Nene park
 |
|
| Location | Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire |
|---|---|
| Owner | Conalgen Enterprises SA |
| Capacity | 6,441 (4,641 seated) |
| Record attendance | 6,431 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1969 |
| Closed | 2012 |
| Demolished | 27th February 2017 |
| Construction cost | £30 million |
| Architect | Rex Bryan Son & Pennock |
| Tenants | |
|
Kettering Town (2011–2012) Rushden & Diamonds (1992–2011) Irthlingborough Diamonds (1969–1992) |
|
Nene Park was a sports stadium situated at Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England, along the bank of the River Nene, which could accommodate 6,441 spectators, with 4,641 seated and 1,800 standing. It formerly hosted football matches but is currently unused. The car park can hold 800 vehicles. From 1992 until the club's demise in 2011, it was the home ground of Rushden & Diamonds, having from 1969 been the home of predecessor Irthlingborough Diamonds. It became Kettering Town's home for 18 months, but the club left the venue in November 2012 to play at Corby, due to the costs of running the ground. Demolition of the ground began in February 2017 and is expected to last four months.
The original ground was built in 1969 as the home of Irthlingborough Diamonds, on land bought from the water board. In 1978, Nene Park became the first United Counties League stadium to have floodlights installed. They were turned on by Bobby Robson, then manager of Ipswich Town. He was watched by Brian Talbot, a player who managed the Rushden & Diamonds team some 20 years later.
Beginning in February 1992, soon after the merger between Rushden Town and Irthlingborough Diamonds, the ground was radically redeveloped at an estimated cost of £30 million. In the first stage of the project, a new all-seater North Stand was built. It had a capacity of 1,000, and was completed in summer 1993, in time for the new football season. In the next stage, the old south stand, which included dressing rooms and the clubhouse, was torn down and replaced by another all-seater stand, similar in design to the North Stand, with a capacity of just over 1,000. The brand new Diamond Centre was erected, along with new floodlights and a freshly-laid pitch, as the stadium continued to take shape. The new structures were officially opened in April 1995 by HRH The Prince of Wales. The focus then turned to the west side of the ground and the construction of the Peter De Banke (home) terrace, capable of holding 1,800.
...
Wikipedia