Butlin
Road, the home of Rugby Town Football Club is
one of the best stadiums in the BGB Premier and
is rapidly becoming one of the best in the non-league.
Developments
such as the new 500-seater cantilever stand -
opened in 2003 by England international Darius
Vassell, and the VS Bar make Butlin Road a great
stadium and always provides a great day out.
Stadium
Overview
Officially
Opened |
October
1973 |
Capacity |
6,000
(unconfirmed) |
Covered
Terrace |
2,800 |
Seating |
740 |
Record
Attendace |
3,961
v Northampton Town (1984) |
The
ground, unlike many in non-league circles, has
covering on all four sides of the ground and seating
on two sides.
The
official capacity was confirmed as 5,375 in 2005
but this is set to increase with the new 1,300
covered terrace at the allotment end as well as
further terracing developments throughout the
stadium.
Now,
approximately 2,800 spectators are able to be
accommodated under cover and 740 of these can
also be seated.
Main
Stand
Butlin
Road boasts the magnificent main stand, which
holds 500 fans and also includes the dressing
rooms.
Helped
by a Football Foundation & Stadia Improvement
Fund Grant, the stand was open for use in early
2003, but it was not officially opened until August
2003, when ex-England International Darius Vassell
did the honours as Rugby played an Aston Villa
XI.
New
facilities under the stand also include 4 changing
rooms, referees' room, male, female and disabled
toilets and a physio room. It will provide
air conditioned rooms and top quality showers
- bought from another ex-Premiership ground in
the shape of Manchester City's old ground Maine
Road.
These
new changing facilities will create extra space
where the old rooms are placed to possibly extend
the superb VS Bar which was refurbished into a
sports bar in 1999 and is a great place for all
functions.
Dugouts
The
2003/04 season saw the introduction of new dugouts
at Butlin Road. The ex-Filbert Street (Leicester
City) structures have brought another professional
feel to the club, with a strip of Astroturf laid
in front of the dugout area to stop wear and tear.
Turnstiles
New
electric turnstiles were installed in 2004 from
Filbert Street as well as a new external wall
around the whole ground to meet Conference standard.
Playing
Surface
Since
1999, the Butlin Road pitch has become renown
for being one of the best around. A lot of time
& expense has been put into the turf over
the last few years including top drainage technology
to ensure the best possible standard (for part-time
staff!). The pitch is carefully nurtured throughout
the year by head groundsman Steve Sharp and his
team.
The
pitch was recently recognised in a non-league
poll where it came 3rd in the whole Southern League
in 2006.
Training
Facilities
In
October 2006, Rugby Town opened the state-of-the-art
training facilities at Butlin Road.
Helped
by a Football Foundation grant, the facilities
at Butlin Road now include a full-size & a
mini-sized third-generation rubber crumb astro
turf training pitch.
The
facility is used for training as well as local
clubs, youth & junior teams, ladies clubs
and the local community all year round.
The
facility is also fully floodlit and offers the
best in astro turf technology to allow a natural
bounce and roll.
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