St Mary's Stadium
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| St Mary's Stadium | |
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| Full name | St Mary's Stadium |
| Nickname | St Mary's, The New Dell |
| Built | 2001 |
| Opened | 2001 |
| Capacity | 32,689 |
| Home of | Southampton F.C. |
| Pitch size | 112 x 74 yards |
St Mary's Stadium is the home stadium of Southampton F.C.. The Saints have been in residence since August 2001 when they moved from the The Dell, which for the final years of its life, held just over 15,000 spectators - less than half the size of the new stadium. Unfortunately Southampton were relegated to the Championship at the end of the 2004-2005 season and have yet to regain their place amongst England's elite. This has seen a reduction in the average crowd size to around 23,500, although attendances have fluctuated from 19,000 to 31,000.
The move was cited as the club returning home, due to the fact that the club was formed by members of the nearby St Mary's Church, as the football team of St. Mary's Church Young Men's Association before becoming Southampton St Mary's FC, and eventually Southampton FC.
It is the largest football stadium in the south of England, outside of London.
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[edit] Brief History
After a lengthy and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to build a new 25,000 seater stadium and leisure complex at Stoneham, on the outskirts of Southampton, the city council offered the club the chance to build a new ground on the disused gas work site in the heart of the city, about one and half miles from The Dell.
Construction started in December 1999 and was completed at the end of July 2001. The first match was played on 1 August 2001 against RCD Espanyol, with the Spanish side winning 4-3. The construction of the stadium and works on local infastructure cost £32 million.
[edit] Description
The stadium is a complete bowl, with all stands of equal height. There are two large screens at either end that can be seen from any seat.
The stadium has four stands, which are named after the areas of Southampton they face, when looking from the centre circle. The main (east) stand is the Itchen Stand, and faces the River Itchen. The opposite stand is called the Kingsland Stand. Behind the south goal is the Chapel Stand, and to the north is the Northam Stand.
At the rear of the Chapel, Kingsland and Northam Stands, there is a translucent 'panel' that is designed to allow light to access the pitch. The roof at the Chapel End is also translucent.
At the rear of the Itchen Stand, there are 42 executive boxes, and a police control room.
The Northam is home to the more vocal supporters, as well as visiting fans. Visitors can be given up to 4,250 seats (15 per cent of the capacity) for cup games, and up to 3,200 for league matches.
The four main hospitality suites are named after some of Saints' greatest players:
[edit] Name
The official ground name at opening was 'The Friends Provident St Mary's Stadium'. Initially the club wanted the ground to be named purely after the sponsors, but fan pressure influenced the decision to include a non-commercial title, and hence the ground is now nearly always referred to simply as 'St Mary's'. It is a rare example of fans successfully influencing club stadium naming policy in recent years, and one which earned Southampton fans respect amongst many other football fans. In 2006 the new sponsor Flybe.com did not choose to purchase the naming rights to the stadium, meaning it reverted to the name 'St Mary's Stadium'.
[edit] Capacity
The ground has an all-seated capacity of 32,689, including the press and directors boxes. Because of the segregation between home and away fans in the Northam Stand, it is unlikely the full capacity will ever be reached for a competitive Southampton match.
The current record attendance was for the match between Southampton and Arsenal on December 29 2003, when 32,151 spectators packed in to the ground.
[edit] The Ted Bates Statue
On Saturday March 17, 2007, the £102,000 statue to commemorate club stalwart Ted Bates was unveiled, outside the front of the Itchen Stand. The statue has been widely condemned by supporters due to it being out of proportion, and not an accurate likeness of the former club President.
Acting chairman, Leon Crouch has since said that he will help fund any a replacement or remedial work, in association with the Ted Bates Trust, who were overseeing the collection of funds, commission and erection of the statue. The 11-foot statue was made by sculptor Ian Brennan.
[edit] Notable matches
The St Mary's Stadium has hosted one full England international match, a 2-2 draw between England and Macedonia in October 2002. David Beckham and Steven Gerrard scored for England. Alan Smith was sent off in the match.
There has also been an international between Japan and Nigeria.
The stadium hosted European football in September 2003, when the Saints faced Steaua Bucharest in the first round of the UEFA Cup. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.
[edit] Non-footballing use
As is common for modern day stadia, St Mary's is also used as a conference facility, the with Hospitality Suites available for this purpose.
Inside the Chapel Stand, the CCTV control room for the City of Southampton is located. In the Northam Stand the Saints Study Support Centre - a club run initiative to help school children outside of class - can be found, along with the offices of Southampton City Training, a quasi-council run organisation which helps young people get vocational training.
The stadium has also held music concerts by Elton John in 2005 and Bon Jovi in 2006. Both concerts were held during the summer months.
[edit] Expansion
All stands bar the Itchen can be built upon and expanded if ever deemed necessary, which would give an approximate capacity of around 50,000. However this would cost a similar amount to how much it cost to build the stadium in the first place.
[edit] Location
Despite the name of the stadium, it is actually located in the Chapel area of the city - not St Mary's. The address of the stadium is St Mary's Stadium, Britannia Road, Southampton.
[edit] Facts and Figures
Average Attendance:
2005-2006: 23,614 (The Championship)
2004-2005: 30,610 (The FA Premier League)
2003-2004: 31,699 (The FA Premier League)
Record Attendance:
32,151 v Arsenal, December 29 2003
Biggest Saints win at St Mary's
6-1 v Tranmere Rovers, League Cup, October 2 2002
Biggest Saints defeat at St Mary's
0-4 v Manchester United, FA Cup, March 12 2005
Highest Scoring Games at St Mary's
6-1 v Tranmere Rovers, League Cup, October 2 2002
4-3 v Norwich City, Premier League, April 30 2005
3-4 v Leeds United, Championship, November 19 2005
5-2 v Yeovil Town, League Cup. August 23 2006
4-3 v Birmingham City, Championship, November 29 2006
5-2 v Barnsley, Championship, February 17 2007
[edit] External links
• Satellite image of St Mary's Stadium from Google Maps
• Review St Mary's at the Football Ground Guide
• Up The Saints' guide to St Mary's
• Saints Forever's guide to St Mary's
• Saints Forever's Pub Guide
• The Official Website of Southampton FC.
| Southampton Football Club |
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| The Club | Players |
| St Mary's Stadium | The Dell |
| Hagiology Publishing | Southampton F.C. Academy |
| South Coast derby |
| Football League Championship venues, 2006-2007 |
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| Britannia Stadium | Carrow Road | Deepdale | Elland Road The Hawthorns | Hillsborough | Home Park | Kenilworth Road KC Stadium | Layer Road | Loftus Road | Molineux Stadium Ninian Park | Oakwell Stadium | Portman Road | Pride Park Stadium Ricoh Arena | Roots Hall | Selhurst Park | Stadium of Light St Andrews | St Mary's Stadium | Turf Moor | Walkers Stadium |
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