McCain Stadium
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| The McCain Stadium | |
|---|---|
| 'Theatre of Chips' | |
| Location | Seamer Rd, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO12 4HF |
| Opened | 1898 |
| Closed | 2007 |
| Owner | Scarborough F.C. |
| Surface | Grass |
| Former names | Athletic Ground |
| Tenants | Scarborough F.C. |
| Capacity | 6,408 |
The McCain Stadium is a disused football stadium in the seaside resort of Scarborough. It was the home of Scarborough F.C., a defunct football team who last played in the English Nationwide Conference North before they were dissolved on June 20, 2007 with debts of £2.5m.[1] It is located on Seamer Road, Scarborough which is on the North Yorkshire coast. The ground was first opened in 1898 when the club moved from playing at Scarborough Cricket Club, although back then it was called the Athletic Ground. In 1988 under a pioneering sponsorship deal which was the first of its kind, Scarborough FC sold the naming rights of the Athletic Ground to McCain Foods and until its closure in 2007 the stadium was known as the McCain Stadium.
Contents |
[edit] Layout
The ground has four main stands:
Main Stand The Main Stand runs along one side of the pitch, it is an old grandstand style stand, is all seater.
The Shed The Shed runs along the other side of the pitch and is covered terracing, this was the most popular part of the ground and was usually where the notable singing supporters sat.
The East Stand The East Stand is behind one of the goals and is an all seater stand in which the seats are red and the letters SFC are spelled out in white seats, this is the newest part of the ground along with The West Stand.
The West Stand The West Stand is identical to The East Stand but is behind the other goal, this is the away end where the away fans were located in all matches because all matches were segregated.
Corners In three of the four corners of the ground there is uncovered terracing although in the north-west corner the corner had become overrun with grass and weeds so was not normally used. The other corner of the ground is two-step terracing in front of the social club.
Shops and Food In the north-east corner of the ground there is a social club which is known as the McCain Lounge, and a club shop which is located in a hut. There is also a programme shop, food outlet and coffee hut.
[edit] 2006 plans
In March 2006 the plan was for a new stadium to be completed well before the start of the 2007-08 season. The stadium was to be located in Eastfield, Scarborough. The planned capacity was around 4,000 and the amount of land that the club would own was 15 acres of which some would have been used for the stadium, with room for expansion, and the rest used to lease to offices etc. that would cover the club's operating losses. The McCain Stadium was to be sold to property developers (Persimmon Homes) for around £4.1 million and this would have been enough to pay off all of the clubs debts and fund the new stadium.
[edit] Demise of Scarborough FC
A covenant existed on the McCain Stadium that restricted its use only to sporting activities. Scarborough F.C. failed to convince the Scarborough Borough Council that its proposals to sell the McCain Stadium to a housing developer would raise enough money to both to pay off the debts and build a new ground.[2]
On Tuesday 12 June, Scarborough F.C. were given an eight day 'stay of execution' following a 'change of heart' by their local Borough Council. But, on June 20, they were wound up in the High Court, ending it's 128-year run as a club with debts of £2.5m.[1]
However, the winding up of Scarborough F.C.[3] paved the way for the supporters' trust to reform the club as Scarborough Athletic F.C. and secure a place in the Northern Counties East League, Division One with effect from 2007-08.[4]
[edit] Future plans
On 26 September 2007, Scarborough Borough Council announced its intention to purchase the ground from the liquidators.[5] The liquidators, Begbies Traynor, have applied to have the covenant lifted. This has been contested by the Council.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Scarborough FC wound up after 128 years", Yorkshire Post, 20 June 2007
- ^ "Boro begin hunt for new home", The Press, 22 June 2007
- ^ "Scarborough FC go out of business", BBC Sport, 20 June 2007
- ^ "Town's fans get new football club" - BBC Sport
- ^ "Council to buy back soccer site", Yorkshire Post, 28 September 2007
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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Scarborough Football Club
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