Nantporth

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Nantporth
Nantporth main stand 2013.jpg
Nantporth Stadium in 2013
Nantporth
Former names Normal Site Playing Fields
Location Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales
Coordinates 53°13′32″N4°09′1″W / 53.22556°N 4.15028°W / 53.22556; -4.15028
Owner Bangor City Council [1]
Capacity 3,000 (1,158 seated)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke groundJanuary 2008
Opened24 January 2012
Tenants
Bangor 1876 FC (2023–present)
Bangor City FC (2012–2022)
Llandudno FC (2022–2023)

Nantporth (known as Bangor City Stadium since 2024) is an association football stadium in Bangor, Wales. It is currently used as the home ground of Cymru North side Bangor 1876.

Contents

Bangor City F.C. played between January 2012 and 2022, having moved from their previous ground, Farrar Road, that opened in the 1920s. [2]

History

Previously the ground was used occasionally by Bangor University football and rugby clubs, as well as practical lectures by the university's 'Normal Site' campus, which is home to the Sports Science and Education faculties. The main pitch overlooks the Menai Strait, with views in both directions along the coast.

Building work started on the new stadium in August 2011, and was completed in January 2012. [3] the capacity was originally going to consist of a 3,000 Seater main stand [4] until the developers pulled back on that statement after 2012 the seating has remained practically the same about the bare minimum to play low level European games [5]

The stadium was built by developer Watkin Jones as part of a joint project with Morbaine Ltd. Both companies formed a further company "Deiniol Developments" for the purpose of the Nantporth construction and the development of the football club's former home at Farrar Road into an Asda supermarket. The work was undertaken on behalf of Bangor City Council, the site owners. Under this agreement the developers installed 805 seats in the main stand. The club have installed a further approximate 300 seats in the Menai Stand on the opposite side of the pitch. A planning application [6] has been submitted for further seating to be installed. Bangor City hoped to take the overall seating to over 1,500 in time for Bangor to play any European matches there at the end of the 2012–13 season should they qualify. In 2015 the installation of a full-size astro-turf training pitch on the same site was completed. In March 2015 Bangor looked into adding a 500 rail seat stand behind the Menai Bridge End as well as previous and ongoing plans for covered terracing behind both the goals [7]

In January 2019, the water and electric supply to the stadium was cut off due to an outstanding debt of £25,000 and the club had to play at Maesdu Park in Llandudno instead. [8]

It was announced in August 2022 that the club had surrendered its lease on the stadium. [9]

On July 6 2024, former Everton and Scotland striker Graeme Sharp officially opened the new Bangor City Stadium, just before the Bangor 1876 match against FC United of Manchester. The event marked a significant moment for the community and the future of football in Bangor. Including taking steps towards becoming the first net-zero football stadium in Wales as well as a renewed plan of possible catigory 3 status in the far future among other things.

Attendances

The five largest attendances for Bangor City in League, Cup or European matches at Nantporth have been:

DateCompetitionOppositionAttendance
26 January 2019 Welsh Cup Caernarfon Town 2,486 [10]
18 May 2014 Welsh Premier League play-offs Rhyl 1,442 [11]
6 July 2017 UEFA Europa League Lyngby BK 1,089 [12]
5 July 2012 UEFA Europa League FC Zimbru 1,022 [13]
26 August 2013 Welsh Premier League Rhyl 918 [14]

There was also a crowd of over 1,200 for the first game, a North Wales Coast Challenge Cup match for Bangor against Caernarfon Wanderers on 24 January 2012 and a crowd of over 1,000 for the North Wales Coast Challenge Cup Final against Caernarfon Town on 13 May 2014 and another crowd of over 1000 against Caernarfon Town on the 8th of September 2015. There are however, no official figures published for these matches and they are considered minor cup matches. A friendly match against Liverpool F.C. under-23 on 4 January 2017 brought in an attendance of 2,006. On 26 January 2019, Bangor hosted Caernarfon Town in the Welsh Cup fourth round and lost 2–1. This attracted 2,486 spectators, the largest in any Welsh Cup game for over 20 years.

The stadium also hosts men's and women's football biennially as part of the Varsity Series tournament between Bangor University and Aberystwyth University, as well as European matches and Welsh Cup finals like Caernarfon v Crusaders in 2024 with a crowd of 1,088 and even more at the match against legia Warsaw.

Sponsors

PeriodSponsorStadium name
2012–15 The Book People The Book People Stadium [15]
2015–17 Bangor University Bangor University Stadium [16]
2017–19Vaughan Sports ManagementVSM Stadium [17]
2019EUROGOLDThe EUROGOLD Stadium [18]

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References

  1. ↑ "Roles and Responsibilities of the Council". Bangor City Council. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  2. ↑ "The first match at Nantporth". S4C. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  3. ↑ "Work starts at Bangor City's new football ground". BBC Sport. 26 August 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  4. ↑ "Bangor City FC want 1,500 seats at new Nantporth ground". 4 January 2012.
  5. ↑ "Bangor City FC fans unhappy at new stadium plans". 15 December 2010.
  6. ↑ http://www.gwynedd.gov.uk/swiftlg/apas/run/WPHAPPDETAIL.DisplayUrl?theApnID=C11/1100/11/LL&theTabNo=2&backURL=%3Ca%20href=wphappcriteria.display?paSearchKey=254984%3ESearch%20Criteria%3C/a%3E%20%3E%20%3Ca%20href='wphappsearchres.displayResultsURL?ResultID=837889%26StartIndex=1%26SortOrder=APNID:asc%26DispResultsAs=WPHAPPSEARCHRES%26BackURL=%3Ca%20href=wphappcriteria.display?paSearchKey=254984%3ESearch%20Criteria%3C/a%3E'%3ESearch%20Results%3C/a%3E
  7. ↑ "Bangor City: Fans should be given choice on safe standing". Football supporters association. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  8. ↑ "Bangor City to play second 'home' fixture away". The Bangor Aye. 20 February 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  9. ↑ "Bangor City surrender lease of Nantporth Stadium". The Bangor Aye. 1 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  10. ↑ "Bangor 1–2 Caernarfon Town". S4C. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  11. ↑ Jones, Dave (19 May 2014). "Bangor 2 Rhyl 0: City seal Europa League place after play-off win". Daily Post. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  12. ↑ "Bangor City 0–3 Lyngby BK". BBC Sport. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  13. ↑ "Bangor City FC 0 Zimbru Chisinau 0: Dave Jones' verdict". Daily Post. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  14. ↑ "Greg so proud as Rhyl heroes get off mark". Welsh Premier League. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  15. ↑ "Book deal is a new chapter for Bangor City". Daily Post. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  16. ↑ Owen, Kevin (27 August 2015). "Bangor City FC in Landmark Partnership Deal" . Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  17. ↑ "Bangor City football stadium renamed in new sponsorship deal". The Bangor Aye. 30 October 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  18. ↑ Purcell, Luke (7 March 2019). "New Stadium Sonsorship Announcement". Bangor City Football Club. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
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