Gay Meadow
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| Gay Meadow | |
| Full name | Gay Meadow |
| Built | 1910 |
| Opened | 1910 |
| Capacity | 8,000 |
| Home of | Shrewsbury Town F.C. |
| Pitch size | 114 x 74 yards |
The Gay Meadow is the home ground of Shrewsbury Town FC, a football club in England. It lies just outside the town centre of Shrewsbury, on the banks of the River Severn and it opened in August 1910.
Due to only having one entrance/exit road, the capacity of the ground has been reduced from its original 16,000 since the Taylor Report. The stadium site has a capacity of around 8,000 which, depending on the nature of the match, can be distributed amongst the various areas of the ground accordingly. The official record attendance is 18,917, gained on 26 April 1961 against local rivals Walsall. (Local legend says over 22,000 were estimated to be inside the stadium in the league match against Wrexham A.F.C on 21 August 1950, although the official figure is actually given as 16,000).
The ground is set to close in June 2007, at the end of the 2006/7 Football League season, as the club is set to move to a new stadium, provisionally titled 'The New Meadow', on the outskirts of the town.
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[edit] General Overview
Gay Meadow is seen as a 'traditional' football ground, with three sides of the ground being terraced, standing areas and with little change to the ground in the last 25 years. It is also arguably one of the most picturesque grounds in the Football League.
Situated on the banks of the River Severn, the ground is surrounded by trees and parkland, with the town centre towering above the ground on the hilltop behind the ground. A number of the town's landmarks, including Shrewsbury Castle and Shrewsbury Abbey are visible from the ground.
Unfortunately the ground is rather cramped, being situated between the river and a major railway junction means there is little scope for expansion or renovation at the ground. Access to the ground is via a small side street (known as 'The Narrows'). The poor access was one of the main reasons the ground's capacity was reduced following the Taylor Report, with poor scope for evacuation and access for emergency services in the case of emergency. This was one of the main reasons cited by the club for moving to a new ground.
[edit] North
The Station End - So-called due to its proximity to the town's railway station. It is a partially covered terrace, normally allocated to visiting fans. Its capacity, depending on the away allocation, can range from 1,500 to 2,000. Unusually it has kept the bottom half of its perimeter fencing: most other stadia in the country removed theirs following the Taylor Report. It is also notable for housing the oldest turnstile in the country, although this is only used on rare occasions.
[edit] West
The Riverside Terrace - So-called due to its position on the bank of the River Severn. It is a partially covered terrace running the length of the pitch, with a refreshments bar situated half-way along the terrace and roof mounted TV gantry (used only occasionally for high-profile matches). This part of the ground is where the most lively element of the home crowd congregate.
[edit] South
The Wakeman (or Tech) End - So-called due to the Wakeman School (formerly a technical college) being directly behind it. It is an open terrace, and the windows of the school overlook the pitch. This side of the ground along with the Riverside Terrace forms one large standing area for home fans, and movement is derestricted between the two. This results in home fans congregating behind the goal on the Wakeman End when Shrewsbury Town are attacking in that direction - leaving the north part of the Riverside Terrace practically empty. The combined capacity of the Riverside and Wakeman Terraces is between 3,000 and 3,500 - depending on the size of the away following.
[edit] East
The East side of the ground is a covered, all-seater section. Limited seating for away fans is available. The stand also boasts executive seating for VIPs, sponsors and guests, a TV gantry, and press offices. The east side a the ground is adjacent to the club's offices, function rooms and official player's/supporter's bar. It is split into four enclosures, as follows:
The Wakeman Stand - So-called due to its proximity to the Wakeman School. This is a covered, all seater stand for 1,000 home supporters.
The Centre Stand - So-called due to forming the central part of the seated area. This is a covered, all seater stand for 1,000 home supporters. It also houses the directors' box.
The Family enclosure - So-called due to its for families, 700 seats, special family tickets need to be purchased which work out as a good deal for one adult and two children etc.
The Station Stand - So-called due to its proximity to the town's railway station. This is a covered all seater stand. The north side of it normally houses up to 500 away supporters ,
[edit] The move to New Meadow
The local area had long been called the Gay Meadow and was, until the football club moved there, a large meadow. However, the area floods nearly every winter and this has caused the football club problems, especially in recent years. severe flooding in recent years had led to matches being postposed with the pitch being literally under the River Severn, the flooding also causing damage to offices and changing rooms.
Due to this flooding and the previously mentioned capacity constraints, Shrewsbury Town are now scheduled to be moving to a new ground, on the outskirts of Shrewsbury, provisionally titled the New Meadow - with an all-seating capacity of 10,000. The ground is situated on the western outskirts of the town, between the Meole Brace and Sutton Farm districts of the town. Construction work is currently underway, with handover to the club scheduled for 2007.
[edit] Future of Gay Meadow
To fund the move, the Gay Meadow has been sold to property developers, who plan to demolish the stadium and build homes on the site. On 16th March 2006 it was announced that Hall Construction Services, in association with Jennings Investments, will commence work on building Shrewsbury Town's new football ground on 20th March 2006. Therefore the final season at the Gay Meadow will be 2006/7.
Gay Meadow has staged its final FA Cup tie, a goalless draw against Hereford United on 11th November 2006, in the first round of the cup (Shrewsbury lost the replay match at Edgar Street).
The last competitive home game at present will be the League match against Grimsby Town unless Shrewsbury Town make the Playoffs. The game is sure to be a sell out.
[edit] External links
Photographs
Website for New Meadow
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