Kingsholm Stadium

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LocationGloucester, England
Coordinates51°52′18″N 2°14′34″W / 51.87167°N 2.24278°W / 51.87167; -2.24278
PublictransitNational Rail Gloucester
Kingsholm Stadium
Castle Grim
Holm
Queensholm[1]
Exterior view, November 2016
Interactive map of Kingsholm Stadium
LocationGloucester, England
Coordinates51°52′18″N 2°14′34″W / 51.87167°N 2.24278°W / 51.87167; -2.24278
Public transitNational Rail Gloucester
OwnerGloucester Rugby
Capacity16,115 (12,000 Concerts)
SurfaceArtificial
Construction
Built1891
Opened1891; 135 years ago (1891)
Tenants
Gloucester Rugby
Gloucester–Hartpury
Website
kingsholmstadium.co.uk

Kingsholm Stadium is a rugby union stadium located in the Kingsholm area of Gloucester, England, and is the home stadium of Gloucester Rugby. The stadium has a capacity of 16,115. It is sometimes nicknamed 'Castle Grim', after the estate where the stadium is built. The new main grandstand, opened in 2007, is an all-seated 7,500 capacity stand along the south touchline. It is currently sponsored by Malvern Tyres.

Kingsholm was used as a home stadium for England before they settled at Twickenham and also hosted New Zealand versus United States for a pool match in the 1991 Rugby World Cup.

In common with many grounds of English professional rugby union clubs, Kingsholm features several terraced standing areas. One such area is the North Stand, which runs the whole length of the pitch, holds around 3,000 people and is known for sponsorship reasons as 'The Compeed Shed'. The Shed is known within rugby union for its low roof and proximity to the pitch which enhances the atmosphere created by the home supporters. The West Stand terrace holds around 1,615 spectators and has a row of hospitality boxes located above. It is sponsored by Allstone Speedy Skips.

The East Stand is an all-seater stand located directly on Kingsholm Road. It holds around 3,000 fans. It is sponsored by Stowford Press.

Exterior view in 1924
The view from the shed
Aerial view of Kingsholm from Gloucester Cathedral

A proposal by the then Gloucester Football Club to acquire the grounds where Kingsholm Stadium is built was first put together in July 1891.[2] The purchase was made and the first match took place in October 1891.[3] A pavilion was built in 1892, initially with seating capacity for 424 spectators.[2][4] A wooden stand was added in 1923. In September 1933, a fire destroyed this stand; a larger replacement was completed before the end of the year in its place.[5] The original pavilion was demolished in 1934 and, in its place, was built the stand that is today known as The Shed.[2]

International matches

In May 2008, the Barbarian F.C. and Ireland national rugby union team played a match at Kingsholm. Kingsholm has hosted multiple other international matches, including one pool game in the 1991 Rugby World Cup and four pool games in the 2015 Rugby World Cup,[6] hosting Tonga, Georgia, Scotland, Argentina, the United States and Japan.

List of men's and women's international rugby union matches at Kingsholm Stadium
Date Country Score Country Use
6 January 1900 England  3–13  Wales 1900 Home Nations Championship
8 October 1991 New Zealand  46–6  United States 1991 Rugby World Cup
27 May 2008 Ireland  39–14 Barbarians Uncapped match
12 June 2011 England Saxons 41–14 Tonga  Churchill Cup
15 November 2014 Tonga  40–12  United States 2014 End-of-year test
5 September 2015 Japan  13–10  Georgia World-cup warm up game[7]
19 September 2015 Georgia  17–10  Tonga 2015 Rugby World Cup
23 September 2015 Scotland  45–10  Japan
25 September 2015 Argentina  54–9  Georgia
11 October 2015 United States  18–28  Japan
9 April 2022 England  58–5  Wales 2022 Women's Six Nations Championship
7 September 2024 England   France 2024 WXV warm up game

Kingsholm was also one of the venues for the 2000 Rugby League World Cup where, on 29 October, it hosted the group 2 game between New Zealand and Lebanon. The New Zealand team included future rugby union converts and Gloucester Rugby players, Henry Paul and Lesley Vainikolo.

Panoramic view of the stadium in 2011

Concerts

Kingsholm regularly hosts pop concerts, generally when the season has ended. The stadium has hosted acts ranging from Tom Jones, McFly, Ronan Keating and The Wanted. In 2015 it hosted Madness and Elton John 2016 Jess Glynne and Lionel Richie and in 2017 Little Mix.[8]

Football

Kingsholm Stadium hosted several football matches for Gloucester City A.F.C. in the 1910s. Since the football club's 3rd major flooding in 17 years in 2007 at Meadow Park and subsequent exile from the city, Kingsholm had been discussed as both a temporary and permanent solution but no mutual agreement was found. Further flooding occurred at the stadium in 2017.[9]

Development

References

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