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The Riverside Stadium is a football stadium in
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
, England, which has been the home of
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
since its opening in 1995. It has an all-seated capacity of 34,742, although provisional planning permission is in place to expand to 42,000 if required. Middlesbrough Women became affiliated with the Middlesbrough men's team in May 2023 and now play selected matches at the Riverside Stadium.


History

The stadium was built to replace Ayresome Park following the publication of the Taylor Report, which required all top division football stadiums to be all-seater. After the report was delivered in January 1990, Middlesbrough needed an
all-seater stadium An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in professional association football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most association football and Amer ...
by August 1994 but were unable to expand Ayresome Park outwards owing to its location in a residential area, and expanding the stadium upwards would have limited the club to a capacity of around 20,000 seats – the club wanted a considerably larger capacity. The decision was taken by club officials to build a new stadium; Teesside Development Corporation offered them the Middlehaven site by the
River Tees The River Tees (), in England, rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines and flows eastwards for to reach the North Sea in the North East of England. The modern-day history of the river has been tied with the industries ...
for development. The new 30,000 seater stadium was constructed by Taylor Woodrow Construction for £16 million, taking approximately nine months to complete after work began in the autumn of 1994. The name of the stadium was chosen by the club's fans, following a vote during the final game at Ayresome Park. The other choices available were ''Middlehaven Stadium'', ''Erimus Stadium'' and ''Teesside Stadium''. When it opened, the name was amended to Cellnet Riverside Stadium (and then BT Cellnet Riverside Stadium) as part of a £3 million sponsorship deal with Cellnet, but this deal ended after the 2001–02 season. The first game was played against Chelsea in front of a 28,286 crowd (the highest home attendance in fourteen years) on 26 August 1995. Middlesbrough won the game 2–0, with Craig Hignett taking the honour of scoring the first ever goal at the stadium, Jan Åge Fjørtoft scoring the second. Their first season at their new stadium was also their first back in the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
following promotion after two seasons away. In their second season at the Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough were runners-up in both of the domestic cups, but a points deduction in the league meant that they were relegated from the Premier League. In 1998 – when Middlesbrough were promoted back to the Premier League at the first attempt – the capacity was increased by 5,000 by filling in the north and south-west corners at a cost of £5 million. This expansion gave the stadium a 35,100 capacity. Modernisation of the stadium since then has led to the seating being reorganised on several occasions with the stadium having a capacity of 34,000 at the start of the 2017-18 season. The club have planning permission to extend the stadium by another 7,000 if demand made it necessary, which would bring its capacity up to approximately 42,000. In 2005, the old Ayresome Park gates, which had been famously locked when the club went into liquidation in 1986, were erected outside the Riverside Stadium as a reminder of the past. Another addition has been statues of former players George Hardwick, Wilf Mannion and
George Camsell George Henry Camsell (27 November 1902 – 7 March 1966) was an English Association football, footballer who scored a club record 325 league goals in 419 games for Middlesbrough F.C., Middlesbrough, and 18 goals in nine appearances for England ...
. The area in front of the Ayresome Park gates is the location of the "Borobrick Road", where fans could pay to have a message inscribed on a brick (often in memory of a deceased family member) to be added to the road. For Armistice Day 2008, a set of bricks commemorating eight Middlesbrough players who died in the two world wars was unveiled.www.mfc.co.uk
Boro remember fallen heroes
In July 2008, planning permission was granted by Middlesbrough Council to construct a
wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that wind power, converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. , hundreds of thousands of list of most powerful wind turbines, large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, were generating over ...
at the site of the stadium, standing 125 metres high and capable of generating three megawatts of electricity. The turbine is used to power the stadium, with the excess being sold to the National Grid. On 24 April 2012, it was announced that the stadium would host the only public warm up match for the Great Britain Olympic football team before the
London 2012 Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
against
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. Football stars including Ryan Giggs,
Craig Bellamy Craig Douglas Bellamy (born 13 July 1979) is a Welsh football coach and former professional association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He is the current Football coach (association football), head ...
, Thiago Silva,
Neymar Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (; born 5 February 1992), also known as Neymar Júnior or simply Neymar, is a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a left winger, attacking midfielder or Forward (association foo ...
,
Lucas Moura Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silva (born 13 August 1992), known as Lucas Moura (), is a Brazilian professional association football, footballer who plays as a Winger (association football), winger or Midfielder (association football), attacking midf ...
and
Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...
all featured in the match in which Brazil outclassed Great Britain, winning 2–0. On 15 March 2013, it was announced that
Conference National The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National League (English football), National Le ...
side
Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...
would stage a "home" game at the Riverside Stadium, after continual drainage problems at Gateshead International Stadium forced them to play their last twelve league games of the season at five different venues. Following the club's promotion to the Premier League at the end of the 2015–16 season, the ground underwent a £5 million package of renovations designed to bring it up to the standards required of Premier League stadiums. Renovations included the installation of a large press box at the back of the East Stand, the construction of two permanent television studios at the back of the south-east corner, with associated access and TV compound on the stadium's exterior, an internal reorganisation of the West Stand reception, tunnel and changing room area, new floodlights and refurbished concourse areas including the addition of new kiosks and card and contactless payment methods. File:MFC Riverside Exterior.JPG, Exterior view File:MFC Riverside Interior.JPG, Interior view File:George Hardwick Statue MFC.jpg, Statue of George Hardwick (1920–2004) File:Wilf Mannion Statue MFC.jpg, Statue of Wilf Mannion (1918–2000) File:Middlesbrough's Promotion 2015-16 (7 May 2016).png, 2015-16 Promotion Celebrations


Stadium details

The stadium is fully enclosed with every seat offering an uninterrupted view of the pitch. The four main stands are commonly known as the North, East, West and South stands. The corners are referred to as the North-East, North-West, South-East and South-West corners. Concourses run around the entirety of the ground with kiosks serving food and drink. The North Stand backs on to the River Tees. The West Stand runs along the length of the pitch and is the stadium's largest stand. The stand contains a number of executive boxes along its length as well as restaurants etc. The stand houses the changing rooms, and the players' tunnel emerges from the middle of the stand. White seating in the top tier spells out the club's nickname "BORO". The East Stand greets the players as they walk out the tunnel. The main television gantry was relocated to the top of the stand from the West Stand in 2016. White seating in the top tier of the stand spells out "MFC". The roof houses five flagpoles with various flags flying, usually representing the league and cup competitions the club are participating in, as well as a flag of the team crest. A new press box was installed at the back of this stand in preparation for the club's promotion back to the Premier League. The East Stand houses a family zone (North-East end) and also visiting supporters (South-East Corner). Prior the 2016–17 season, two permanent television studios were installed at the back of the South-East Corner, on either side of the existing giant TV screen. One effect of this was a slight reduction in overall capacity. The South Stand previously housed visiting supporters (now relocated to the South-East corner), but since the 2013–14 season has housed home supporters. The stand houses the vocal Boro "ultras" group "Red Faction", who are known to organise
tifo ''Tifo'' () is the phenomenon whereby ''tifosi'' of a sports team make a visual display of any choreographed flag, sign or banner in the stands of a stadium, mostly as part of an association football match. ''Tifo'' are most commonly seen in ...
s.


Records and statistics

*Record Attendance (all teams): 35,000
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 ...
v
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
, 11 June 2003, ( Euro 2004 qualifier) *Record Attendance (Middlesbrough): 34,836 v Norwich City, 28 December 2004 (
FA Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football ...
) , - , The above does not include attendances for cup competitions or play off matches. Notes:


Other uses


International matches


Association football

Like its predecessor Ayresome Park, the Riverside Stadium has played host to international football. During the construction of the new
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
, the
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 ...
team toured the country, playing at varying grounds. The Riverside was chosen to host the Euro 2004 qualifying match against
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
on 11 June 2003. England won the match 2–1 with a brace from
Michael Owen Michael James Owen (born 14 December 1979) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker for Liverpool F.C., Liverpool, Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid, Newcastle United ...
after Vladimír Janočko had put Slovakia ahead. The match is also notable for pitting Middlesbrough's England defender
Gareth Southgate Sir Gareth Southgate (born 3 September 1970) is an English professional Association football, football manager and player, who played as a Defender (association football), defender and midfielder. A Crystal Palace F.C., Crystal Palace Crystal ...
against their own Slovakian striker at the time, Szilárd Németh. In April 2021, it was announced that the Riverside Stadium would host two
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 ...
friendly matches, against Austria and Romania, in preparation for the Euro 2020 Championship. In February 2022, the Riverside Stadium hosted two games of the Arnold Clark Cup, an invitational women's association football tournament featuring
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 ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.


Rugby League

The Riverside Stadium was one of the venues for the
2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup The 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup was the 16th Rugby League World Cup, and one of three major tournaments of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. The tournament was held in England from 15 October 2022 to 19 November 2022. It was originally due ...
, hosting the penultimate Group D match between
Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...
and the
Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...
. Tonga won 92–10 and thus qualified for the quarter-finals as group winners, whilst the Cook Islands were eliminated from the competition.


Concerts

On 1 June 2019,
Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...
performed at the Riverside Stadium in front of 32,000 fans, as part of their 30th Anniversary Tour. They were supported by Rick Astley, the first time a concert had been held at the stadium. On 1 June 2022,
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 ...
, supported by the
Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Wales, Welsh Rock music, rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, in 1986. The band consists of Nicky Wire (bass guitar, lyrics) and cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, le ...
, played at the stadium in front of 33,000 fans as part of the UK leg of their Imploding the Mirage Tour. On 5 June 2023, the
Arctic Monkeys Arctic Monkeys are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. They comprise lead singer Alex Turner, drummer Matt Helders, guitarist Jamie Cook and bassist Nick O'Malley. The co-founder and original bassist Andy Nicholson ...
, supported by The Hives and The Mysterines, played at the stadium in front of 32,000 fans.


Milestone matches


See also

* Development of stadiums in English football *
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 ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control Sports venues in Middlesbrough Middlesbrough F.C. facilities Football venues in England Premier League venues Sports venues completed in 1995 English Football League venues 1995 establishments in England