Belle Vue (Doncaster)
| Old Belle Vue | |
Main Stand of the stadium, destroyed due to a gas leak and now totally demolished.
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| Full name | Belle Vue Stadium |
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| Location | Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England |
| Coordinates | 53°31′00.71″N 1°06′16.92″W / 53.5168639°N 1.1047000°WCoordinates: 53°31′00.71″N 1°06′16.92″W / 53.5168639°N 1.1047000°W |
| Owner | Doncaster Rovers Football Club |
| Operator | Doncaster Rovers Football Club |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1922 |
| Opened | 26 August 1922 |
| Tenants | |
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Doncaster Rovers (1922–2006) Doncaster (1995–96) & (1998–2006) Doncaster Belles (1991–1997) |
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Belle Vue was the home of English professional football club Doncaster Rovers from 1922 to 2006. It was located in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The ground was affectionately called by fans 'Old Belle Vue' or OBV.
The ground was opened by Charles E. Sutcliffe from the Football League on Saturday, 26 August 1922. The opposition was Gainsborough Trinity. The initial capacity was for 7,000 spectators, which was extended year-on-year as finances allowed. In 1927 the main stand at Doncaster's former ground in the suburb of Bennetthorpe was jacked up and moved on rollers to Belle Vue to form the family stand, where it remained until 1985 when the tragic events at Valley Parade, Bradford meant that the old wooden structure was deemed unsafe and was demolished.
In 1938 the capacity of Belle Vue was increased to 40,000 and it was in 1948 that the stadium recorded its highest attendance of 37,099 against Hull City, although apocryphal accounts refute this and claim that many more gained entry to the ground by climbing over walls and thus avoided having to pay.
In the later years of the 20th century, as the club's fortunes began to decline and finances became tighter, the capacity of Belle Vue was cut dramatically, falling as low as 4,859 in May 1987 when mining subsidence was found underground beneath the Popular Stand terrace.
A fire in the Main Stand one night in June 1995 caused extensive damage and nine months later Chairman Ken Richardson was arrested after the full-time whistle blew on an evening match against Fulham. He was charged with conspiracy to commit arson and was subsequently found guilty. He was sentenced to four years imprisonment. The actual arsonist, 41-year-old Tyneside man Alan Kristiansen, received a one-year prison sentence; it was revealed that Kristiansen, a former SAS soldier, had been paid £10,000 by Richardson to start the fire. His accomplices Ian Hay (aged 54 and from Gateshead) and Alan Cracknall (aged 32 and from Newcastle-upon-Tyne) both received nine-month prison sentences suspended for two years.
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Wikipedia