The Memorial Stadium, also commonly known by its previous name of The Memorial Ground, is a sports ground in 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

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...

, dedicated to the memory of the rugby union

Rugby 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...

 players of the city killed during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. It is currently the home ground of Bristol Rovers FC and Bristol Rugby Club

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'...

.

History

The stadium was built on an area of land called Buffalo Bill's Field that was previously occupied by allotments

Allotment (gardening)

An allotment garden, often called simply an allotment, is a plot of land made available for individual, non-professional gardening. Such plots are formed by subdividing a piece of land into a few or up to several hundreds of land parcels that are assigned to individuals or families...

 and was opened on 24 September 1921 by G B Britton, the Lord Mayor of Bristol, as a home for Bristol Rugby Club

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'...

.

Situated on Filton Avenue in Horfield

Horfield

Horfield is a suburb of the city of Bristol, in southwest England. It lies on Bristol's northern edge, its border with Filton marking part of the boundary between Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Bishopston lies directly to the south. Monks Park and Golden Hill are to the west. Lockleaze and...

, Bristol, it has developed significantly over the years. A massive crowd turned out to watch the first ever game to be held there against Cardiff

Cardiff RFC

Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...

, but did so from wooden terraces and stands.

The Ground has remained a focal point for the wider Bristol community, and a minute's silence is held annually at the closest game to Remembrance Sunday

Remembrance Sunday

In the United Kingdom, 'Remembrance Sunday' is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November Armistice Day. It is the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m...

, while on 11 November a service of remembrance is held at the Memorial Gates.

With the advent of leagues in the late 1980s, Bristol looked to develop the Ground, replacing the old Shed on the north side with the Centenary Stand to mark the club's 100th anniversary in 1988.

The West Stand, an original feature of the ground, was demolished in 1995 having been condemned, and replaced.

In 1996, Bristol Rovers

Bristol Rovers F.C.

Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....

 moved in as tenants of Bristol Rugby Club, and soon took joint ownership through the Memorial Stadium Company.

The stadium is also used for the rugby varsity between the city's two universities, University of the West of England

University of the West of England

The University of the West of England is a university based in the English city of Bristol. Its main campus is at Frenchay, about five miles north of the city centre...

 and University of Bristol

University of Bristol

The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...

.

The rugby club was relegated from the Premiership in 1998, causing severe financial difficulties, and they lost control of the Memorial Stadium Company to Bristol Rovers. The rugby club has since been tenants in their original home.

By 2005, the Memorial Stadium was hosting Bristol Rugby Club back in the Guinness Premiership

Guinness Premiership

The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...

, with Bristol Rovers competing in the Football League. A roof has been added to the Clubhouse Terrace and a temporary stand at the east of the ground has brought capacity up to 11,916 (11,750 for football due to terracing that cannot be used due to segregation of home and away fans).

Stadium redevelopment

The Memorial Stadium Company proposed a wide ranging £35 million refurbishment of the Memorial Stadium, bringing it up to an 18,500 all-seater capacity. On 17 January 2007, Bristol City Council granted permission for the stadium redevelopment.

The new stadium will include:

• A 97-room hotel
• 99 student flats
• A restaurant
• A convenience store
  Convenience store
  A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
  
  
• Offices
• A Public Gym

On 17 August 2007, it was announced that the stadium's redevelopment had been delayed and would commence in May 2008 and finish in December 2009. During this time period of reconstruction, Bristol Rovers will ground share with Cheltenham Town Football Club. The Section 106 legal agreement

Town and Country Planning Act 1990

The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 is an act of the British Parliament regulating the development of land in England and Wales-Section 1:...

, which was the main cause for the delay in the redevelopment, was finally signed on 4 January 2008, but more delays were encountered when on 30 May 2008 Rovers admitted that their preferred student accommodation providers had pulled out of the project, leaving the club to find an alternative company. This caused the redevelopment to be put back another year, to 2009. More delays, mostly attributed to the ongoing financial crisis, mean that as of 2011, the stadium redevelopment has yet to begin.

In June 2011, Bristol Rovers announced its intentions to relocate the club to the newly proposed UWE Stadium

UWE Stadium

UWE Stadium is the provisional name for a 20,000 all-seater stadium proposed to be built in the outskirts of Bristol as a new home for League Two side Bristol Rovers and possibly Bristol Rugby. The stadium will replace the current home of both clubs Memorial Stadium which will be sold to...

 instead of redeveloping the Memorial Stadium. In order to fund the new stadium, the Mem is to be sold to supermarket chain Sainsbury's.

External links

• The Memorial Ground, Bristol, 1921-2008 Photographic record of the Memorial Ground put together by supporters prior to its proposed demolition and rebuild in 2008
• This is Bristol Bristol Evening Post
• Bristol Football Club (RFU), Dave Fox and Mark Hoskins, 2 vols., Tempus Publishing
• Bristol Rovers: The Definitive History 1883–2003, Stephen Byrne and Mike Jay, Tempus Publishing