Recreation Ground (Aldershot)
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The Recreation Ground, commonly referred to as The Rec, is a football stadium in Aldershot, England. The home of Conference club Aldershot Town, it has a capacity of 17,500. The ground was also home to the now-defunct Aldershot F.C..
The ground's current capacity is 17500, although the ground has only been sold out once since the new Aldershot Town F.C. reformed in 1992. This was when Brighton visited in a FA Cup 1st Round clash in November 2000, with the visitors winning 6-2. The record attendance at the "Rec" previously came in an FA Cup Fourth Round tie in January 1970 when 19,138 attended to see the former club Aldershot F.C. host Carlisle United.
The main stands are the North Stand, which is largely terraced but which includes some seating areas at the front of the stand, and the East Bank, which is completely terraced. The East Bank is generally where most of Aldershot's most vociferous supporters choose to stand. The third stand is the South Stand (known previously as the McDonalds Family Stand) which consists of a large seating area. The fourth side of the ground does not have a stand and is known as the High Street End. This is used as a standing area by home supporters. Away supporters are given the choice of standing on the southern side of the East Bank or sitting in the South Stand seats nearest the south-east corner of the ground. Away supporter allocations therefore can be given terrace space for up to 1000 fans and 250 seats.[1]
The Rec has been used as Aldershot's ground since 1926. A council covenant ensuring that the land the Rec is built on can only be used for sporting activities means that the ground could not be sold off to property developers after Aldershot F.C. were declared insolvent in 1992.
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[edit] Other Clubs that Use or Have Played at the Recreation Ground†
- Reading Reserves
- Chelsea Reserves††
- England U17s
- Aldershot Town Reserves
- Also Hosts Aldershot and District League Cup Competition Final
† Teams that have used the ground as their home ground or as a neutral Venue. †† Until end season 2006/2007.
[edit] Record Attendances
The following table summarises the Top 8 attendances at the recreation ground for Aldershot Town FC (since Reformation in 1992).[2]
| Attendance | Verses | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 7500 | Brighton & Hove Albion | FA Cup |
| 6870 | Woking | FA Cup |
| 6617 | Carlisle | Conference National Play-Off Semi Final |
| 6379 | Hereford | Conference National Play-Off Semi Final |
| 5984 | Chelsea | Friendly |
| 5980 | Weymouth | Conference National |
| 5961 | Farnborough Town | Hampshire Senior Cup |
| 5791 | Burton Albion | Conference National |
| 5524 | Woking | FA Trophy |
| 5518 | Farnborough Town | Isthmian League Premier Division |
[edit] Other Records
Aldershot Town and the Recreation Ground hold the following attendance records in certain leagues or cup competitions.[2]
| League or Cup Competition | Attendance | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| Isthmian League Division 1 | 4289 | Berkhamsted Town |
| Isthmian League Division 2 | 3301 | Newbury Town |
| Isthmian League Division 3 | 2873 | Collier Row |
| FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round | 2003 | Rothwell Town |
| FA Vase Preliminary Round | 1701 | Gosport Borough |
| FA Vase 5th Round | 3420 | Wimborne Town |
| FA Vase 6th Round | 4439 | Atherton Laburnum Rovers |
[edit] The East Bank
The East Bank is the largest stand of the Recreation Ground capable of holding several thousand fans. The design of the stand is unusual as it is not like most stands that have a flat roof, instead the stand roof is a Barrel shaped roof towards the rear, with a flat roof covering the lower parts of the East Bank. This is so because the East Bank originally had just the barrel shaped roof and it wasn't until later that a front flat roof was put on to cover the lower half of the East Bank.[3]
There are also concerns that the stand is beginning to show its age, however the unique atmosphere it provides still makes the East Bank a great to watch some football in a traditional old English football ground.
The stand accommodates both home and away Fans - originally the stand was just for home fans. The stand has a fenced 'No Mans Land' in between the two sections. This is used for segregation and for high profile games police officers will often patrol in this area to support stewards, who are always present for Aldershot games. The away section acommodates 1957(Terraced) fans with a further 243 seats available in the south stand.
[edit] North Stand
The North Stand is the second largest stand of the Recreation Ground. It comprises both terracing and seating areas. It is also where the director's boxes, Press Offices, Player Tunnel and Sub Benches are located. The north stand was created before the eastbank. i sit ere every match wic
[edit] References
- ^ ShotsWeb: Admission Prices, Season Tickets and Segregation Details. Retrieved on 2007-12-27.
- ^ a b ShotsWeb: Shots Stats (2007-12-04). Retrieved on 2007-12-27.
- ^ Football Ground Guide: Aldershot Town. Retrieved on 2007-12-27.
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[edit] External links
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Conference National Venues 2007-08
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Abbey Stadium | Aggborough | Bridge Road | Broadfield Stadium | Broadhall Way | Butcher's Arms Ground | Kassam Stadium | Kingfield Stadium | KitKat Crescent | Marston Road | Moss Lane | Nene Park | The New Lawn | New Recreation Ground | Plainmoor | Pirelli Stadium | The Raymond McEnhill Stadium | Recreation Ground | The Shay | St James Park | Stonebridge Road | Throstle Nest | Victoria Stadium | The Wessex Stadium |
