Eco-Power Stadium
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The Eco-Power Stadium (formerly known as Keepmoat Stadium) is a
multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used for multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a design philosophy that stres ...
in
Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...
, England, with a capacity of 15,231. It cost approximately £20 million to construct, as part of the wider Lakeside Sports Complex that it resides within which in total cost approximately £32 million, and is used by
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
, Doncaster Rugby League Club and Doncaster Rovers Belles Ladies Football Club.


Facilities


Stands


East Stand

The East Stand is sponsored by Donasonic. The area of the East Stand towards the South East corner is the Families area sponsored by First Bus Ltd. and is known as the "First" Families Stand.


West Stand

This is the main match-day reception area with the stand sponsored by Red Viking Rail, and is known as the "James Coppinger West Stand", after former Doncaster Rovers player
James Coppinger James Coppinger (born 18 January 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He began his career at Newcastle United, making one appearance in the Premier League, and later spent two years at Exeter ...
.


South Stand

The South Stand, popularly known as the Black Bank, is sponsored by
Polypipe Genuit Group plc, formerly Polypipe Group, is a manufacturer of plastic piping systems, for use in the residential, commercial, civils and infrastructure sectors. The piping systems are used for a variety of applications including drainage, plum ...
. For Doncaster Rovers matches this is the stand that houses the Black Bank (the
ultras Ultras are a type of association football fans who are known for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tendency ...
group of Doncaster Rovers supporters) and is decorated with flags and banners on match days, widely known for creating a fantastic atmosphere.


North Stand

The North Stand is sponsored by Pass Logistics. The North Stand area closest to the East Stand is the usual location of visiting fans. Depending on the numbers of visitors, the availability of seats in this area are expanded westwards to meet demand.


Capacity

The all-seater stadium holds 15,231 spectators, 5,000 more than Belle Vue, with improved legroom and disabled access. Amongst the facilities in the new stadium is a new fans' bar, created to ensure fans have a place where they can enjoy pre-match drinks. The pitch itself incorporates a system of synthetic fibres interwoven with natural grass. This helps to maintain the pitch's integrity and prevents the playing surface from deteriorating throughout the course of the season. The pitch however does not have an under-soil heating system in-place, despite being a modern construction. This has resulted in the postponement of a match within the first year of full operation.


Adjoining sports complex facilities and stadia

A mini-stadium is situated beside the main stadium, featuring a six-lane running track and a 500-seat stand. The mini stadium is used by
Doncaster Rovers Belles Doncaster Rovers Belles Ladies Football Club, previously Doncaster Belles, is an England, English women's association football, women's football club that currently plays in the , the fourth tier of women's football in England. The club's admi ...
, Doncaster Rovers Reserves, Doncaster Athletics Club, Doncaster RLFC's academy team, and the
Doncaster Mustangs The Doncaster Mustangs are an American football based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England who compete in the BAFA National Leagues NFC 2 South, the third level of British American football. They play their games at Wheatley Hills Rugby Union ...
American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
team.


Sports


Football

The first game played by Doncaster Rovers in the new stadium was on 1 January 2007 against
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
, whom they beat 3–0. The game also saw the first three red cards in the new stadium. Doncaster Rovers'
centre forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on be ...
Mark McCammon Mark Jason McCammon (born 7 August 1978) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker. Born in England, he represented the Barbados national team at international level. After starting his career with Cambridge United in 1997, ...
was the first player ever to score on the new pitch. Doncaster's first loss at the stadium came five days later at the hands of
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
when they defeated the Rovers 4–0 in the 3rd Round of the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
. On 14 January 2007,
Doncaster Rovers Belles Doncaster Rovers Belles Ladies Football Club, previously Doncaster Belles, is an England, English women's association football, women's football club that currently plays in the , the fourth tier of women's football in England. The club's admi ...
' first match in the main stadium resulted in a 5–2 defeat to
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
, before a crowd of 1,797.
Vicky Exley Vicky Exley (born 22 October 1975) is an English former international footballer from Rotherham in South Yorkshire. She most recently played for Doncaster Rovers Belles in the FA WSL, the top division of women's football in England. Exley also ...
was the first Belle to score on the new pitch. The official opening of the Keepmoat Stadium was on 3 August 2007, with Doncaster Rovers playing a
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
XI in front of a crowd of 13,080. United won the game 2–0. On 19 June 2012, it was confirmed that Doncaster Rovers had secured a 99-year operating lease from Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council to lead the management of the stadium with a view to improving operating results across the stadium sports partnership. The stadium hosted the final of the
2012–13 FA Women's Cup The 2012–13 FA Women's Cup was the 43rd season of the FA Women's Cup, the main domestic knockout Cup competition in English women's football. It lacked a sponsor for the second consecutive season. 283 clubs were accepted into the competition. ...
. The highest ever attendance at the Keepmoat stadium was 15,001 for the visit of
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
. Rovers also achieved attendances of over 14,800 at the Keepmoat Stadium in games against
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...
and
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
. On 3 March 2010, it hosted England’s under-21s 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 9 match against Greece’s under-21s. The hosts lost 2–1 with the visitors goals coming from
Kyriakos Papadopoulos Kyriakos Papadopoulos (; born 23 February 1992) is a Greek professional footballer who last played as a centre-back for Greek Super League club Levadiakos. Having made his first league appearances for Olympiacos at the age of 15, Papadopoulos ...
on the 28th minute and
Yiannis Papadopoulos Giannis, Yiannis or Ioannis Papadopoulos may refer to: * Giannis Papadopoulos (footballer, born 1989) * Giannis Papadopoulos (footballer, born 1998) * Yiannis Papadopoulos (guitarist) * Ioannis Papadopoulos (chess player) {{hndis, Papadopoul ...
on the 49th minute while
Nathan Delfouneso Nathan Abayomi Delfouneso (born 2 February 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker. Having graduated from Aston Villa's academy Delfouneso broke into their first team in 2008, mainly being an impact substitute over th ...
scored for the hosts on the 80th minute. Since the EFL require all matches to be played on grass pitches, the stadium was used for all of Harrogate Town's matches for the first month of their 2020–21 season whilst the club replaced their synthetic pitch at
Wetherby Road Wetherby Road, known as the Exercise Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a multi-purpose stadium in Harrogate, England. It is mostly used for football matches, being the home ground of Harrogate Town A.F.C. The stadium has a capacity of ...
. On 30 November 2021, England's women's team hosted Latvia's women's team at the stadium, beating them by a record margin of 20-0.


Rugby League

The opening game played by
Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...
in the new stadium was against
Sheffield Eagles The Sheffield Eagles are a professional rugby league club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They play home games at the Olympic Legacy Park and compete in the Championship, the second tier of British rugby league. Sheffield's on ...
, to whom they lost 16–10 in front of 5,400 spectators. Sheffield Eagles' (and former Dons') Richard Newlove was the first player to score try at the new stadium. On Sunday 27 July 2008, the stadium hosted a semi-final of the
Rugby League Challenge Cup The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's oldest cup competition in either ...
between
Hull F.C. Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Hull play their home games at the MKM Stadium and compete in Super League, the ...
and
Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The club play their home fixtures at the DIY Kitchen Stadium, Belle Vue (Wakefield), Belle Vue and currently compete in the Super League, the top tier o ...
. Hull beat Trinity 32–24 in front of a crowd of 14,716. The stadium hosted the opening match of the 2009 Gillette 4 Nations on Friday 23 October between co-hosts
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
and
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
attracting a crowd of 11,529. The stadium hosted the semi-final of the
Rugby League Challenge Cup The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's oldest cup competition in either ...
between
Castleford Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield district, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the t ...
and
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
on Sunday 7 August 2011, Leeds winning 10-8 in front of 13,158 fans; another Challenge Cup Semi-Final between
Hull F.C. Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Hull play their home games at the MKM Stadium and compete in Super League, the ...
and
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...
took place at the stadium on 29 July 2016, Hull running out 16-12 winners. Wigan would return to the stadium for the first semi-final of the
2024 Challenge Cup The 2024 Challenge Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2024 Betfred Challenge Cup, is the 123rd edition of the Challenge Cup, the main rugby league knockout cup tournament in British rugby league, run by the Rugby Football League (RFL). I ...
against
Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers (often abbreviated to Hull KR) are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England. The club play home games at Craven Park, Hull, Craven Park and compete in Super League, the top tier of B ...
, taking place on 18 May 2024. The Dons local rivals, Sheffield Eagles, used the stadium as their temporary home during the 2015 rugby league season. In 2021, the stadium played host to three group games of the
2021 Rugby League World Cup The 2021 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC2021) was a collection of world cups in the sport of rugby league, held in England from 15 October to 19 November 2022. England won hosting rights for the competition on 27 October 2016. The bid received ...
.


Rugby league test matches


Music

There have also been a variety of concerts held in the stadium, including two in July 2007 featuring
Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer, songwriter, actor and presenter. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop g ...
,
Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born November 5, 1959) is a British and Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and photographer. He is estimated to have sold between 75 million and more than 100 million album, records and Single (music), si ...
and
McFly McFly are a British pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the ''Back to the Future (franchise), Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Da ...
. In July 2008 there was also a show by
Sir Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
and his band. On 30 July 2011, Irish vocal pop band
Westlife Westlife are an Irish pop group formed in Dublin in 1998. The group consists of members Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving in March 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 and later reun ...
held a concert for
Gravity Tour The Gravity Tour is the eleventh concert tour by Irish boy band, Westlife. The tour supported their eleventh studio album, ''Gravity''. The tour visits Europe, Asia and Africa. The tour was listed 55th in 2011 Worldwide First Quarter ticket sa ...
supporting their album
Gravity In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...
. In 2017, Doncaster born singer
Louis Tomlinson Louis William Tomlinson ( ; born 24 December 1991) is an English singer, songwriter, and fashion designer. Born and raised in Doncaster, England, Tomlinson auditioned for British singing competition ''The X Factor'' as a solo artist in 2010, w ...
filmed part of the music video for his hit single, Back to You, featuring
Bebe Rexha Bleta "Bebe" Rexha ( , ; born August 30, 1989) is an American singer and songwriter. She signed with Warner Records in 2013, and was credited with co-writing releases of other artists—such as Eminem's Grammy Award-winning single " The Monster" ...
, in the stadium.
The Killers The Killers are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After the band went through a number of short-term bas ...
were set to play the stadium in May 2020, but the date was postponed to May 2022 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.


Other events

In September 2008, the stadium was used to host the BAFL (British American Football League) finals known as "Britbowl". In mid June 2009 opened its facilities to accommodate corporate events and private functions, the first of which being the marriage reception of Wesley and Claire Vaughan, June 2009. In November 2010, darts superstar
Dennis Priestley Dennis Priestley (born 16 July 1950) is an English former professional darts player. He won two world championships, and was the first player to win both the BDO and WDC (now PDC) world championships, in 1991 and 1994 respectively. He was ni ...
held a darts exhibition at the stadium. On 11 May 2013, an IBF Bantamweight World Title boxing match between Jamie McDonnell and Julio Ceja took place at the stadium, with McDonnell the winner. On 27 July 2013, an MMA event hosted by UCFC has held at the stadium, the main event was between
Ian Freeman Ian William Freeman (born 11 October 1966) is a retired English mixed martial artist who was the Cage Rage World Heavyweight Champion and the final Cage Rage British Light Heavyweight Champion. He was the first British person to fight in ...
and
Ricco Rodriguez Ricco Rodriguez (born August 19, 1977) is an American former mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight (MMA), heavyweight division. A professional competitor from 1999 to 2019, he competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, ...
. On 28 April 2016 it was announced that
Rugby Union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
team
Doncaster Knights Doncaster Knights Rugby Football Club ''(formerly, Doncaster RFC)'' are a professional rugby union club representing the city of Doncaster, England. The club play in the 2nd division of English rugby, the RFU Championship. Being the most prom ...
would use the Keepmoat for a maximum of six games the following season if they were to win promotion to
Premiership Rugby Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition, consisting of 10 clubs, and is the top division of the English rugby ...
. This would allow work to be undertaken on their home ground of Castle Park in order to bring it up to at least the minimum seating capacity of 10,000 required by the
RFU The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It prom ...
and the Professional Game Board (PGB) for a premiership venue. However, the Doncaster Knights did not achieve promotion that season.


Naming rights

When construction began on the stadium, a planning permission application was made under the name “Doncaster Community Stadium” with many people speculating that this would be the official name. However, prior to the stadium’s opening, Keepmoat Homes, was unveiled as the stadium’s first sponsor. Keepmoat Homes would go on to sponsor the stadium for the first 15 years spanning between November 2006 and December 2021. On 14 December 2021, Doncaster based construction company Eco-Power was announced as the new naming rights holder, taking effect from 27 December 2021, initially until the end of 2025.


Awards

At the Stadium Business Awards 2010, the stadium received the award for Best Matchday Experience.


See also

* Belle Vue, Doncaster Rovers' former home. * XP School *
Lists of stadiums The following are lists of stadiums throughout the world. Note that horse racing and motorsport venues are not included at some pages, because those are not stadiums but sports venues. Combined lists *List of stadiums by capacity * List of c ...
*
List of football stadiums in England This is a list of football stadiums in England, ranked in descending order of capacity. There is an extremely large number of football stadiums and pitches in England, and a definitive list of stadiums would be difficult to produce. This list, ...


References


External links


Official website
{{Authority control Football venues in England Doncaster Rovers F.C. Sports venues in Doncaster Rugby league stadiums in England Multi-purpose stadiums in the United Kingdom Football venues in South Yorkshire Sports venues completed in 2006 English Football League venues 2006 establishments in England American football venues in the United Kingdom Doncaster Rovers Belles L.F.C. Doncaster R.L.F.C.