Home of Rochdale AFC
Opened 1878
Capacity 10,249
★★★★★
★★★★★
History (from Wikipedia)
Spotland was originally known as St Clement's Playing Fields, after the nearby St Clement's Church. Having previously been used for cricket, it became the home of St Clement's Rugby Club in 1878, until they disbanded in 1897. As well as staging local rugby competitions, the ground briefly hosted two short-lived football clubs – the original Rochdale A.F.C. from 1900 to 1901 and Rochdale Town from 1902 to 1903, but both folded. The present Rochdale A.F.C. was then formed to use the ground in 1907, later buying the freehold for £1,700 in 1914. By the time the club joined the Football League in 1921, a low wooden grandstand had been built on the south side of the ground, once the location of the cricket pavilion. Also by this time, the name of the surrounding area of the town, Spotland, had been adopted as the ground's name.[4]
In August 2016, Rochdale A.F.C. renamed Spotland Stadium the Crown Oil Arena as part of a sponsorship deal by the Bury-based fuel company Crown Oil.[1][5] In 2018, due to the winter weather the pitch got into such a bad state that a number of games had to be postponed. Subsequently Rochdale were drawn against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup and the Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino was quoted “not a pitch in a condition to play football” after seeing some pictures leading Rochdale to relay the surface in time for their game.[6][7]
Structure and facilities[edit]
The ground has four stands: the Co-Operative Stand (or Main Stand), the Thwaites Beer Stand (the Sandy Lane End), the T.D.S. Stand (Pearl Street End) and the Westrose Leisure Stand (the Willbutts Lane Stand). All are fully seated, apart from the Sandy Lane End, which is a small terrace behind one of the goals.
In August 2016, Rochdale A.F.C. renamed Spotland Stadium the Crown Oil Arena as part of a sponsorship deal by the Bury-based fuel company Crown Oil.[1][5] In 2018, due to the winter weather the pitch got into such a bad state that a number of games had to be postponed. Subsequently Rochdale were drawn against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup and the Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino was quoted “not a pitch in a condition to play football” after seeing some pictures leading Rochdale to relay the surface in time for their game.[6][7]
Structure and facilities[edit]
The ground has four stands: the Co-Operative Stand (or Main Stand), the Thwaites Beer Stand (the Sandy Lane End), the T.D.S. Stand (Pearl Street End) and the Westrose Leisure Stand (the Willbutts Lane Stand). All are fully seated, apart from the Sandy Lane End, which is a small terrace behind one of the goals.
Things to do in Rochdale.
The Baum.
Cenetta.
