Springfield Stadium
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Springfield 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
St Helier St Helier (; Jèrriais: ; ) is the Capital city, capital of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. It is the most populous of the twelve parishes of Jersey, with a population of 35,822, over one-third of the island' ...
,
Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...
, set in a public park.


History

The
meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...
area on which the showground was laid out gained the name of Springfield from the vernacular
hydronym A hydronym (from , , "water" and , , "name") is a type of toponym that designates a proper name of a body of water. Hydronyms include the proper names of rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, swamps and marshes, seas and oceans. As a subset of top ...
y. The land borders Le Grand Douet and Rouge Bouillon (modern
Jèrriais ( ; also known as the Jersey language, Jersey French and Jersey Norman French in English) is a Romance languages, Romance language and the traditional language of the Jersey people. It is a form of the Norman language spoken in Jersey, an isla ...
spelling: Rouoge Bouoillon: red spring) and floods regularly. Significant flooding was recorded in 1881, 1977 and 1980. The
Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society The Royal Jersey Agricultural & Horticultural Society (RJA&HS) is an agricultural association in Jersey. It has been instrumental in the development of the Jersey cow and its success throughout the world, and today is responsible for management ...
was founded in 1833 and had held its
Jersey cattle The Jersey is a British breed of small dairy cattle from Jersey, in the British Channel Islands. It is one of three Channel Island cattle breeds, the others being the Alderney – now extinct – and the Guernsey. The milk is high in butterf ...
shows at various venues until its jubilee in 1883, when it was decided to acquire a ground of its own for the holding of exhibitions and the examination of cattle for registration. Seven sites in Saint Helier were considered and out of these Springfield was chosen on 10 September 1884. The site at that time covered five
vergée A vergée (, alternative spellings vergie, vrégie) is a unit of land area, a quarter of the old French ''arpent''. The term derives from Latin ''virga'' (rod). Compare French language, French ''verge'' (yard). In the Channel Islands, it is a ...
s and comprised gardens and two cottages. The RJA&HS purchased the property from Tom Charles Le Gros on 6 December 1884 for the sum of £1,384 11s 10d. Between the initial purchase and 1939 the RJA&HS acquired adjacent properties to expand the site. In 1904, adjacent land used by the Caesarean Archery, Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club since the 1860s was acquired from the Rector of Saint Helier – evidence of early use of the site for sporting activities. The RJA&HS constructed the first hall on the site in 1888. Springfield became the venue for agricultural shows, as well as hosting social and sporting events, including the Battle of Flowers. The Royal Jersey Militia used the ground as a parade ground from the early 20th century, and the hall was taken over by the military at the outbreak of the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. The first
Muratti The Muratti Vase is an annual men's and women's football competition, inaugurated in 1905, between teams representing the Channel Islands of Alderney, Guernsey and Jersey. The larger islands of Guernsey and Jersey dominate the competition, with ...
final took place at Springfield on 27 April 1905, but after two years the venue for Muratti matches moved elsewhere until 1923 when Springfield became host in alternate years. Since 1930 Muratti matches have been regularly held at Springfield with few exceptions. The first hall was demolished in 1922 and a new Springfield Hall was opened in 1924. It was an early concrete building with geometric
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
details. The first Battle of Flowers to be held at Springfield was in 1928 with an attendance of 10,000 spectators and it continued to be held there until the Occupation 1940–45. During the
German occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...
it was used as a repair depot and parking area for tanks. In 1939 the hall was taken over as a first aid post. Following the Liberation in 1945, the hall regularly hosted trade exhibitions, plays, pantomimes, shows, the
Jersey Eisteddfod The Jersey Eisteddfod is a cultural festival and competition in Jersey. It was founded in 1908 by former Dean of Jersey Samuel Falle, who saw its competitive classes as a means by which the speech, presentation, and musical standards of his fe ...
and other attractions. In the 1960s the ballroom was the venue for concerts, including early performances by
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
and the
Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
, and in 1969 the final live performance of the original line-up of the
Small Faces Small Faces were an English Rock music, rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966 ...
. The performance by the Rolling Stones in Springfield Ballroom on 21 August 1964 was notable for an incident when a member of the audience, Peter Smith, threw a tomato at the band as a protest against their attitude when appearing on
Juke Box Jury ''Juke Box Jury'' was a music panel show which ran on BBC Television between 1 June 1959 and 27 December 1967. The programme was based on the American show '' Jukebox Jury'', itself an offshoot of a long-running radio series. The American ser ...
. Mick Jagger stopped the band playing and challenged the tomato thrower to face him. In 1969 the RJA&HS moved their offices to a new building on the Springfield site. On 30 November 1971 a record crowd of more than 11,100 spectators packed into Springfield to watch a match involving
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 ...
. In 1993 the RJA&HS proposed the sale of the site, now totalling 12 vergées in area, to La Pouclée Farm Developments, a company that planned to build housing on the site. The Sport, Leisure and Recreation Committee of the States of Jersey took action to preserve the facility for sport and leisure use and proposed that the property be acquired by the public.


Modern use

The
States of Jersey The States Assembly (; Jèrriais: ) is the parliament of Jersey, formed of the island's 37 deputies and the Connétable (Jersey and Guernsey), Connétable of each of the Parishes of Jersey, twelve parishes. The origins of the legislature of ...
purchased the site from the RJA&HS on 9 December 1994. Part of the site was used for the construction of a new road, La Petite Rue du Val Plaisant. The layout was altered and the pitch reoriented. The hall was demolished, and the current community hall and grandstand opened in 1997. The main pitch is currently used mostly for
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
matches, most notably the Muratti, and the Upton Park Trophy, and has hosted the
Island Games The Island Games (currently known as the NatWest International Island Games for sponsorship reasons) are biennial international multi-sports events organised by the International Island Games Association (IIGA). Competitor teams each represent ...
opening ceremony. The grandstand seats 960 people and up to 7,000 people can watch from the surrounding landscaped park. It is the headquarters of the
Jersey Football Association The Jersey Football Association (JFA) is the body which co-ordinates football in Jersey. The Jersey FA acts as a County football association of The Football Association, although in 2015 it applied to join UEFA as a full member. The Jersey ...
. In 2015 the stadium once again hosted events in the
Island Games The Island Games (currently known as the NatWest International Island Games for sponsorship reasons) are biennial international multi-sports events organised by the International Island Games Association (IIGA). Competitor teams each represent ...
. A children's playground and all-weather ball court are also situated in the park. A shared-use footpath/ cycleway through the park provides a link in the St Helier Town Cycle Network. Springfield currently acts as the
polling station A polling place is where voters cast their ballots in elections. The phrase polling station is also used in American English, British English and Canadian English although a polling place is the building and polling station is the specific ...
for Saint Helier
district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
No. 2.
Jersey Bulls F.C. Jersey Bulls Football Club is a football club located in Saint Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands. They are currently members of the , however will play in the Isthmian League, Isthmian League South East Division for the 2025-26 League campaign, fo ...
joined the
2019–20 Combined Counties Football League The 2019–20 Combined Counties Football League season (known as the 2019–20 Cherry Red Records Combined Counties Football League for sponsorship reasons) was the 42nd in the history of the Combined Counties Football League, a football competition ...
and play their home games at the stadium.


Gallery

Image:Touothelle Springfield Jèrri.jpg Image:Springfield côtchiéthe Saint Hélyi.jpg File:Springfield Jèrri 02.jpg, Entrance gates File:Muratti 2012 11.jpg, Spectators at the 2012 Muratti final File:Muratti 2012 12.jpg, View of the pitch at the 2012 Muratti final File:Jersey general election 2011 37.jpg, Candidates and supporters outside the polling station, 2011 general election


See also

* FB Playing Fields


References

{{Reflist Saint Helier Sports venues in Jersey Football venues in Jersey Urban public parks
Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...
Multi-purpose stadiums in Europe Art Nouveau architecture in Jersey Sports venues completed in 1924