Millmoor

Millmoor is a stadium in Rotherham, England. It was built and was used for football matches, and until the end of the 2007–08 season was the home ground of Rotherham United, until a dispute over ownership forced them to move to the Don Valley Stadium in nearby Sheffield.

The stadium was built in 1907 on the site of a flour mill,^[2] "The (club) badge is a representation of the town’s flour mills and a windmill which once stood close to the ground, Millmoor" and presently holds around 8,300. Redevelopment work was started on the ground, with a new main stand being built in place of the previous wooden main stand which was built in the 1950s. The new stand was planned to contain corporate facilities and bring the capacity back to over 10,000. The work was scheduled to finish in 2006, but has faced a series of setbacks, one of which was Japanese Knotweed being found on the site. Rotherham United have now moved to a new community stadium. In May 2011 Rotherham Titans and Rotherham Council announced a plan to allow the rugby union club to move into Millmoor.^[3] After much speculation it was announced in December 2011 that the Titans would remain at Clifton Lane for the foreseeable future due to the deal falling through.^[4]

It hosted a number of memorable Rotherham United games including a first leg of the inaugural Football League Cup final against Aston Villa in 1961, which Rotherham won 2–0.

The stands

Tivoli End

The Tivoli was a favourite amongst the fans. The stand holds up to 2,700. It was a former terrace but was later seated during the club's time in the Football League Championship.

Railway End

Away terrace in 1976

The Railway End is the away fans section where over 2,000 fans can be accommodated. This end is covered and all seated. An unusual feature is that away fans can only access this end by going down Millmoor Lane which is a narrow alleyway. The acoustics on the railway end are said to be some of the best and fans can generate a lot of noise. If needed, away fans can be given additional seats in a section of the Millmoor Lane stand.

The railway referred to in the stand's name is the now closed line to the former Rotherham Westgate railway station.

Mainstand

Stand under construction in 2005

Redevelopment work was started on this stand, however that work has now ceased and in November 2007 the club confirmed that they have no intentions to complete this stand or modernize any part of the stadium due to the difficulty in reaching a deal to purchase the land surrounding Millmoor from the previous Chairman. This dispute later led to Rotherham United moving away from the stadium.^[1] The stand remains half-finished.

Millmoor Lane End

Opposite to the Main Stand is the Millmoor Lane side of the ground. It is split up into three sections:

• Tivoli end/Uncovered end - before the ground was all-seated in conformity with the rules of the Football League Championship, the corner of the ground underneath the floodlights was a continuation of the terraces of the Tivoli End. When the section was all seated, the Tivoli End was split up into two parts for safety reasons: the part of the stand segregated from the Tivoli Stand is now simply called "The Uncovered End" due to the fact there is no roof over the heads of the home supporters housed there.
• Millmoor Lane - in the middle of the Millmoor Lane side is the Millmoor Lane, which is a small stand for home supporters.

100 years at Millmoor

On 22 September 2007, for Rotherham United's game against Notts County, it was a special day to celebrate 100 years at Millmoor. The game ended 1–1, with Peter Holmes scoring for the Millers. There were special articles in the matchday programme and a commemorative cover. There were balloons all around Millmoor, with the Millers' badge, and the words '100 Years at Millmoor'. Fans were urged to wear retro Rotherham United shirts, and if you wore a retro shirt you would be entered into a raffle. Many fans were seen with new scarves with Rotherham United F.C. on one side, and 1907-2007 on the other side.

Move from Millmoor

In May 2008, Rotherham United were forced to leave Millmoor as talks with Ken Booth, owner of Millmoor, broke down.^[5] The team played in the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield until 2012, when the club moved into a new community stadium in Rotherham. Millmoor is currently used by Westfield United of the Bud Evans BD U18 division 6

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Millmoor.

Coordinates: 53°25′42.12″N 1°22′12.83″W / 53.4283667°N 1.3702306°W / 53.4283667; -1.3702306