{"id":687448,"date":"2026-01-10T20:19:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T20:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/687448\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T20:19:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T20:19:14","slug":"efl-club-explore-new-stadium-move-as-plans-to-redevelop-impossible-to-love-ground-stall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/687448\/","title":{"rendered":"EFL club ‘explore’ new stadium move as plans to redevelop ‘impossible to love’ ground stall"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bristol Rovers have hit a snag in their bid to redevelop the Memorial Stadium.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a result, Rovers<\/a> chairman Hussain AlSaeed conceded the club is now ‘looking at other options’ going forward, including a potential move away.<\/p>\n

\"Bristol<\/a><\/p>\n

3<\/p>\n

Bristol Rovers have long wanted to redevelop the Memorial StadiumCredit: Getty<\/p>\n

In a video shared on the club’s YouTube, AlSaeed revealed several studies conducted to assess the impact on traffic and transport during a possible rebuild returned with a ‘red flag’.<\/p>\n

Another hurdle to clear is maintaining the parking capacity alongside boosting the stadium capacity, which has been described as ‘extremely difficult’.<\/p>\n

AlSaeed estimated the work to date, which has comprised studies and consultancy on how feasible a redeveloped stadium would be, has cost \u00a3420,000.<\/p>\n

Although a redeveloped Memorial Ground is a leading choice, AlSaeed revealed the ‘main goal’ is ensuring the club has a stadium befitting of their fanbase.<\/p>\n

Read more EFL news<\/p>\n

“We are still exploring and still consulting with experts… if those things [issues] can be avoided and achieved with this current situation,” AlSaeed said.<\/p>\n

“However, we are also looking at other options.<\/p>\n

“For me, the most important thing is to get a good size stadium for this club, whether it’s the Memorial or anywhere else. That is the main goal.”<\/p>\n

Rovers have called the Memorial Stadium, which sits 12,500, home since 1996.<\/p>\n

However, the proposals to redevelop the ground would boost the capacity to 16,500.<\/p>\n

The layout of the venue would also be changed from one that is predominantly standing to seating.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

3<\/p>\n

The venue was opened in 1921 but has been Rovers’ home for 30 yearsCredit: Getty<\/p>\n

It hasn’t exactly been a ground to everyone’s tastes, though, as talkSPORT’s chief live football anchor Adrian Durham described it as ‘impossible to love.’<\/a><\/p>\n

“I am really taking it seriously and I have spoken about that and our intention, we have always said, is that this club deserves a better infrastructure, a better stadium all the way,” AlSaeed added.<\/p>\n

“What we are looking at now is if there is any other way to try to make it a better stadium than what we have, is it worth the money that we’re going to spend to make that improvement, would that be good enough for the club?<\/p>\n

“[Those are] All of the questions we are faced with and we are really taking careful study and consultation.”<\/p>\n

AlSaeed’s update is the latest in what has been a tumultuous decade-plus for Rovers<\/a> when it comes to a new ground.<\/p>\n

The government green-lit plans for supermarket chain Sainsbury’s to purchase the Memorial Stadium in March 2013.<\/p>\n

\"Bristol<\/a><\/p>\n

3<\/p>\n

AlSaeed reiterated the stadium plans were not as straightforward as some had hopedCredit: Bristol Rovers YouTube<\/p>\n

As part of the deal, the ground would have been leased back to Rovers while a new venue was constructed in the north of Bristol.<\/p>\n

The new ground, which was planned for a 21,700-capacity, would be built at the University of West England (UWE).<\/p>\n

But those plans were foiled when Sainsbury’s, who had agreed terms to buy the Memorial Stadium for \u00a330m in 2011, pulled out.<\/p>\n

The supermarket giants argued Rovers breached the terms of their contract having failed to meet a cut-off date as well as petitions both for and against the plans as reasons why they withdrew from the project.<\/p>\n

Rovers took the case to the High Court but lost, a verdict that was estimated to have cost the club \u00a3500,000.<\/p>\n

The project was scrapped altogether in August 2017.<\/p>\n

Bristol Rovers UWE Stadium timeline<\/p>\n

June 2011 – Rovers announce plans to move to a new \u00a340m stadium on land owned by the University of the West of England (UWE).<\/p>\n

December 2011 – The club sign a \u00a330m contract with Sainsbury’s to buy the Memorial Stadium and use the money to finance the new site<\/p>\n

July 2012 – Planning permission for the stadium is approved by South Gloucestershire Council<\/p>\n

January 2013 – Council’s planning department granted permission<\/p>\n

February 2014 – Sainsbury’s pull out saying the ‘economics of the deal had changed’<\/p>\n

March 2016 – Rovers’ appeal over Sainsbury’s deal with the club is rejected<\/p>\n

May 2016 – Former club chairman Steve Hamer reveals Rovers close to agreeing a new contract with UWE to build a stadium<\/p>\n

August 2017 – Rovers announce the club’s plans to build their ground with UWE have been abandoned<\/p>\n

Rovers’ off-field worries have been matched by poor performances on it this term.<\/p>\n

Steve Evans’ side sit 20th in League Two<\/a>, three places and four points clear of the relegation zone.<\/p>\n

A horror run of 12 defeats in 13 league fixtures plunged Rovers’ EFL status into uncertainty, although a 3-0 win over 22nd-placed Shrewsbury Town, the club’s first since September 27, helped stop the rot.<\/p>\n

Read More on talkSPORT<\/p>\n

Rovers are hoping to avoid their first relegation from the EFL in a decade, having slipped into the National League at the end of the 2013\/14 campaign.<\/p>\n

However, they returned to the EFL at the first attempt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bristol Rovers have hit a snag in their bid to redevelop the Memorial Stadium. As a result, Rovers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":687449,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8818],"tags":[381,37128,207815,748,24457,393,8641,4884,207818,2998,207819,207817,207816,16,15,8642],"class_list":{"0":"post-687448","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bristol","8":"tag-bristol","9":"tag-bristol-rovers","10":"tag-bristol-rovers-new-stadium","11":"tag-britain","12":"tag-efl-news","13":"tag-england","14":"tag-football-news","15":"tag-great-britain","16":"tag-hussain-alsaeed","17":"tag-latest","18":"tag-league-two-news","19":"tag-memorial-ground","20":"tag-memorial-stadium","21":"tag-uk","22":"tag-united-kingdom","23":"tag-updates"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115872659428334843","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=687448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687448\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/687449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=687448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=687448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=687448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}