Belle Vue

Belle Vue was a football stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, that served as the home ground of Doncaster Rovers from 1922 to 2007. The ground was affectionately known as Old Belle Vue by fans and at its peak had a total capacity of 40,000. The ground was opened by Charles E. Sutcliffe from the Football League on Saturday 26 August 1922, with the opposition being Gainsborough Trinity. The initial capacity was for 7,000 spectators, which was extended year-on-year as finances allowed. In 1927 the main stand at Doncaster's former ground in the suburb of Bennetthorpe was lifted and moved on rollers to Belle Vue to form the family stand, where it remained until 1985 when the Valley Parade fire in Bradford meant that the old wooden structure was condemned and was demolished. In 1938 the capacity of Belle Vue was increased to 40,000 and it was in 1948 that the stadium recorded its highest attendance of 37,099 against Hull City. In the later years of the 20th century, as the club's fortunes began to decline and finances became tighter, the capacity of Belle Vue was cut dramatically, falling as low as 4,859 in May 1987 when mining subsidence was found underground beneath the Popular Stand terrace. A fire in the Main Stand one night in June 1995 caused extensive damage and nine months later chairman Ken Richardson was arrested. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit arson and sentenced to four years imprisonment. The actual arsonist, Alan Kristiansen, a former SAS soldier, had been paid 10,000 pounds by Richardson to start the fire. In the summer of 2003 work began to repair the Town End terrace, to replace the old seating in the Main Stand and to extend the Rossington terrace. In a move that angered some fans Belle Vue was renamed the Earth Stadium as part of a sponsorship deal. The last game at Belle Vue was on 23 December 2006 against League One leaders Nottingham Forest. Doncaster Rovers finished their time at the stadium with a win, with a goal from Theo Streete ensuring a 1 to 0 victory. In the early hours of 7 February 2007, local residents near the stadium described a sound like a bomb going off, later determined to be a gas explosion. The impact of the blast destroyed most of the Main Stand. Following the explosion, demolition of the stadium was rapidly sped up. The whole area has now been redeveloped as a housing estate with virtually all traces of the old stadium now removed.

Belle Vue was a football stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, that served as the home ground of Doncaster Rovers from 1922 to 2007. The ground was affectionately known as Old Belle Vue by fans and at its peak had a total capacity of 40,000. In 1927 the main stand at Doncaster's former ground in the suburb of Bennetthorpe was lifted and moved on rollers to Belle Vue to form the family stand, where it remained until 1985 when the Valley Place fire in Bradford meant that the old wooden structure was condemned and was demolished. In 1938 the capacity of Belle Vue was increased to 40,000 and it was in 1948 that the stadium recorded its highest attendance of 37,099 against Hull City. In the later years of the 20th century, as the club's fortunes began to decline and finances became tighter, the capacity of Belle Vue was cut dramatically, falling as low as 4,859 in May 1987 when mining subsidence was found underground beneath the Popular Stand terrace. A fire in the Main Stand one night in June 1995 caused extensive damage and nine months later chairman Ken Richardson was arrested. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit arson and sentenced to four years imprisonment. The actual arsonist, Alan Kristiansen, a former SAS soldier, had been paid 10,000 pounds by Richardson to start the fire. In a move that angered some fans Belle Vue was renamed the Earth Stadium as part of a sponsorship deal. The last game at Belle Vue was on 23 December 2006 against League One leaders Nottingham Forest. Doncaster Rovers finished their time at the stadium with a win, with a goal from Theo Streete ensuring a 1 to 0 victory. In the early hours of 7 February 2007, local residents near the stadium described a sound like a bomb going off, later determined to be a gas explosion. The impact of the blast destroyed most of the Main Stand. Following the explosion, demolition of the stadium was rapidly sped up. The whole area has now been redeveloped as a housing estate with virtually all traces of the old stadium now removed.