The Regional Monitor

For as long as anyone can remember, Doncaster’s motto, “Confort et Liesse” – comfort and joy – was little more than wishful thinking, as ironic as it was inaccurate. Yet moves are afoot that promise finally to bring a lot more of both those valuable commodities to the South Yorkshire town and one of the biggest involves the local football club, Doncaster Rovers.
Eighty-four years of football history came to an end in December when Rovers quit their traditional home at Belle Vue for the brand new Keepmoat Stadium, just half a mile away. The new 15,000-seater is also now home to the Doncaster Rovers Belles (the highly successful women’s team), Doncaster Lakers (rugby league) and Doncaster Athletic Club.
At £32m, the stadium didn’t come cheap, but then again, it does include a soccer centre with 11 all-weather pitches, a gymnasium, a martial arts centre, and a mini-stadium with full athletics facilities and seating for 500, as well as a huge supporters’ bar and a restaurant. Needless to say, it is being promoted as a “community resource”.
Rovers fans are delighted. “It was sad to leave Belle Vue,” says Len South, chairman of Doncaster Rovers Supporters’ Club, “but really, it was so run down, it had become an embarrassment. Keepmoat has got fantastic facilities – every football club would give their eye teeth for it. It really is magnificent.”
The move certainly seems to have given the team a boost. In their first match at the new stadium, Rovers recorded only their second home win against Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town in 18 years – thumping them three-nil. As if that weren’t enough, they went on to win the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy (aka the Football League Trophy) at the beginning of April, beating Bristol Rovers 3-2 – although they did need extra time for that.
“The move has created a buzz around the town,” says Len South. “It’s put about 1,000 extra on the gate, maybe more, and when you go out on a Sunday morning and see lads playing in the park, the amount of Rovers shirts you see is unbelievable. It’s now a town moving forward. I think it’s going to be a very strong place for the future.”
The newfound confidence is palpable in Doncaster and locals speak of the town’s transformation with pride. They also tend to give much of the credit to former rugby league player and directly elected mayor, Martin Winter. It has been his drive and dynamism that has got a lot of the redevelopment projects off the ground.
As a result, Doncaster now not only has its new stadium, but also a massive regeneration project in the town centre, a new transport interchange, a refurbished racecourse, the £90m Doncaster Education City campus and an international airport.
Which only leaves the question of what will happen to the old Belle Vue site. Having survived arson and mining subsidence, the stadium finally succumbed to a gas explosion earlier this year and has since been demolished. The site now lies dormant and a decision on its future is pending. Council officials say that “consultations are ongoing”, but whatever springs up at Belle Vue, it will be hard pressed to bring more comfort and joy than the Keepmoat Stadium has.