Memorial Stadium (Bristol)

Memorial Stadium

The Mem
DriBuild Stand at the Memorial Stadium
Former names	Memorial Ground
Location	Filton Avenue, Horfield, Bristol, BS7 0AQ
Coordinates	51°29′10″N2°34′59″W / 51.4862°N 2.5831°W / 51.4862; -2.5831
Owner	Bristol Rovers FC
Capacity	11,000 [1]
Record attendance	12,011 (Bristol Rovers vs West Bromwich Albion, 9 March 2008)
Field size	101 × 68 metres
Surface	Grass
Opened	24 September 1921
Tenants
Bristol Rovers (1996–present) Bristol Rovers Women (2024–present) Bristol Rugby (1921–2014)

The Memorial Stadium, also commonly known by its previous name of the Memorial Ground, is a sports ground in Bristol, England, and is the home of Bristol Rovers F.C. It opened in 1921, dedicated to the memory of local rugby union players killed during the First World War, ^[2] and was the home of Bristol Rugby Club until they moved to Ashton Gate in 2014.

History

Bristol Rovers v Manchester United at the Memorial Stadium, 1999

The site was created on an area of land called Buffalo Bill's Field, after Colonel William "Buffalo Bill" Cody's Wild West Show was held there between 28 September and 3 October 1891. ^[3] Two years later, in September 1893, Clifton RFC played on the site for the first time.

During the First World War the site was converted into allotments, but after the war Buffalo Bill's Field was bought by Sir Francis Nicholas Cowlin (then the Sheriff of Bristol) and given to Bristol Rugby Club. It was opened as the Memorial Ground on 24 September that year by G. B. Britton, the Lord Mayor of Bristol.

Situated on Filton Avenue in Horfield, Bristol, it has developed significantly over the years. A massive crowd turned out to watch the first Bristol game to be held there against Cardiff, but did so from wooden terraces and stands. ^[4] With the advent of leagues in the late 1980s, Bristol looked to develop the ground, replacing the old Shed on the north side with the Centenary Stand to mark the club's 100th anniversary in 1988. The West Stand, an original feature of the ground, was demolished in 1995 having been condemned, and replaced.

In 1996, Bristol Rovers moved in as tenants of Bristol Rugby Club, and then entered into joint ownership through the Memorial Stadium Company. After just two years, in 1998, the rugby club was relegated from the Premiership (causing them severe financial difficulties) and under the terms of the agreement Bristol Rovers were able to buy Bristol Rugby's share of the stadium for a 'nominal fee', a clause designed to protect either party should one or the other fall into financial difficulties. The rugby club became tenants in their original home.

By 2005, the Memorial Stadium was hosting Bristol Rugby Club back in the Guinness Premiership, with Bristol Rovers continuing to compete in the lower levels of the Football League. A roof was added to the Clubhouse Terrace (paid for by Bristol Rovers supporters' efforts) and temporary stands at the south and south-west of the ground have brought capacity up to 11,916. Bristol Rugby were again relegated out of the Premiership in 2009.

In February 2013, after months of speculation, ^[5] Bristol Rugby announced that they would move and share a ground with Bristol City at the redeveloped Ashton Gate Stadium. ^[6] The rugby club played their final game at the Mem on 4 June 2014, a Championship play-off final second leg against London Welsh. ^[7] There was no fairytale ending for Bristol though as London Welsh won the game 21–20 to condemn the side to a sixth straight season outside the Premiership. ^[8]

The ground has remained a focal point for the wider Bristol community, and a minute's silence is held annually at the closest game to Remembrance Sunday, while on 11 November a service of remembrance is held at the Memorial Gates with players and officials from both Bristol Rovers and Bristol Rugby attending the service each year. ^[9] On Christmas Eve 2015, the memorial gates were vandalized by supporters of Bristol City. ^[10]

Other uses

The stadium is also used for the rugby varsity between the city's two universities, University of the West of England and University of Bristol. In 2013, the stadium hosted the Rugby League World Cup Group D match between the Cook Islands and the United States attracting a crowd of 7,247. ^[11] Gloucester Rugby played two pre-season friendlies at the stadium whilst their home ground, Kingsholm Stadium, was being used for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. ^[12]

In 2017 there was a crowd recording for the Aardman Animations film Early Man at the Memorial Stadium. ^[13] The stadium features in the music videos for Kano's This Is England ^[14] and Idles' Great. ^[15]

Stadium future

The Memorial Stadium Company proposed a wide-ranging £35 million refurbishment of the Memorial Stadium, bringing it up to an 18,500 all-seater capacity. ^[16] On 17 January 2007, Bristol City Council granted permission for the stadium redevelopment. ^[17]

The new stadium would have included ^{[18] [19]} a 97-room hotel, 99 student flats, a restaurant, a convenience store, offices and a public gym.

On 17 August 2007, it was announced that the stadium's redevelopment had been delayed and would commence in May 2008 and finish in December 2009. During this time period of reconstruction, Bristol Rovers would have ground-shared with Cheltenham Town at Whaddon Road ^[20] while Bristol Rugby would have played across the Severn Bridge, sharing the Rodney Parade ground in Newport. ^[21] The Section 106 legal agreement, which was the main cause for the delay in the redevelopment, was finally signed on 4 January 2008, ^[22] but more delays were encountered when on 30 May 2008 Rovers admitted that their preferred student accommodation providers had pulled out of the project, leaving the club to find an alternative company. ^[23] This caused the redevelopment to be put back another year, to 2009. ^[24] More delays, mostly attributed to the ongoing financial crisis, meant that by mid-2011 the stadium redevelopment had yet to begin.

In June 2011, Bristol Rovers announced its intentions to relocate the club to the newly proposed UWE Stadium instead of redeveloping the Memorial Stadium. In order to fund the new stadium, the Memorial Stadium was to be sold to supermarket chain Sainsbury's with Rovers paying a peppercorn rent with work to redevelop the site not beginning until Rovers completed their move to the new stadium. ^[25] Planning permission was granted for the UWE Stadium site in July 2012 ^[26] and the Sainsbury's plans for the Memorial Stadium in January 2013. ^[27] Work was expected to begin on the UWE Stadium shortly after but multiple delays caused by legal challenges held the project up. ^{[28] [29]} In 2014, Sainsbury's pulled out of the project and were subsequently taken to court by Rovers. ^[30] Sainsbury's won the court case and appeal that followed leaving the entire project again in doubt. ^{[31] [32]}

In August 2017, following the takeover of the club by the Al-Qadi family, and extensive negotiations with the UWE, the club announced that it was no longer looking to build a new stadium in collaboration with the UWE but would once again explore redeveloping the Memorial Stadium instead. ^[33]

Before the 2019/20 League One campaign, Rovers redeveloped the bar under the Poplar Insulation stand and subsequently reopened it as a "club superstore". The new club bar was opened in the place of the former club shop.

On 28 April 2023, Bristol Rovers announced plans to remove the south stand – a temporary tent that had been there since the stadiums redevelopment in 1995/1996. In June 2023 the stand had been completely removed and the land was ready to be rebuilt. The stand will increase the stadiums capacity by 3,414 seats and will boost the stadiums capacity to 12,500. ^{[34] [35]} In July, local media reported that work on the new stand had commenced without planning permission. ^[36] A club statement released on 2 August 2023 confirmed that "due to issues outside of the club's control", the improved south stand would not be ready for the start of the new season. ^[37] On 15 November 2023, it was confirmed that planning permission had been granted with conditions. ^[38]

In October 2023, Rovers' new owner Hussain AlSaeed confirmed that the club's proposed move to a potential new stadium at the Fruit Market site had fallen through and they would instead focus on redeveloping the Memorial Stadium. The plans included development on both the East and North stands upon completion of the South Stand, increasing the ground's capacity to between 16-17000. ^[39]

Average attendances

Season	Bristol Rovers
	Attendance	League
2023–24	8,190	League One
2022–23	8,907	League One
2021–22	7,512	League Two
2020–21	0 [lower-alpha 1]	League One
2019–20	7,348
2018-19	8,320
2017–18	8,933
2016–17	9,302
2015–16	8,096	League Two	Bristol Rugby
2014–15	6,793	Conference Premier	Attendance	League
2013–14	6,420	League Two	5,808	Championship
2012–13	6,308		4,859
2011–12	6,035		5,351
2010–11	6,253	League One	4,273
2009–10	7,042		5,261
2008–09	7,170		7,435	Premiership
2007–08	6,849		9,175

1. No fans permitted for the 2020–21 season on account of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

References

1. "Bristol Rovers CEO confirms reduction in Memorial Stadium capacity and outlines future options". Bristol Post . Retrieved 16 November 2022.
2. "Bristol Rugby History". bristolrugby.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
3. "Clifton Rugby Football Club History". Clifton Rugby Football Club History. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
4. "Memorial Stadium". Football Tripper. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
5. "We might not move to Ashton Gate, says Bristol Rugby chief". ThisIsBristol. 2 October 2012. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
6. "Club Will Groundshare With Bristol City". Bristol Rugby. 5 February 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
7. "Battling Bristol can't find a fairytale finish to life at the Memorial Stadium". Bristol Post. 5 June 2014. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
8. "Bristol Rugby miss out on promotion to the Aviva Premiership". Bristol Post. 4 June 2014. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
9. "Memorial Gates Fall Silent". bristolrovers.co.uk. 11 November 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
10. "'Mindless' vandals target war memorial". BBC News. 24 December 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
11. "WED 30TH OCT 2013, 20:00 - GROUP D". rlwc2013.com. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
12. "PREMIERSHIP RUGBY TEAMS RETURN TO THE MEMORIAL STADIUM AFTER MORE THAN SIX YEARS". Gloucester Rugby. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
13. "Take part in a Crowd Record for Aardman's latest movie!". Aardman Animations. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
14. "Kano - This Is England". YouTube . Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
15. "IDLES - GREAT". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
16. Club submits revised stadium plan BBC News. Retrieved 23 October 2006
17. Memorial stadium given go-ahead BBC News. Retrieved 17 January 2007
18. Bristol City Council planning consultation: Memorial Stadium, Filton Avenue Bristol City Council. Retrieved 25 April 2007
19. "Stadium Amendments Given The OK". Bristol Rovers FC. 2 April 2008. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
20. Football and rugby stay in city BBC News. Retrieved 1 October 2007
21. Bristol confirm move to Newport BBC News. Retrieved 6 January 2013
22. Signed, Sealed, Delivered Archived 7 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine bristolrovers.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2008
23. "Memorial Stadium plans hit hurdle". BBC News. 30 May 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
24. "Stadium regeneration delayed". bristolrovers.co.uk. 3 June 2008. Archived from the original on 4 November 2008. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
25. "ROVERS ANNOUNCE NEW STADIUM PLANS". bristolrovers.co.uk. 9 June 2011. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
26. "Councillors approve stadium plans". South Gloucestershire Council. southglos.gov.uk. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
27. "SAINSBURY'S APPROVED". Bristol Rovers Official Website. bristolrovers.co.uk. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
28. "Judicial Review Granted" . Retrieved 30 March 2014.
29. "SAJID JAVID VISITS THE MEM" . Retrieved 6 January 2014.
30. ROVERS IN THE HIGH COURT http://www.bristolrovers.co.uk/news/article/update-rovers-in-the-high-court-2466521.aspx#iLoY93kjlk27wkRe.99
31. "Bristol Rovers lose case over Sainsbury's stadium deal". BBC News. 13 July 2015.
32. "STADIUM APPEAL TURNED DOWN". Bristol Rovers F.C. 17 March 2016.
33. Vittles, Jack (8 August 2017). "Wael Al-Qadi confirms Rovers plan to redevelop the Mem". bristolpost. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
34. Piercy, James (28 April 2023). "Bristol Rovers share image of proposed new South Stand". BristolLive. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
35. "Rovers Finalise South Stand Improvements". www.bristolrovers.co.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
36. Seabrook, Alex (29 July 2023). "Anger as Rovers start building new stand without planning permission". Bristol 24/7. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
37. "Club Statement: South Stand Update". www.bristolrovers.co.uk. 2 August 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
38. "Club Statement: South Stand Development". www.bristolrovers.co.uk. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
39. "Bristol Rovers owner Hussain AlSaeed says proposed stadium move is off". BBC Sport. 28 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.

External links

• Bristol Rovers  — Official website
• The Memorial Ground, Flickr Group Photographic record of the Memorial Stadium
• Bristol Football Club (RFU), Dave Fox and Mark Hoskins, 2 vols., Tempus Publishing
• Bristol Rovers: The Definitive History 1883–2003, Stephen Byrne and Mike Jay, Tempus Publishing