Walk in Bristol
with Richie
Memorial Stadium
- Bristol Rovers FC
5 Nearest Attraction
(0,2 mile - 5 min walking)
(0,4 mile - 8 min walking)
(0,4 mile - 9 min walking)
(0,4 mile - 8 min walking)
(0,7 mile - 14 min walking)
(0,9 mile - 19 min walking)
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Click to the postcode to check the map .
Nearest Public Toilet
Horfield Leisure Centre
(Community Toilet Scheme)
Accessible
Dorian Road, Horfield, BS7 0XW
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33 Filton Ave, Bristol BS7 0BF
Official website:
https://www.bristolrovers.co.uk/
Tel: 0117 909 6648
​The Memorial Stadium, also commonly known by its previous name of the Memorial Ground, is a sports ground in Bristol, England.
It opened in 1921 dedicated to the memory of local rugby union players killed during the First World War, and was the home of Bristol Rugby until they moved to Ashton Gate in 2014.
It is currently the home stadium of Bristol Rovers F.C., who moved there in 1996.
Richie's opinion :
" I’m a Liverpool supporter, I love football, it was natural for me to attend a Bristol Rovers match that I can’t miss.
The stadium's building is not impressive, but all the atmosphere is familiar, the staff is helpful, the fans are amazing, I very loved it ..
When I was therere the Rovers played against the Plymouth Argyle, and I very liked, when the fans sing the Goodnight Irene - later I checked it's history.
I can only recommend this place to visit .."
About the Memorial Stadium
The Memorial Stadium, also commonly known by its previous name of the Memorial Ground, is a sports ground in Bristol, England, and is the home of Bristol Rovers F.C. The Memorial Stadium is located in the north of Bristol at just over 2 miles from Bristol’s city centre and slightly further from Bristol Temple Meads, the main railway station.
It currently has a capacity of 11,000.
The stadium is also used for the rugby varsity between the city's two universities, University of the West of England and University of Bristol. In 2013, the stadium hosted the Rugby League World Cup Group D match between the Cook Islands and the United States attracting a crowd of 7,247.
Gloucester Rugby played two pre-season friendlies at the stadium whilst their home ground, Kingsholm Stadium, was being used for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
In 2017 there was a crowd recording for the Aardman Animations film Early Man at the Memorial Stadium.
The stadium features in the music videos for Kano's This Is England and Idles' Great.
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Getting There
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Car:
The car park at the Memorial Stadium is completely sold out for the entire season.
You'll be extremely lucky if you can find a space on Filton Avenue unless you arrive a couple of days in advance.
All of the areas around the ground are residential and you'll have to battle for spaces with the locals as well as other home and away fans and police cones.
With very few exceptions, finding a space within a five to ten-minute walk is relatively easy - parking on Muller Road is a popular choice as is Gloucester Road although this is often more difficult.
If Muller Road and Gloucester Road are busy then there are many other roads across the other side of Gloucester Road - travel past the Wellington pub along Kellaway Avenue and you'll find another area of roads often used for matchday parking.
Bus:
Various buses connect the stadium with the city centre and railway station, running across Gloucester Road, including bus 73, 75, and 76.
Rail:
Trains also run from the city's main station, Bristol Temple Meads, to Montpelier (less than two miles from the stadium) and to Bristol Parkway (a similar distance). Timetables for trains can be found at the First Great Western website. GWR advise all passengers to check timetables before they set out by visiting www.gwr.com/travel-updates/check-your-journey
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Tickets and Membership
Bristol Rovers F.C.
https://www.bristolrovers.co.uk/tickets/home-tickets/
Tickets can also be bought at the stadium on the day of the match.
Expect to pay from £19.00 for the terrace behind the goal to £25.00 for a seat at one of the sides. Prices are increased with £3.00 for 6 top matches.
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WHAT'S ON
Take a look at what's on at Memorial Stadium
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MAKE AN ENQUIRY
Talk to one of their friendly team today and they can help you with any information you need on their fantastic venue.
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HOSPITALITY
They have a variety of different hospitality options available at the home of Bristol Rovers F.C, with options in the Poplar Suite and our Executive Boxes.
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Bristol Rovers Community Trust
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Bristol Rovers Community Trust works with a wide spectrum of the community offering social inclusion, health, education and sports participation projects to give people the opportunity of enhancing and improving their life choices. We aim to engage and inspire people of all ages as well as unite the communities in which they live.
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The Memorial Stadium has individually designed rooms created to provide excellent facilities combining comfort with style and quality and is an ideal venue for every occasion.
Whatever your needs, our dedicated conferencing and events team provide a tailored service, experience and catering in a unique venue within Bristol.
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The only place to purchase official Bristol Rovers gifts and merchandise - the Bristol Sport Store at the Memorial Stadium.
online: https://brfcdirect.co.uk/
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History
The site was created on an area of land called Buffalo Bill's Field, after Colonel William "Buffalo Bill" Cody's Wild West Show was held there between 28 September and 3 October 1891.
Two years later in September 1893 Clifton RFC played on the site for the first time.
During the First World War the site was converted into allotments, but after the war Buffalo Bill's Field was bought by Sir Francis Nicholas Cowlin (then the Sheriff of Bristol) and given to Bristol Rugby Club.
It was opened as the Memorial Ground on 24 September that year by G. B. Britton, the Lord Mayor of Bristol.
Situated on Filton Avenue in Horfield, Bristol, it has developed significantly over the years.
A massive crowd turned out to watch the first Bristol game to be held there against Cardiff, but did so from wooden terraces and stands.
With the advent of leagues in the late 1980s, Bristol looked to develop the ground, replacing the old Shed on the north side with the Centenary Stand to mark the club's 100th anniversary in 1988.
The West Stand, an original feature of the ground, was demolished in 1995 having been condemned, and replaced.
In 1996, Bristol Rovers moved in as tenants of Bristol Rugby Club, and then entered into joint ownership through the Memorial Stadium Company.
After just two years, in 1998, the rugby club was relegated from the Premiership (causing them severe financial difficulties) and under the terms of the agreement Bristol Rovers were able to buy Bristol Rugby's share of the stadium for a 'nominal fee', a clause designed to protect either party should one or the other fall into financial difficulties.
The rugby club became tenants in their original home.
By 2005, the Memorial Stadium was hosting Bristol Rugby Club back in the Guinness Premiership, with Bristol Rovers continuing to compete in the lower levels of the Football League.
A roof was added to the Clubhouse Terrace (paid for by Bristol Rovers supporters' efforts) and temporary stands at the south and south-west of the ground have brought capacity up to 11,916. Bristol Rugby were again relegated out of the Premiership in 2009.
In February 2013, after months of speculation,Bristol Rugby announced that they would move and share a ground with Bristol City at the redeveloped Ashton Gate Stadium.
The rugby club played their final game at the Mem on 4 June 2014, a Championship play-off final second leg against London Welsh.
There was no fairytale ending for Bristol though as London Welsh won the game 21–20 to condemn the side to a sixth straight season outside the Premiership.
The ground has remained a focal point for the wider Bristol community, and a minute's silence is held annually at the closest game to Remembrance Sunday, while on 11 November a service of remembrance is held at the Memorial Gates with players and officials from both Bristol Rovers and Bristol Rugby attending the service each year.
On Christmas Eve 2015, the memorial gates were vandalized by supporters of Bristol City.
The Memorial Stadium Company proposed a wide-ranging £35 million refurbishment of the Memorial Stadium, bringing it up to an 18,500 all-seater capacity.
On 17 January 2007, Bristol City Council granted permission for the stadium redevelopment.
The new stadium would have included a 97-room hotel, 99 student flats, a restaurant, a convenience store, offices and a public gym.
On 17 August 2007, it was announced that the stadium's redevelopment had been delayed and would commence in May 2008 and finish in December 2009.
During this time period of reconstruction, Bristol Rovers would have ground-shared with Cheltenham Town at Whaddon Road while Bristol Rugby would have played across the Severn Bridge, sharing the Rodney Parade ground in Newport.
The Section 106 legal agreement, which was the main cause for the delay in the redevelopment, was finally signed on 4 January 2008, but more delays were encountered when on 30 May 2008 Rovers admitted that their preferred student accommodation providers had pulled out of the project, leaving the club to find an alternative company.
This caused the redevelopment to be put back another year, to 2009.
More delays, mostly attributed to the ongoing financial crisis, meant that by mid-2011 the stadium redevelopment had yet to begin.
In June 2011, Bristol Rovers announced its intentions to relocate the club to the newly proposed UWE Stadium instead of redeveloping the Memorial Stadium. In order to fund the new stadium, the Memorial Stadium was to be sold to supermarket chain Sainsbury's with Rovers paying a peppercorn rent with work to redevelop the site not beginning until Rovers completed their move to the new stadium.
Planning permission was granted for the UWE Stadium site in July 2012 and the Sainsbury's plans for the Memorial Stadium in January 2013.
Work was expected to begin on the UWE Stadium shortly after but multiple delays caused by legal challenges held the project up.
In 2014, Sainsbury's pulled out of the project and were subsequently taken to court by Rovers.
Sainsbury's won the court case and appeal that followed leaving the entire project again in doubt.
In August 2017 following the takeover of the club by the Al-Qadi family, and extensive negotiations with the UWE, the club announced that it was no longer looking to build a new stadium in collaboration with the UWE but would once again explore redeveloping the Memorial Stadium instead.
Before the 2019/20 League One campaign, Rovers redeveloped the bar under the Poplar Insulation stand and subsequently reopened it as a "club superstore".
The new club bar was opened in the place of the former club shop.
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