Ashton Gate
Encyclopedia
Ashton Gate Stadium is a stadium
in Ashton Gate
, Bristol
, England, and is the home of Bristol City F.C.
Located in the south-west of the city, just south of the River Avon
, it has an all-seated capacity
of 21,497, with an effective capacity for football matches (depending on how many away tickets are allocated, and how they are segregated) of around 19,500, with an average league game's attendance of 16,446 (2007/08 season).
until their 1900 merger with Bristol South End who played at St Johns Lane, and the merged team alternated between the two grounds until Ashton Gate become the permanent home of Bristol City in 1904.
The ground has also played a part in the history of rugby in the city. Bristol Rugby
have played there on a number of occasions since the 1920s, the most recent being on 27 December 2006 when they defeated local rivals Bath Rugby
16–6 whilst selling out the stadium for an all time record Premiership crowd outside of Twickenham
. Several rugby internationals have been held, starting with England versus Wales in 1899. One hundred years later, the All Blacks
took on Tonga
in a 1999 Rugby World Cup
pool match.
In mid 2006 it was announced that Bristol Rugby would be taking two games of the 2006-07 Guinness Premiership
to Ashton Gate, the matches against Bath Rugby
and the Leicester Tigers
, the stadium is also to be used to house Gloucester RFC
, for their match against Bristol Rugby, whilst Kingsholm Stadium is being redeveloped.
For the first time in the 21st Century, City fans were allowed to purchase a season ticket in the East End for the 2007–2008 season. Although fewer than 300 fans took the club up on the offer, the supporters within the stand have tried hard to generate a positive atmosphere, with a continental 'Ultra' style movement. Indeed, these supporters have now christened themselves the East End Ultras, with flags and banners advertising this name. The slogan for the stand has unofficially become 'Forza East End'. For the 2008–2009 season, the East End will house 1200 season ticket holders, the maximum the club have allocated.
.
, who played 645 times for City and scored 351 goals, making him the clubs top goalscorer ever. He died in 1993, a year before the new stand opened.
's Football Stadia Improvement Fund. Football capacity would have dropped from 19,000 to 15,000 during the work and increased to 21,000 when the new stand opened. The new stand was to include 5,200 seats, some reserved for long-term debenture holders, 16 corporate hospitality boxes and a new bar. The work was scheduled to begin in early July, but on 12 July 2005, Bristol City announced that planning permission
and contracts for construction and for catering and bar concessions (which were central to funding the stand) were still not concluded, and that work would be delayed until after the start of the season. On 9 November 2005 the club decided that they were unable to go ahead with redevelopment of the stand until the summer of 2006 (work has still not proceeded), though refurbishment work in other parts of the ground, partly funded by the Football Foundation, would go ahead.
Planning permission was granted in 2005 to redevelop this end of the ground, which currently houses away supporters. Work was due to start in the July of that year. It was put back twelve months and then, mainly due to a lack of funds, was postponed indefinitely. After having won promotion to the Championship, City decided to press ahead, with the builders due to start work at the end of the 2007/2008 season.
The back of the Wedlock stand would have become the main entrance to the stadium and according to chief executive Colin Sexstone, "will have a fantastic concourse and 16 executive boxes." It will be even taller than the Dolman Stand. Although no images are available for the Wedlock design, the club said it will be very similar to the single-tier construction proposed two years ago. The new stand, which would cost in the region of £7 million to build, would house 5,300 fans, taking the capacity of Ashton Gate to 21,000 when segregation is used. Away fans would be moved to another part of the ground, although it is yet to be decided where.
The club were also granted permission to redevelop the Williams Stand in 1998, and have consistently renewed that so it still applies today. They planned to rebuild the stand completely and then fill in one of the corners, providing more than 13,000 seats, taking the total capacity up to 29,000.
However, these plans have been abandoned. On 29 November 2007, after 100 years at Ashton Gate, it was announced that Bristol City are planning to move to a new stadium near 'The Gate'. This move is now set to go ahead and planning is under action. After conducting a comprehensive fans survey, a preliminary design has been drawn up of a 30,000 capacity stadium
with the option to increase to 42,000 , should Bristol City require the expansion . (This was originally a requirement of being a host city as part of England's unsuccessful 2018 World cup bid). Planning permission was expected to be completed by May 2009 with the stadium having a planned completion for the start of the 2011/12 season.
The planning and building of the new stadium at Ashton Vale has been delayed due to opposition by local groups citing issues relating to collapse of the local economy , its environmental impact on the locale and destruction of an area noted as a "village green" .
The design for the new stadium has been hit with some criticism from fans , however, mainly from the 'Eastenders' group, who believe the stadium should incorporate a home end or Kop
style stand to make the ground intimidating for visiting teams.
matches, as follows:
played in front of a record 23,000 spectators at Ashton Gate on 25 June 2008 and are returning as part of the Bon Jovi Live
tour on 27 June 2011. Other artists that have appeared at Ashton Gate in the past include The Rolling Stones
,
Elton John
,
Neil Diamond
, Bryan Adams
,
The Who
, Ronan Keating
, Rod Stewart
and Meat Loaf
.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Ashton Gate
Ashton Gate
Ashton Gate Stadium is a stadium in Ashton Gate, Bristol, England, and is the home of Bristol City F.C. Located in the south-west of the city, just south of the River Avon, it has an all-seated capacity of 21,497, with an effective capacity for football matches of around 19,500, with an average...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England, and is the home of Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
Located in the south-west of the city, just south of the River Avon
River Avon, Bristol
The River Avon is an English river in the south west of the country. To distinguish it from a number of other River Avons in Britain, this river is often also known as the Lower Avon or Bristol Avon...
, it has an all-seated capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 21,497, with an effective capacity for football matches (depending on how many away tickets are allocated, and how they are segregated) of around 19,500, with an average league game's attendance of 16,446 (2007/08 season).
History and arrangement
Ashton Gate was the home of Bedminster F.C.Bedminster F.C.
Bedminster F.C. was an English football club based in Bristol. The club was established in 1887 as Southville and played at Ashton Gate. They were founder members of the Bristol & District League in 1892, which became the Western League in 1895...
until their 1900 merger with Bristol South End who played at St Johns Lane, and the merged team alternated between the two grounds until Ashton Gate become the permanent home of Bristol City in 1904.
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'...
have played there on a number of occasions since the 1920s, the most recent being on 27 December 2006 when they defeated local rivals Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
16–6 whilst selling out the stadium for an all time record Premiership crowd outside of Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
. Several rugby internationals have been held, starting with England versus Wales in 1899. One hundred years later, the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
took on Tonga
Tonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
in a 1999 Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
pool match.
In mid 2006 it was announced that Bristol Rugby would be taking two games of the 2006-07 Guinness Premiership
2006-07 Guinness Premiership
The 2006–07 Guinness Premiership was the 20th season of the top flight of the English domestic rugby union competitions, played between September 2006 and May 2007. It was announced during the 2005-06 season that the 2006-07 competition would end two weeks early due to the 2007 Rugby World Cup in...
to Ashton Gate, the matches against Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
and the Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
, the stadium is also to be used to house Gloucester RFC
Gloucester RFC
Gloucester Rugby are a professional English rugby union club situated in the west country city of Gloucester. The club plays in the domestic Aviva Premiership...
, for their match against Bristol Rugby, whilst Kingsholm Stadium is being redeveloped.
The Wedlock "East End" Stand
Visiting fans for the football are housed in the Wedlock Stand at the south-east end of the ground, which was built as a covered terrace in 1928, converted to seats in the 1990s and was the traditional home fans' end until 1994. It is known as the East End to City fans.For the first time in the 21st Century, City fans were allowed to purchase a season ticket in the East End for the 2007–2008 season. Although fewer than 300 fans took the club up on the offer, the supporters within the stand have tried hard to generate a positive atmosphere, with a continental 'Ultra' style movement. Indeed, these supporters have now christened themselves the East End Ultras, with flags and banners advertising this name. The slogan for the stand has unofficially become 'Forza East End'. For the 2008–2009 season, the East End will house 1200 season ticket holders, the maximum the club have allocated.
The Williams Stand
The Williams Stand on the south-west side, which includes the directors' box and press box, was built in 1958. The lower part of the stand was a terrace known as the Grand Enclosure until it was converted to seating in the 1990s. This stand was also named after a former chainman Des Williams.The Dolman Stand
The Dolman Stand', which lies opposite it, was built in 1970. To some, it appears a dominating sight over the other 3 stands in the stadium. At that time it was built it had a small, flat Family Enclosure in front of it, which was later built up and converted to seating. In the summer of 2007, the original wooden seats in the upper area were replaced by modern plastic seats. It is named after the former club chairman and president Harry DolmanHarry Dolman
H J "Harry" Dolman OBE was a well-known Bristol businessman, starting off as an engineer who later bought out the firm he worked for, Brecknell, Dolman & Rogers Ltd. and as chairman and president of Bristol City FC.-Early life:Harry Dolman was born in Kington Langley near Chippenham, Wiltshire...
.
The Atyeo Stand
The most recent addition to the stadium is the Atyeo Stand, which was built in 1994 to replace an open terrace, and contains new dressing rooms and a large gymnasium. It is named after Bristol City legend John AtyeoJohn Atyeo
John Atyeo was an English football striker who spent the majority of his career at Bristol City. He won six England caps between 1955 and 1957, scoring five goals...
, who played 645 times for City and scored 351 goals, making him the clubs top goalscorer ever. He died in 1993, a year before the new stand opened.
Future development
In 2005 the club announced that the Wedlock Stand, the oldest part of the ground, would be redeveloped at a cost of £7 million during the 2005–06 season, with some funding from the Football FoundationFootball Foundation
The Football Foundation is the United Kingdom’s largest sports charity, investing £40m into communities each year thanks to money provided by its funding partners the Premier League, The FA and the Government...
's Football Stadia Improvement Fund. Football capacity would have dropped from 19,000 to 15,000 during the work and increased to 21,000 when the new stand opened. The new stand was to include 5,200 seats, some reserved for long-term debenture holders, 16 corporate hospitality boxes and a new bar. The work was scheduled to begin in early July, but on 12 July 2005, Bristol City announced that planning permission
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
and contracts for construction and for catering and bar concessions (which were central to funding the stand) were still not concluded, and that work would be delayed until after the start of the season. On 9 November 2005 the club decided that they were unable to go ahead with redevelopment of the stand until the summer of 2006 (work has still not proceeded), though refurbishment work in other parts of the ground, partly funded by the Football Foundation, would go ahead.
Planned expansion
After promotion to the championship in 2006/2007, Bristol City resurrected plans to rebuild the Wedlock Stand at Ashton Gate, two years after the project was first proposed, taking the next step towards having a stadium which holds 42,000 fans.Planning permission was granted in 2005 to redevelop this end of the ground, which currently houses away supporters. Work was due to start in the July of that year. It was put back twelve months and then, mainly due to a lack of funds, was postponed indefinitely. After having won promotion to the Championship, City decided to press ahead, with the builders due to start work at the end of the 2007/2008 season.
The back of the Wedlock stand would have become the main entrance to the stadium and according to chief executive Colin Sexstone, "will have a fantastic concourse and 16 executive boxes." It will be even taller than the Dolman Stand. Although no images are available for the Wedlock design, the club said it will be very similar to the single-tier construction proposed two years ago. The new stand, which would cost in the region of £7 million to build, would house 5,300 fans, taking the capacity of Ashton Gate to 21,000 when segregation is used. Away fans would be moved to another part of the ground, although it is yet to be decided where.
The club were also granted permission to redevelop the Williams Stand in 1998, and have consistently renewed that so it still applies today. They planned to rebuild the stand completely and then fill in one of the corners, providing more than 13,000 seats, taking the total capacity up to 29,000.
However, these plans have been abandoned. On 29 November 2007, after 100 years at Ashton Gate, it was announced that Bristol City are planning to move to a new stadium near 'The Gate'. This move is now set to go ahead and planning is under action. After conducting a comprehensive fans survey, a preliminary design has been drawn up of a 30,000 capacity stadium
Bristol City Stadium
The Bristol City Stadium is a proposed football stadium, announced in November 2007, which would be built on land at Ashton Vale, Bristol, England, and would replace Ashton Gate stadium as the home stadium of Bristol City F.C...
with the option to increase to 42,000 , should Bristol City require the expansion . (This was originally a requirement of being a host city as part of England's unsuccessful 2018 World cup bid). Planning permission was expected to be completed by May 2009 with the stadium having a planned completion for the start of the 2011/12 season.
The planning and building of the new stadium at Ashton Vale has been delayed due to opposition by local groups citing issues relating to collapse of the local economy , its environmental impact on the locale and destruction of an area noted as a "village green" .
The design for the new stadium has been hit with some criticism from fans , however, mainly from the 'Eastenders' group, who believe the stadium should incorporate a home end or Kop
Kop
Spion Kop is a colloquial name or term for a number of terraces and stands at sports stadiums, particularly in the United Kingdom...
style stand to make the ground intimidating for visiting teams.
Rugby matches
Ashton Gate has held two international rugby unionRugby 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...
matches, as follows:
| Date | Competition | Home team | Away team | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 January 1908 | 1908 Home Nations Championship 1908 Home Nations Championship The 1908 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-sixth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 18 January and 21 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.... |
England England national rugby union team The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in... |
18 | Wales Wales national rugby union team The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with... |
28 |
| 3 October 1999 | 1999 Rugby World Cup 1999 Rugby World Cup The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland... , Pool 2 |
New Zealand | 45 | Tonga Tonga national rugby union team The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa... |
9 |
Music
Bon JoviBon 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...
played in front of a record 23,000 spectators at Ashton Gate on 25 June 2008 and are returning as part of the Bon Jovi Live
Bon Jovi Live (concert tour)
Bon Jovi Live is the fourteenth concert tour by American band, Bon Jovi. Visiting several countries in North America and Europe, the tour will support the band's sixth compilation album, The Greatest Hits...
tour on 27 June 2011. Other artists that have appeared at Ashton Gate in the past include The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
,
Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
,
Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
, 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...
,
The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, Ronan Keating
Ronan Keating
Ronan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...
, Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
and Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
.