St James Park
Encyclopedia
St James Park is a football
stadium
in Exeter
and is the home of Exeter City F.C.
The stadium is served by the St James Park railway station
which is right next to the ground (the line runs behind the Grandstand
). (It has been adopted by the club who contribute to its upkeep, under the community rail
scheme, and its railings have been painted in the red and white of Exeter's strip).
The current capacity of St James Park is 8,541, however the record attendance is 20,984, who watched Exeter lose 4-2 to Sunderland
in an FA Cup
Sixth Round Replay in 1931.
who rented it out for fattening pigs. The proceeds went to a charity set up to pay for the apprenticeship of a poor child from the parish of St Stephen, an arrangement that was supposed to be renewed "yearly to the world's end." Pigs were resident for nearly 250 years and in later times, were joined by other tenants of low repute. Prior to 1904, Exeter United FC played its games here and after merging with St. Sidwell's United, the ground was leased to the newly formed Exeter City FC with the new contract stipulating that "no menageries, shows, circuses or steam roundabouts" were to be allowed on the premises.
In the grounds early days, some visiting clubs complained about the ground claiming it wasn't regulation length, and both Stoke
(in 1909) and Reading
(1910) refused to play FA Cup games at the ground, although the matter was resolved in 1920 when the club purchased the land east of the ground and were able to extend the pitch and construct the Big Bank stand.
In 1921 the club were able to buy the site, thanks to money raised through the record breaking sale of Dick Pym
to Bolton
, and proceeded to develop the ground, adding a roof to the Cowshed stand and in 1926 rebuilding the Grandstand destroyed by fire the previous year.
who leased it back to the club. Finances had improved by 1996 and the club began to redevelop St James Park, rebuilding the Big Bank stand (2000) and replacing the Cowshed terrace with an all-seater stand (2001). The neighbouring former St. James' School building was refurbished into new offices, a social club and corporate hospitality /conference and banqueting facilities.
Financial difficulties, including debt to stadium redevelopers Mowlem, caused the redevelopment plans to be put on hold but matters continued to decline, culminating in the club's most traumatic episode at the end of the 2002/03 season, when police raided the club and removed the recently instated chairman, his wife and the vice-chairman for questioning. Later that year the Supporters Trust took over day-to-day running of the club and to overcome the financial problems, entered into a CVA.
In 2005, thanks largely to the money generated from the FA Cup third round replay at Old Trafford
the previous year, the club came out of administration and the Supporters Trust began again to look at the redevelopment of the ground. In the mean time, much of the small scale maintenance and repair work has been undertaken by a volunteer workforce of fans organised by the Trust, using resources donated by local businesses.
rugby club, who were in with a good chance of obtaining promotion to the Zurich Premiership that season. Because the Chiefs 100 year old County Ground didn't meet Premiership requirements and their new Sandy Park Stadium was not due to open for another season, the clubs were looking at a possible one year groundshare
at St James Park. There were also talks of a future groundshare at the Sandy Park stadium should Exeter City decide to leave St James Park. In the end, the Chiefs missed promotion by 4 points
to Bristol
and were able to stay at the County Ground for the next season. Contractual restrictions on the use of Sandy Park halted talk of a future groundshare there too.
The Park also hosted the England C international match against Wales on 20 February 2008, which England won 2–1.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
stadium
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 Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
and is the home of Exeter City F.C.
Exeter City F.C.
Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...
The stadium is served by the St James Park railway station
St James Park railway station
St James Park railway station is a suburban railway station in Exeter, Devon, England. It is operated by First Great Western. It is adjacent to the Exeter City F.C. football ground.-History:...
which is right next to the ground (the line runs behind the Grandstand
Grandstand
A grandstand is a large and normally permanent structure for seating spectators, most often at a racetrack. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap all or most of the way...
). (It has been adopted by the club who contribute to its upkeep, under the community rail
Community rail
In the United Kingdom, a community rail line is a local railway which is specially supported by local organisations. This support is usually through a Community Rail Partnerships – comprising both the railway operator, local councils and other community organisations – or sometimes by...
scheme, and its railings have been painted in the red and white of Exeter's strip).
The current capacity of St James Park is 8,541, however the record attendance is 20,984, who watched Exeter lose 4-2 to Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
in an 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...
Sixth Round Replay in 1931.
Stands
| Stand | AKA | For | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cliff Bastin Stand | Big Bank | Home Fans | 3971 (standing) |
| flybe Stand | Cowshed/Doble | Home Fans | 2116 (seated) |
| stagecoach Family Stand | Old Grandstand | Home & Away Fans | 1401 (seated) |
| St James Road Terrace | Away End | Away Fans | 1053 (standing) |
History
In 1654 the land was owned by Lady Anne CliffordLady Anne Clifford
Lady Anne Clifford, 14th Baroness de Clifford was the only surviving child of George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland by his wife Lady Margaret Russell, daughter of Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford...
who rented it out for fattening pigs. The proceeds went to a charity set up to pay for the apprenticeship of a poor child from the parish of St Stephen, an arrangement that was supposed to be renewed "yearly to the world's end." Pigs were resident for nearly 250 years and in later times, were joined by other tenants of low repute. Prior to 1904, Exeter United FC played its games here and after merging with St. Sidwell's United, the ground was leased to the newly formed Exeter City FC with the new contract stipulating that "no menageries, shows, circuses or steam roundabouts" were to be allowed on the premises.
In the grounds early days, some visiting clubs complained about the ground claiming it wasn't regulation length, and both Stoke
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
(in 1909) and Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
(1910) refused to play FA Cup games at the ground, although the matter was resolved in 1920 when the club purchased the land east of the ground and were able to extend the pitch and construct the Big Bank stand.
In 1921 the club were able to buy the site, thanks to money raised through the record breaking sale of Dick Pym
Dick Pym
Richard Henry Pym was a football player best known for being the Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper at the first ever FA Cup final to be played at Wembley Stadium in 1923.The game, known as the White Horse Final because of the presence of a mounted white police horse at the helm of the...
to Bolton
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
, and proceeded to develop the ground, adding a roof to the Cowshed stand and in 1926 rebuilding the Grandstand destroyed by fire the previous year.
Modern development
In 1994 the club encountered financial difficulties and the ground was sold to Beazer Homes, later purchased by Exeter City CouncilExeter City Council
Exeter City Council is the council and local government of the city of Exeter, Devon.The City Council provides a range of services within the city including housing, refuse collections and recycling, planning, economic development, tourism, leisure and arts facilities and activities...
who leased it back to the club. Finances had improved by 1996 and the club began to redevelop St James Park, rebuilding the Big Bank stand (2000) and replacing the Cowshed terrace with an all-seater stand (2001). The neighbouring former St. James' School building was refurbished into new offices, a social club and corporate hospitality /conference and banqueting facilities.
Financial difficulties, including debt to stadium redevelopers Mowlem, caused the redevelopment plans to be put on hold but matters continued to decline, culminating in the club's most traumatic episode at the end of the 2002/03 season, when police raided the club and removed the recently instated chairman, his wife and the vice-chairman for questioning. Later that year the Supporters Trust took over day-to-day running of the club and to overcome the financial problems, entered into a CVA.
In 2005, thanks largely to the money generated from the FA Cup third round replay at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
the previous year, the club came out of administration and the Supporters Trust began again to look at the redevelopment of the ground. In the mean time, much of the small scale maintenance and repair work has been undertaken by a volunteer workforce of fans organised by the Trust, using resources donated by local businesses.
Groundshare
In 2004, talks were held with the Exeter ChiefsExeter Chiefs
Exeter Rugby Club are a rugby union club based in Exeter, Devon.The Exeter club was formed around 1871 and played its first match in 1873. The first team has been rebranded as the Exeter Chiefs and play in a strip of Black , White ....
rugby club, who were in with a good chance of obtaining promotion to the Zurich Premiership that season. Because the Chiefs 100 year old County Ground didn't meet Premiership requirements and their new Sandy Park Stadium was not due to open for another season, the clubs were looking at a possible one year groundshare
Groundshare
Groundshare is the principle of sharing a stadium between two local sport teams. This is usually done for the purpose of reducing the costs of either construction of two separate facilities and related maintenance. -Intersport Groundshares:...
at St James Park. There were also talks of a future groundshare at the Sandy Park stadium should Exeter City decide to leave St James Park. In the end, the Chiefs missed promotion by 4 points
National Division One 2004-05
National Division One is a rugby union club competition in England. 2004-05 champions Bristol were promoted to the Guinness Premiership for the 2005-06 season. Orrell and Henley are relegated to National Division Two for the 2005/06 season.-Table:...
to 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'...
and were able to stay at the County Ground for the next season. Contractual restrictions on the use of Sandy Park halted talk of a future groundshare there too.
International matches
St James Park hosted its first ever international fixture on 22 November 2006, when England Women’s Under 21s took on France in a friendly match. The game finished 1–1.The Park also hosted the England C international match against Wales on 20 February 2008, which England won 2–1.