Drill Field
Encyclopedia
The Drill Field was a football
stadium in Northwich
, Cheshire
, which was the home ground of Northwich Victoria Football Club
between 1875 and 3 May 2002. At the time it was closed, it was believed to have been the oldest football ground in the world.
Originally a piece of fenced-off land, a grandstand was constructed in the 1890s housing 600 spectators. In 1912, a covered stand was constructed, which would later be moved to face the grandstand and became known as the Dane Bank Stand, due to its location beside the banks of the River Dane
.
In the early days of the Drill Field, there were no changing rooms or bathrooms, which had to be provided by local landlords.
In 1914, Northwich Victoria purchased the ground for £1,000 from Colonel Sir Thomas Marshall. 3 benefactors helped the club to pay this sum, they were Manchester City F.C, Sir John Brunner, a former President of the club and co-founder of Brunner Mond
, a manufacturer of Soda Ash located in the town, and Greenall Whitley, a brewery based in the nearby town of Warrington
. At the 1921 Annual General Meeting held on 10th August, it was announced that the remaining interest for the purchase of the ground had been paid and that the ground was now owned by the club.
manager Joe Royle
on 27th January 1998. Following the opening of the stand, Manchester United fielded a side to face Northwich including Henning Berg
and Brian McClair
.
Less than a month later on 12th February, the Drill Field hosted an England
Under 16s match against Israel
, featuring future Premier League players such as Wes Brown
, Paul Robinson, Paul Konchesky
and Yossi Benayoun
.
On 1st July 1999, the England Under 16s returned to the Drill Field for a match against France
with future Premier League players such as Jermaine Pennant
, Michael Chopra
and Jeremie Aliadiere
making appearances.
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 in Northwich
Northwich
Northwich is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, which was the home ground of Northwich Victoria Football Club
Northwich Victoria F.C.
Northwich Victoria Football Club are an English football club who play at the Victoria Stadium in Wincham, Northwich, Cheshire in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of the English football league system.Northwich are an old club, founded in 1874 and named in honour of...
between 1875 and 3 May 2002. At the time it was closed, it was believed to have been the oldest football ground in the world.
Early History
The Drill Field became home to Northwich Victoria in 1875, after the land was, at first, used free from cost, and then leased from its original tenants. Its name originated from the site being the former drilling ground of 22 Company, the 3rd Battalion Cheshire Rifle Volunteers.Originally a piece of fenced-off land, a grandstand was constructed in the 1890s housing 600 spectators. In 1912, a covered stand was constructed, which would later be moved to face the grandstand and became known as the Dane Bank Stand, due to its location beside the banks of the River Dane
River Dane
The River Dane is a river mainly in Cheshire in the north west of England.The river rises in Derbyshire, close to the source of the River Goyt just to the south west of Buxton, on Axe Edge Moor...
.
In the early days of the Drill Field, there were no changing rooms or bathrooms, which had to be provided by local landlords.
In 1914, Northwich Victoria purchased the ground for £1,000 from Colonel Sir Thomas Marshall. 3 benefactors helped the club to pay this sum, they were Manchester City F.C, Sir John Brunner, a former President of the club and co-founder of Brunner Mond
Brunner Mond
Tata Chemicals Europe is a UK-based chemicals company that is a subsidiary of Tata Chemicals Limited, itself a part of the India-based Tata Group...
, a manufacturer of Soda Ash located in the town, and Greenall Whitley, a brewery based in the nearby town of Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
. At the 1921 Annual General Meeting held on 10th August, it was announced that the remaining interest for the purchase of the ground had been paid and that the ground was now owned by the club.
Final decade
In the summer of 1996, a plan to rebuild the Dane Bank Stand was announced in order to help the ground to meet Conference standards. The Sports Ground Initiative, a charity which provided money to Conference clubs to improve their grounds, donated £250,000 to the new stand, more than half of the total £450,000 cost of the stand. The stand was officially opened by former Everton F.C.Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
manager Joe Royle
Joe Royle
Joseph "Joe" Royle is an English football manager. In his club career, he played for Everton , Manchester City, Bristol City, Norwich City, and the England national team...
on 27th January 1998. Following the opening of the stand, Manchester United fielded a side to face Northwich including Henning Berg
Henning Berg
Henning Stille Berg is a Norwegian former football player. He played as a central defender or right-back.He is one of only three players to have won the Premier League with two different clubs, the others being Ashley Cole and Nicolas Anelka .-Club career:Born in Eidsvoll, Berg played for...
and Brian McClair
Brian McClair
Brian John McClair is a former Scottish international football player who played as a forward, notable for his near 11-year spell at Manchester United, as well as important tenures at Scottish clubs Celtic and Motherwell...
.
Less than a month later on 12th February, the Drill Field hosted 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...
Under 16s match against Israel
Israel national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...
, featuring future Premier League players such as Wes Brown
Wes Brown
Wesley Michael "Wes" Brown is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Sunderland. Before joining Sunderland, Brown had spent his entire career at Old Trafford, having joined the Manchester United youth team in 1996...
, Paul Robinson, Paul Konchesky
Paul Konchesky
Paul Martyn Konchesky is an English footballer who plays as a left back. Currently signed to Leicester City, he has previously played for Charlton, Tottenham, West Ham, Fulham, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, joining his present club in July 2011...
and Yossi Benayoun
Yossi Benayoun
Yosef Shai "Yossi" Benayoun is an Israeli international footballer who plays for Arsenal on loan from Chelsea.Benayoun plays as an attacking midfielder, often occupying the space just behind the striker. In Israel, he is sometimes nicknamed "The Diamond from Dimona". He is also the captain of the...
.
On 1st July 1999, the England Under 16s returned to the Drill Field for a match against France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
with future Premier League players such as Jermaine Pennant
Jermaine Pennant
Jermaine Lloyd Pennant is a footballer who plays for Stoke City in the Premier League.Born in Nottingham, Pennant played for his local side Notts County as a youngster. He earned promising reviews in the youth team at County and Arsenal signed him in 1999...
, Michael Chopra
Michael Chopra
Rocky Michael Chopra is an English footballer who plays for Football League Championship side Ipswich Town. He is of mixed Indian and British descent....
and Jeremie Aliadiere
Jérémie Aliadière
Jérémie Aliadière is a French footballer who plays as a striker for Lorient.As a graduate of the elite Clairefontaine academy, he signed for Arsenal aged 16. After making his Premier League debut in the 2001–02 season, he ultimately had limited opportunities, partly due to injury...
making appearances.