinness Premiership
The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...
side Saracens
Saracens F.C.
Saracens are a professional rugby union team based in St. Albans, England – although they play their home games at Vicarage Road, in Watford. They are currently members of the Aviva Premiership, the top level of domestic rugby union in England...
entertained Bristol
Bristol Rugby
Bristol Rugby is a rugby union club based in Bristol, England. The club currently plays in the RFU Championship and competes in the British and Irish Cup. They rely in large part on the many junior rugby clubs in the region, particularly those from 'the Combination'...
away from their regular Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road, a stadium in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, is the home of the football club Watford and their tenants, the Saracens rugby union club. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 17,477.-History:...
ground, due to Watford F.C.
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
playing at home in the 2008 Championship play-off semi-final.
stadiummk was chosen as a host stadium for England's bid for the 2018 FIFA World Cup
2018 FIFA World Cup
The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups was the process by which the locations for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups were selected. The process began officially in March 2009; eleven bids from thirteen countries were received, including one which was withdrawn and one that was...
Cowshed
The South stand of stadiummk is known as the Cowshed by Dons fans, as Milton Keynes is known for its Concrete CowsConcrete Cows
The Concrete Cows in Milton Keynes, England are an iconic work of sculpture, created in 1978 by Canadian-born artist, Liz Leyh. There are three cows and three calves, approximately half life size....
. This nickname was also used for the home end at the Dons' previous ground.
England 2018 World Cup bid
In December 2009, the English FA awarded 'Candidate Host City' status to Milton Keynes. Had England won the bid, stadiummk would have hosted some games. For this to happen, the stadium capacity would have had to be increased to 44,000. However on 2 December 2010 FIFA decided not to award the World Cup to England.Rugby: the Heineken Cup
On 24 January 2011, the Northampton SaintsNorthampton Saints
Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....
Rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club announced that their 2010-11 Heineken Cup quarter final match against Ulster
Ulster Rugby
Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
would take place in the stadium, because their Franklin's Gardens ground is too small to meet the minimum 15,000 seats demanded by the organisers
European Rugby Cup
European Rugby Cup is the organising body of two European rugby union club tournaments; the Heineken Cup and the Amlin Challenge Cup. The organisation was established in 1995 and is headquartered in Dublin...
.
The Saints had previously indicated that they might play future major games at stadiummk as their proposal to expand Franklin's Gardens using an enabling (ASDA supermarket) development has encountered planning difficulties.
Accordingly, their quarter-final match was played at the stadium on Sunday 10 April 2011 in front of a stadium record crowd of 21,309 supporters who witnessed the Saints (the 'home' side for the day) beat Ulster 23-13. This secured for the Saints a place in the semi-final of the Heineken Cup where they went on to beat USA Perpignan
USA Perpignan
Union Sportive des Arlequins Perpignanais or Unió eSportiva Arlequins de Perpinyà , generally abbreviated as USAP in both languages, is a French rugby union club that plays in the city of Perpignan in Pyrénées-Orientales. The club currently competes in the Top 14, the top level of the French...
, again at the stadiummk.
Location
The stadium is in south central Milton Keynes, in the Bletchley and Fenny StratfordBletchley and Fenny Stratford
Bletchley and Fenny Stratford is a civil parish with a town council, in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It was formed in 2001 from the unparished area of Milton Keynes, and according to the 2001 census had a population of 13,971....
civil parish, near the junction of the A5
A5 road
The A5 is a major road in England and Wales. It is also the first Roman built road in England hence the name Roman Road. It runs for about from London, England to Holyhead, Wales, following in part a section of the Roman Iter II route which later took the Anglo-Saxon name Watling...
and the A421
A421 road
The A421 is an important road for east/west journeys across England. Together with the A428, the A43 and A34, it forms the route from Cambridge through Milton Keynes to Oxford...
. The nearest railway stations are Bletchley
Bletchley railway station
Bletchley is a railway station that serves the southern districts of Milton Keynes , and the north-eastern parts of the Buckinghamshire district of Aylesbury Vale....
and Fenny Stratford
Fenny Stratford railway station
Fenny Stratford is a railway station that serves the Fenny Stratford area of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. It is on the Marston Vale Line that links Bletchley and Bedford.This station is one of five serving Milton Keynes. The others are , , and ....
, about 1.3 miles (2.1 km) away each. The Central station
Milton Keynes Central railway station
Milton Keynes Central railway station serves Central Milton Keynes and the surrounding area of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The station is located on the West Coast Main Line between the stations of Bletchley and Wolverton, both of which are also within Milton Keynes. The station is served by...
, about 2.6 miles (4.2 km) away, has more intercity services.