Poole Stadium
Poole Stadium is a greyhound racing venue and speedway track located in the town centre of Poole, Dorset in England.[1] The stadium is owned by the Borough of Poole.[2] It was built in the early 1930s in an attempt to provide a source of entertainment to the residents of Poole during the Great Depression. Due to a sponsorship deal with local radio station Wave 105, the stadium is also known as the Wave 105 Stadium. It is also often referred to as Wimborne Road, which is a road that runs adjacent to the stadium. During weekdays, the stadium's large car park is used to provide parking for Poole Hospital's park and ride scheme.[3]
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Football
In 1933 local semi-professional football team Poole Town F.C. moved to Poole Stadium where they began to play their home games in the Western Football League. In the 1946/47 season they had a run in the qualifying rounds of the FA Cup which took them through to a first round match against Queens Park Rangers. Poole Town drew 2-2 at Loftus Road, but lost 6-0 in the replay in front of a then record breaking Poole Stadium crowd of 10,224. They again reached the first round in the 1962/63 season and held Watford F.C. to a 2-2 draw at Vicarage Road, but lost the replay at Poole Stadium in front of a 11,155 crowd.[4]
Poole Town were based at the stadium for 61 years until Poole Council forced them to leave in 1994, blaming low attendances.[5] During their stay at the stadium, the club had financed improvements to the stadium such as a 1,100 seater grandstand on the east side of the football pitch built in 1960, and covered terracing on the west side.
[edit] Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing was introduced to the stadium in 1960 and continued to take place there up until 1990 when the greyhound track was removed to accommodate a larger football pitch.[6] Football no longer took place at the stadium after 1994 and greyhound racing returned when Stadia UK were given a long term lease on the stadium by Poole Borough Council. Stadia UK financed the construction of a modern glass fronted grandstand on the east side of the stadium in 1997 which incorporated a 312 seat restaurant, two bars, full Tote betting facilities and multiple viewing screens.[7] Race nights take place on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights.
[edit] Speedway
The stadium has been home to speedway team the Poole Pirates since the club was created in 1948 and speedway has taken place at the stadium every year since.[6] Prior to 1948, a cycle track had surrounded the football pitch until it was replaced with the larger speedway track.[6] Poole Stadium was chosen to host the 2004 Speedway World Cup final by organiser Benfield Sports International (BSI).[8] Poole hosted the qualifying race-off and the final which took place on August 7 with Sweden becoming the 2004 World Champions.[9] Temporary stands were erected around the corners of the track to provide 2,200 extra seats.[10] The official attendance figure at the stadium for the final was 7,131.[9]
Poole Speedway is officially 299.1m long and the track record is 56.91 set by Sweden's Antonio Lindback on June 14, 2006.[11]
[edit] References
- ^ "Track Search". Greyhound Board of Great Britain. http://www.gbgb.org.uk/tracks.aspx. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
- ^ "Stadium Sale Denied". Bournemouth Daily Echo. Newsquest. 5 January 2007. http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/search/display.var.1105122.0.stadium_sale_denied.php. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
- ^ "Park And Ride Sites In Poole". Borough of Poole. 2008. http://www.boroughofpoole.com/go.php?structureID=U46406d2f2d56e&ref=S464AEBDCE759B. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
- ^ "Poole Town Football Club History". Poole Town Football Club. 2008. http://www.poole-town.fsnet.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
- ^ "Stadium Boost for Dolphins". The Bournemouth Daily Echo (Newsquest). 2000-03-10
- ^ a b c Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). Homes of British Speedway. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2210-3
- ^ "Stadium sale denied". Bournemouth Daily Echo. Newsquest. 2007-01-05. http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/search/display.var.1105122.0.stadium_sale_denied.php. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
- ^ "World Cup Coup". Bournemouth Daily Echo. Newsquest. 21 January 2004. http://archive.thisisdorset.net/2004/1/21/71851.html. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
- ^ a b "Sweden Win World Cup". SpeedwayWorld.Tv. 6 August 2004. http://www.speedwayworld.tv/en/news/a3091. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
- ^ "Stands ruled out due to cost". Bournemouth Daily Echo. Newsquest. 2008-02-06. http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/search/display.var.2024962.0.stands_ruled_out_due_to_cost.php. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
- ^ http://www.poolepirates.co/contact.htm
[edit] External links
|
|||||
