Bootham Crescent: (York City)
Bootham Crescent has been the home of York City Football Club since 1932 when the club leased the land from York Cricket Club in order to replace their former home, Fulfordgate. The club eventually purchased the ground outright in 1948 for the princely sum of £4075. The ground spent five years with a different name thanks to sponsorship by Nestle, with KitKit Crescent hosting games during York’s spell in the Conference.
Stats
| Bootham Crescent Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Opened | 1932 |
| Capacity | 8256 |
| Average Attendance | 2789 |
| Record Attendance | 28123 (York City v Huddersfield (1938)) |
| Pitch Size | 104 x 64 (6656) |
| Former Name | KitKat Crescent |
| Owner | York City F.C. |
| Clubs Hosted | York City F.C., York City Knights |
| First Fixture | York City v Stockport County 31/08/1932 |
| Final Fixture | York City v Guiseley 28/12/2020 |
Bootham Crescent Photos
DS Pugh [CC BY-SA 2.0]
By Mattythewhite (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0]
By Mattythewhite (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0]
By Dashwortley at English Wikipedia (Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.) [Public domain]
By Dashwortley at en.wikipedia (Transferred from en.wikipedia) [Public domain]
John Lord / Flickr.com
Bootham Crescent Seating Plan and Where to Sit
Bootham Crescent has four stands. The David Longhurst Stand is a terrace behind the Northern goal and welcomes the noisiest York fans, The Main Stand houses the dressing rooms and club offices. The Grosvenor Road End is another terraced section and is behind the Southern goal, whilst The Popular Stand is opposite The Main Stand and can house over 1500 supporters.
Bootham Crescent History
Bootham Crescent was opened at the end of August in 1932. Just six years later World War Two broke out and The Popular Stand was used as an air-raid shelter. The stadium itself suffered some damage when a bomb landed on nearby houses.
The ground has undergone numerous cosmetic changes during its existence, including the addition of floodlights in 1959 and even more powerful ones in 1995. The Family Stand was opened within The Main Stand in 1992, with the club’s manager at the time, John Ward, even running the London Marathon to help raise funds for it. In 2016 the York City Knights rugby team joined the Minstermen at Bootham Crescent and play their games there too.
Future Developments
York City are due to move to a new ground in 2019 called York Community Stadium. As such no major developments are expected to Bootham Crescent in the coming months or years. Not that they aren’t needed though; there are holes in the roof of the Main Stand, crumbling at the Grosvenor Road end plus drainage problems.