Riverside Stadium is located in Middlesbrough and it plays host to the home games of Middlesbrough Football Club. It has been open since 1995 and can hold nearly 35,000 people in the all-seated venue. There are some plans in the works that would extend the capacity of this stadium to 42,000.
History of Riverside Stadium
1990
The previous home ground for the football club was Ayresome Park. Riverside Stadium was built after the release of the Taylor Report that dictated that all of the leading football clubs in the country are required to have stadiums that are all seats. This report was released in January 1990 with the deadline of these stadiums being all seaters by August 1994.
As the old stadium was in the middle of a residential area, there was not much scope to extend it. This stadium would also only have a max capacity of 20,000 and the club wants to be able to host much bigger crowds. Therefore, the club decided to build a new stadium.
The cost of Riverside Stadium was £16 million and was built in nine months. The fans voted on the new name of the stadium during the last ever game held at the old stadium. Other names that were considered were Teeside Stadium, Erimus Stadium and Middlehaven Stadium.
1995
The first game at the pitch was against Chelsea and it drew a crowd of over 28,000 fans in August 1995. The second season that the team were playing their home games at Riverside Stadium did Middlesbrough finish runner-up in both the League Cup and FA Cup. However, they got relegated from the Premier League after getting points deducted.
1998
There were improvements made in 1998 after the team won promotion back to the Premier League, adding an extra 5,000 capacity to the ground. The old gates from Ayresome Park were brought in 2005 to Riverside Stadium as a reminder of the club's history.
2016
The most recent renovations at Riverside Stadium came in 2016 in anticipation of the team returning to the Premier League. This saw a new large press box installed, as well as a couple of tv studios and new floodlights and other refurbishments. The record attendance at a Riverside Stadium game was a Euro 2004 qualifier where England played Slovakia, with all 35,000 seats taken.
The layout of Riverside Stadium
There is a total enclosure at Riverside Stadium, with all seats having a good view of the pitch. The four stands are named for their locations. The North Stand is backed on by the River Rees and this generally where the loudest supporters will be situated. The biggest stand is the West Stand and goes the pitch length.
You will find numerous executive boxes and a number of restaurants there. The main television gantry is located in the West Stand. There are five flags flying from the roof of the stadium. The away supporters previously were held at the South Stand.
Middlesbrough Football Club
Middlesbrough FC was created in 1876 and it has played its home games at Riverside Stadium since 1995. They had previously played at Ayresome Park between 1903 and 1995.
The club was a founder of the Premier League in 1992 and was relegated that first season. The club has experienced financial issues over the years and never was finished as a club in 1986.
The only major trophy that Middlesbrough has ever won was the League Cup in 2004. They also got the UEFA Cup final in 2006 before losing to Sevilla. Only two seasons in the club’s history have been played outside of the top two tiers of English football. The team was part of the Premier League for 11 years before getting relegated in 2009.
Betting on games at Riverside Stadium
Riverside Stadium is a relatively new stadium, but it feels like it has been around for years. The games are well attended and always leads to great excitement at these home games.
There are plenty of betting markets available for Middlesbrough games from the best betting sites. To find a good platform for your needs, you can check out the expert reviews over at Roger.com. The signup process takes a matter of minutes.
