Colchester Community Stadium facts for kids
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| Former names | Weston Homes Community Stadium |
|---|---|
| Address | Colchester England |
| Location | United Way, Myland, Essex, England |
| Coordinates | 51°55′23″N 0°53′49″E / 51.923°N 0.897°E |
| Public transit |  Colchester, 2.3 miles (3.7 km) |
| Owner | Colchester City Council |
| Operator | Colchester United F.C. |
| Executive suites | 24 |
| Capacity | 10,105 |
| Record attendance | 10,064 (Colchester United vs Norwich City, 16 January 2010) |
| Field size | 101 × 64 metres |
| Surface | Seeded grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | July 2007 |
| Opened | August 2008 |
| Construction cost | £ 14 million |
| Architect | Barr Construction |
| Structural engineer | Barr Construction |
| Services engineer | Barr Construction |
| Main contractors | Barr Construction |
| Tenants | |
| Colchester United F.C. (2008–present) Ipswich Town F.C. Women (2025-present) |
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The JobServe Community Stadium is a modern football stadium located in Myland, England. It is the proud home of Colchester United Football Club. The stadium can hold 10,105 people and first opened its doors in August 2008.
This stadium is also the biggest place for entertainment in Essex. It hosts many different events like conferences, shows, and even big outdoor concerts. For concerts, it can welcome up to 20,000 fans!
The idea for a new stadium for Colchester United started way back in 1976. After many years of talking and looking at different places, a spot called Cuckoo Farm was chosen. This land was owned by the Colchester Borough Council. Building plans were approved in June 2007, and the stadium cost about £14 million to build. It replaced the club's old home, Layer Road, which they had used since 1937. Construction began in July 2007 and was finished by August 2008.
For its first ten years, the stadium was known as the Weston Homes Community Stadium. In 2018, a new deal was made with JobServe, and it became the JobServe Community Stadium.
Starting in June 2025, the Ipswich Town Women's team will play their home games here for two seasons. The Ipswich Under-21s will also play some of their matches at the stadium.
Contents
Stadium History
Why a New Stadium Was Needed
Colchester United's previous stadium, Layer Road, was very old. It was built in 1910! The club and the local council spent many years, from the 1970s to the 2000s, trying to find a new home. The old stadium needed a lot of expensive repairs to be safe.
In 1976, the Colchester Borough Council created a special group to find solutions and locations for a new stadium. There were many ideas and plans over the years, but they often faced problems like high costs or rules about selling the land.
After two terrible stadium disasters in 1985 (the Bradford City fire and the Heysel Stadium disaster), it became even more important to move from Layer Road. Its wooden stands were a safety risk. The club had to close parts of the ground, which meant fewer fans could attend games.
Finding the Right Place
Layer Road was eventually sold back to the Council to help Colchester United pay off its debts. The club then leased the stadium for a few years. Meanwhile, the Council looked at ten possible sites for a new stadium. In 1998, they chose Cuckoo Farm as the best spot because the Council already owned the land.
Plans for the Cuckoo Farm site were submitted in 1999. These plans included space for car parking and other facilities like hotels. In 2003, the main idea for the project was approved.
A local newspaper started a petition called Community Stadium Now! which gathered 13,000 signatures. In 2005, the Deputy Prime Minister approved the project, meaning construction could start.
Building the Stadium
On November 13, 2006, Colchester United announced that the stadium project was officially going ahead. The Council helped by taking out a £10.23 million loan. The rest of the money came from grants. A Scottish company called Barr Construction was chosen to build the stadium.
Work began at Cuckoo Farm in June 2007. The goal was to finish the stadium in time for the 2008–09 football season. As it neared completion, the stadium was officially named the Colchester Community Stadium. However, because of a sponsorship deal with Weston Homes, it was known as the Weston Homes Community Stadium for its first ten years. This deal was worth up to £2 million.
The very first game played at the new stadium was a friendly match on August 4, 2008. Colchester United played against a Spanish team called Athletic Bilbao. The first goal was scored by Bilbao, but Colchester's Scott Vernon scored the club's first goal at the new stadium from a penalty. Bilbao won the game 2–1.
The first official league game was on August 16, 2008, against Huddersfield Town. Colchester United had to wait until October 25, 2008, for their first win at the ground. They won 5–0 against Carlisle United.
Stadium Design and Features
The stadium has 10,105 seats and is split into four main sections, called stands. Each stand has special access for disabled visitors.
- The West Stand is the biggest. It has regular seats for fans, plus 24 special executive boxes and corporate areas. These areas can host up to 400 people for meals and events. The club's offices, shop, and ticket office are also in this stand.
- The North Stand is usually where visiting team supporters sit for league games.
- The East Stand is known as the family area. It offers special prices for families who want to sit together.
- The South Stand is home to Colchester United's most vocal fans. Up to 1,844 supporters sit here, creating a loud and exciting atmosphere.
Other Events at the Stadium
Besides football, the stadium is a busy place for many other activities. Its large suites are used for conferences, banquets, weddings, parties, and other events. It has a car park with 600 spaces. You can also find boxing dinners, darts competitions, comedy nights, tribute band shows, fashion shows, and award ceremonies here.
The stadium is also a popular place for outdoor music concerts. For these events, it can hold up to 20,000 people.
- The first big concert was on June 29, 2014, when Sir Elton John played to 16,500 fans.
- Lionel Richie performed in June 2016.
- Local singer Olly Murs had a concert on June 10, 2017.
- The girl group Little Mix played their first Colchester show on July 8, 2018.
International Football Games
The Community Stadium has hosted several international football matches for different England youth teams and the England women's team.
- The first international game was on November 18, 2008. The England Under-19 team beat Germany 1–0.
- On September 7, 2010, the England Under-21 team won 3–0 against Lithuania, helping them qualify for a European Championship.
- The England Under-21s returned on November 11, 2011, and had a big 5–0 win against Iceland.
- On September 6, 2016, Marcus Rashford scored three goals as the England Under-21s beat Norway 6–1.
- The England women's team played a World Cup qualifying game here on November 28, 2017, winning 5–0 against Kazakhstan. They had also played a friendly match here in 2009.
- The England Under-20 team has also played here, beating Germany 2–0 in November 2018 and 3–1 in March 2022.
Stadium Records
The most people ever to attend a game at the Community Stadium was 10,064. This happened on January 16, 2010, when Colchester United played Norwich City. Norwich won that game 5–0.
Getting to the Stadium
The stadium is easy to reach, located near junction 28 of the A12 road. It has a large car park for almost 700 cars. There's also a park and ride system across the A12, which opened in 2015, where fans can park on match days.
Awards and Recognition
In May 2009, the Colchester Community Stadium won a big award from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors for the East of England region. They said the stadium was a "fantastic new facility" for the football club and also brought "benefits to the wider community." It also won an award for community benefit.
See also
- Football in England
- Lists of stadiums
