Meadow Lane
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with The Meadow, home of Southern Football League Premier Division football team Chesham United
The Meadow Lane Stadium (usually known simply as Meadow Lane) is a football
stadium in Nottingham
, England
. It is the home ground of Notts County
, holding a capacity of 20,229.
Meadow Lane lies just three hundred yards (275 metres) away from the City Ground
, home of Nottingham Forest
. The two grounds are the closest in England
and the second closest in the United Kingdom
after the grounds of Dundee
and Dundee United
. The Trent End of the City Ground is visible from parts of the Jimmy Sirrel stand and the Spion Kop.
Meadow Lane is also the home of Nottingham R.F.C.
Prior to 1910, Notts County played their home games across the River Trent
at Trent Bridge
as a tenant of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
. Cricket
took priority on the ground and the football club were often forced to play early and late season games at other venues as their fixtures would often clash with the fixtures of the cricket club.
The Football League
eventually deemed that this practice was inappropriate and demanded that Notts either seek more favourable terms for the use of Trent Bridge or relocate to a new ground on which they could fulfil all of their fixtures.
In 1910, a plot of land near the cattle market on the opposite side of the River Trent was leased from the city council and a new stadium hastily erected. Part of the new stadium was a temporary stand from Trent Bridge which was literally floated across the river.
On 3 September 1910
, County moved to Meadow Lane, the first game was a 1–1 draw with old rivals Nottingham Forest, played in front of fans paying receipts of £775.
In 1920 the landlord, Nottingham Corporation, which leased the land to the club, came very close to removing the club from its premises to make way for an abattoir.
The stadium remained largely the same until 1923 when the Sneinton
Side was replaced with a new stand, named the County Road Stand after the newly constructed road behind it.
Meadow Lane was bombed during World War II
forcing the club to suspend all fixtures during the 1942 season. The northern side of the Main Stand was badly damaged and the pitch left in an unplayable condition.
The stadium has played host to Forest games on a number of occasions. After the war, when flooding from the River Trent left the City Ground in an unplayable condition and again in 1968 when the Main Stand at the City Ground was destroyed by fire in a game against Leeds United.
The Meadow Lane End was demolished in the late 1970s and replaced by a building which housed new dressing rooms, a social club and a variety of other facilities designed to generate more income. There was no stand at this end for quite some time and Meadow Lane was reduced to a three sided stadium. Eventually a small terrace was installed.
During the 1980s the stadium became increasingly dilapidated. The Bradford City stadium fire and Hillsborough disaster
brought the safety of football stadia into the public gaze and eventually the Taylor Report
required that football clubs modernise their grounds. Meadow Lane was subsequently redeveloped during the early 1990s. The Meadow Lane End, County Road Stand and Spion Kop were all demolished in the 1992 close season and replaced with the Family Stand, the Jimmy Sirrel
Stand and the Spion Kop Stand respectively. The Main Stand was replaced during the close season of 1994 by the Derek Pavis Stand.
The Derek Pavis Stand contains a number of conference and function facilities to complement the Meadow Club behind the Family Stand. These host numerous functions throughout the year, ranging from social evenings organised by Notts County's supporter organisations, to wedding receptions and meetings of evangelical
Christian churches.
In 2006, it was announced that Nottingham RUFC
would play a number of home games at the stadium. It was further announced in May 2006 that Notts County and Nottingham RFC were negotiating making the agreement permanent. In October 2006 it was announced that an agreement had been reached with Notts County, allowing Nottingham RFC to play the remainder of their 2006/07 home fixtures at Meadow Lane. In 2010 it was announced that the rugby club had signed an agreement to play at meadow Lane for a further 7 years.
In June 2002, as part of a sponsorship deal, the ground was briefly renamed the "Aaron Scargill Stadium". However, the ground reverted to its original name when the deal later fell through.
The Family Stand was renamed The Haydn Green Family Stand in 2007, after the man who saved Notts County from liquidation in 2003, by buying the lease on the ground and investing several million pounds, Haydn Green died suddenly in 2007 leaving an estate which still controls the lease on the ground.
The Meadow Lane Stadium (usually known simply as Meadow Lane) is a football
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 Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is the home ground of Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
, holding a capacity of 20,229.
Meadow Lane lies just three hundred yards (275 metres) away from the City Ground
City Ground
The City Ground is a football stadium in the West Bridgford area of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Trent. It has been home to Nottingham Forest Football Club since 1898, and has a capacity of 30,602 ....
, home of Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
. The two grounds are the closest in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the second closest in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
after the grounds of Dundee
Dundee F.C.
Dundee Football Club, founded in 1893, are a football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland. They are nicknamed The Dee or The Dark Blues and play their home matches at Dens Park. Their shirt colour is dark blue. Dundee currently play in the Scottish First Division, having been relegated from...
and Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
. The Trent End of the City Ground is visible from parts of the Jimmy Sirrel stand and the Spion Kop.
Meadow Lane is also the home of Nottingham R.F.C.
Nottingham R.F.C.
Nottingham Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club based in Nottingham, England. The club's first team currently play in the Championship, the second tier of English Rugby....
History
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
as a tenant of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
. Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
took priority on the ground and the football club were often forced to play early and late season games at other venues as their fixtures would often clash with the fixtures of the cricket club.
The Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
eventually deemed that this practice was inappropriate and demanded that Notts either seek more favourable terms for the use of Trent Bridge or relocate to a new ground on which they could fulfil all of their fixtures.
In 1910, a plot of land near the cattle market on the opposite side of the River Trent was leased from the city council and a new stadium hastily erected. Part of the new stadium was a temporary stand from Trent Bridge which was literally floated across the river.
On 3 September 1910
1910 in football (soccer)
The following are the football events of the year 1910 throughout the world.-Events:* The foundation of Sport Club Corinthians Paulista....
, County moved to Meadow Lane, the first game was a 1–1 draw with old rivals Nottingham Forest, played in front of fans paying receipts of £775.
In 1920 the landlord, Nottingham Corporation, which leased the land to the club, came very close to removing the club from its premises to make way for an abattoir.
The stadium remained largely the same until 1923 when the Sneinton
Sneinton
Sneinton is a south-eastern suburb of Nottingham, England. The area is bounded by Carlton to the north, Colwick to the south, Meadow Lane to the southwest and Bakersfield to the east.-Description:...
Side was replaced with a new stand, named the County Road Stand after the newly constructed road behind it.
Meadow Lane was bombed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
forcing the club to suspend all fixtures during the 1942 season. The northern side of the Main Stand was badly damaged and the pitch left in an unplayable condition.
The Meadow Lane End was demolished in the late 1970s and replaced by a building which housed new dressing rooms, a social club and a variety of other facilities designed to generate more income. There was no stand at this end for quite some time and Meadow Lane was reduced to a three sided stadium. Eventually a small terrace was installed.
During the 1980s the stadium became increasingly dilapidated. The Bradford City stadium fire and Hillsborough disaster
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
brought the safety of football stadia into the public gaze and eventually the Taylor Report
Taylor Report
The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry report, better known as the Taylor Report is a document, whose development was overseen by Lord Taylor of Gosforth, concerning the aftermath and causes of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. An interim report was published in August 1989, and the final...
required that football clubs modernise their grounds. Meadow Lane was subsequently redeveloped during the early 1990s. The Meadow Lane End, County Road Stand and Spion Kop were all demolished in the 1992 close season and replaced with the Family Stand, the Jimmy Sirrel
Jimmy Sirrel
James "Jimmy" Sirrel was a Scottish football player and manager best known for his management career....
Stand and the Spion Kop Stand respectively. The Main Stand was replaced during the close season of 1994 by the Derek Pavis Stand.
The Derek Pavis Stand contains a number of conference and function facilities to complement the Meadow Club behind the Family Stand. These host numerous functions throughout the year, ranging from social evenings organised by Notts County's supporter organisations, to wedding receptions and meetings of evangelical
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
Christian churches.
In 2006, it was announced that Nottingham RUFC
Nottingham R.F.C.
Nottingham Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club based in Nottingham, England. The club's first team currently play in the Championship, the second tier of English Rugby....
would play a number of home games at the stadium. It was further announced in May 2006 that Notts County and Nottingham RFC were negotiating making the agreement permanent. In October 2006 it was announced that an agreement had been reached with Notts County, allowing Nottingham RFC to play the remainder of their 2006/07 home fixtures at Meadow Lane. In 2010 it was announced that the rugby club had signed an agreement to play at meadow Lane for a further 7 years.
In June 2002, as part of a sponsorship deal, the ground was briefly renamed the "Aaron Scargill Stadium". However, the ground reverted to its original name when the deal later fell through.
The Family Stand was renamed The Haydn Green Family Stand in 2007, after the man who saved Notts County from liquidation in 2003, by buying the lease on the ground and investing several million pounds, Haydn Green died suddenly in 2007 leaving an estate which still controls the lease on the ground.