Reebok Stadium

Infobox Stadium
stadium_name = Reebok Stadium
nickname = The Reebok


fullname = The Reebok Stadium
location = Burnden Way,
Horwich,
Greater Manchester,
England
built = 1997
opened = 1997
owner = Bolton Wanderers
tenants = Bolton Wanderers (1997-present)
seating_capacity = 28,723
dimensions = 110 x 72 yards

The Reebok Stadium is the home stadium of English Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers, and is located on the Middlebrook Retail Park in Horwich, situated in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. It is commonly known as 'The Reebok'. It has 4 stands: The Debt Matters (North) Stand at one end, the Woodford Group (South) Stand:the away end, at the other end, the West Stand at one side of the pitch and the Nat Lofthouse (East) Stand at the other side.

History

It is a modern, all-seater stadium with a capacity of 28,723 which was completed in 1997, replacing the club's old ground, Burnden Park. Despite the improved facilities and larger capacity (and resultant larger ticket revenues), this move was unpopular with many of the club's fans. This was partly due to the new stadium being built out-of-town, and partly due to sentimental attachment to the old stadium and its history. In recognition of this, the street on which the stadium is situated is called Burnden Way.

The lead consultant/architect of the project was Lobb Sports, but the local firm of Bradshaw Gass & Hope acted as planning supervisors and quantity surveyors. The value of the contract was £25 million. [ [http://www.bghbolton.co.uk/projects/?action=9&project=42&menu=1 Bradshaw Gass & Hope website] retrieved 26 October 2007] The stadium is noted for its distinct gabled architecture.

The Reebok Stadium is named for long-time team sponsor, Reebok. Again, this was unpopular with many fans, as it was considered impersonal, and that too much emphasis was being placed on financial considerations. This opposition has considerably lessened since the stadium was built, however, as fans have grown accustomed to the name and since Reebok is a local company.

Football Firsts

*The first competitive - and English Premier League - match at the stadium was a 0-0 draw between Bolton and Everton on Monday 1 September 1997. Nineteen days later, Bolton drew 0-0 with Manchester United.
*The first player to score at the stadium was Alan Thompson, a penalty in the 1-1 draw against Tottenham, on 23 September. Chris Armstrong, who later in his career had a short spell with Wanderers, got the equaliser.
* The first League Cup match took place on 30 September 1997. Bolton drew 4-4 with Leyton Orient but won the penalty shootout.
*The first club to win a competitive match at the Reebok Stadium was Aston Villa, 1-0 on Saturday 4 October, in the stadium's fifth match. Savo Milošević scored the goal.
* The first FA Cup match at the stadium took place the following season, on 1 January 1999. It finished Bolton 1-2 Wolves.
* Lokomotiv Plovdiv were the visitors in the first UEFA Cup match at the stadium, on 15 September 2005. Boban Janchevski scored first for the visitors, but two late goals from El-Hadji Diouf and Jared Borgetti secured a 2-1 home victory in Bolton's first European match.
* The first rugby league football world club challenge took place there in 2001 between the National Rugby League (NRL) Grand Final premiers Brisbane Broncos and the Super League grand final premiers St Helens. A replay for the world club challenge took place in February 2007, on this occasion St Helens were the eventual winners.
* The first Premier League crowd of under 20,000 at The Reebok was recorded against Aston Villa on 28 October 2007. Since then Bolton have only managed 10 Premier League crowds of over 20,000 out of a total of 16 games.In addition to hosting football games, the stadium also offers other services, such as a hotel and function rooms. The stadium has been used to host concerts by famous acts such as Oasis, Elton John and Coldplay. Most notably; footage from the Coldplay concert was used in the video for the single Fix You which shows lead singer Chris Martin entering the stage as the song reaches its climax. The stadium has also held Great Britain rugby league internationals, The UK Open Darts Championship and boxing matches with local boxer Amir Khan featuring.

Records

Record Attendance: 28,353 v Leicester City, 28 December 2003(FA Premier League)

Lowest Attendance for a Competitive Match: 3,673 v Gillingham, 21 September 1999 (League Cup 2nd Round 2nd Leg)

Lowest Premier League Attendance: 17,014 v Derby County, 2 January 2008

Record UEFA Cup Attendance: 26,163 v Atletico Madrid, 14 February 2008 Last 32 1st Leg

Record FA Cup Attendance: 23,523 v Arsenal, 12 March 2005 Quarter Finals

Record League Cup Attendance: 18,037 v Tottenham Hotspur, 27 October 2004 3rd Round

Average Attendances

Notes

External links

* [http://www.bwfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/StadiumInformationIndex/0,,1004,00.html Stadium Information] at Bolton Wanderers official website
* [http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=bolton,+england&ie=UTF8&z=17&ll=53.580379,-2.535717&spn=0.004567,0.013475&t=k&om=0 Reebok Stadium] at Google Maps