Kingsholm Stadium facts for kids
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Castle Grim
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Exterior view, November 2016
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| Location | Gloucester, England |
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| Coordinates | 51°52′18″N 2°14′34″W / 51.87167°N 2.24278°W |
| Owner | Gloucester Rugby |
| Capacity | 16,115 (12,000 Concerts) |
| Surface | Artificial |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1891 |
| Opened | 1891 |
| Tenants | |
| Gloucester Rugby Gloucester-Hartpury Women |
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Kingsholm Stadium is a famous rugby union stadium in Gloucester, England. It is the home ground for the Gloucester Rugby team. The stadium can hold 16,115 people.
People sometimes call it 'Castle Grim'. This nickname comes from the old estate where the stadium was built. A big new stand, opened in 2007, seats 7,500 fans. It runs along one side of the pitch.
Kingsholm was once a home stadium for England's national rugby team. This was before they moved to Twickenham. It also hosted a match between New Zealand and the United States in the 1991 Rugby World Cup.
Many English rugby stadiums have standing areas. Kingsholm has a popular standing area called 'The Compeed Shed'. It can hold about 3,000 people. Fans love The Shed because it's very close to the pitch. This creates a loud and exciting atmosphere for home games. Another standing area, the West Stand terrace, holds about 1,615 fans.
The East Stand is an all-seater stand. It is right next to Kingsholm Road. This stand can hold around 3,000 supporters.
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History of Kingsholm Stadium
The idea to buy the land for Kingsholm Stadium came about in July 1891. The Gloucester Football Club bought the land. The first rugby match was played there in October 1891.
A pavilion, which is like a small building for players and officials, was built in 1892. It had seats for 424 people. A wooden stand was added in 1923. Sadly, a fire destroyed this stand in September 1933. A bigger, new stand was built quickly that same year.
The original pavilion was taken down in 1934. In its place, the famous stand known today as The Shed was built.
International Rugby Matches
Kingsholm Stadium has hosted many exciting international rugby matches. In May 2008, the Barbarian F.C. team played against the Ireland national rugby union team here.
The stadium has hosted eight other international games. This includes one match in the 1991 Rugby World Cup. It also hosted four matches during the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Teams like Tonga, Georgia, Scotland, Argentina, the United States, and Japan played here.
| List of international rugby union matches at Kingsholm Stadium | ||||
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| Date | Country | Score | Country | Use |
| 6 January 1900 | England  |
3 – 13 |  Wales |
1900 Home Nations Championship |
| 8 October 1991 | New Zealand  |
46 – 6 |  United States |
1991 Rugby World Cup |
| 27 May 2008 | Ireland  |
39 – 14 | Barbarians | Uncapped match |
| 12 June 2011 | England Saxons | 41 – 14 | Tonga  |
Churchill Cup |
| 15 November 2014 | Tonga |
40 – 12 | United States |
2014 End-of-year test |
| 5 September 2015 | Japan  |
13 – 10 |  Georgia |
World-cup warm up game |
| 19 September 2015 | Georgia |
17 – 10 | Tonga |
2015 Rugby World Cup |
| 23 September 2015 | Scotland  |
45 – 10 | Japan |
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| 25 September 2015 | Argentina  |
54 – 9 | Georgia |
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| 11 October 2015 | United States |
18 – 28 | Japan |
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| 9 April 2022 | England |
58 - 5 |  Wales |
2022 Women's Six Nations Championship |
Kingsholm also hosted a game for the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. This was on October 29, between New Zealand and Lebanon. Some players from that New Zealand team, like Henry Paul and Lesley Vainikolo, later played for Gloucester Rugby.
Concerts and Events
Kingsholm Stadium often hosts pop concerts. These usually happen after the rugby season ends. Many famous artists have performed here. These include Tom Jones, McFly, Ronan Keating, and The Wanted.
In 2015, Madness played at the stadium. Elton John performed in 2016. Jess Glynne and Lionel Richie also had concerts here in 2016. In 2017, Little Mix entertained fans at Kingsholm.
Football Matches at Kingsholm
Kingsholm Stadium has also hosted football matches. Gloucester City A.F.C. played some games here in the 1910s.
After their home ground flooded several times, Gloucester City A.F.C. looked for a new place to play. Kingsholm was considered as a possible temporary or even permanent home. However, no agreement was reached between the clubs.
Stadium Improvements
In 2003, Gloucester Rugby started 'Project Kingsholm'. This was a plan to improve the entire stadium. The goal was to make it better for fans and players.
In 2006, the club announced plans to make Kingsholm bigger. The aim was to increase the stadium's capacity to 16,500. The old main Grandstand was replaced with a new seating area. Another standing area was also turned into seats.
In 2007, there were plans to change The Shed into an all-seater stand. However, many fans loved standing in The Shed. They started a campaign called 'Save Our Shed' or 'SOS'. They wanted The Shed to remain a standing terrace. This campaign was very popular.
Because of the fans' wishes, the club decided to keep The Shed as a standing terrace. They planned to increase its capacity to 6,000 people. Above it, there would be hospitality areas. These plans showed how important The Shed is to the fans.
In 2017, The Shed was renamed Greene King Shed due to a sponsorship deal. Later, in 2021, it became The Compeed Shed with a new sponsor. Also, an artificial playing surface was put in before the 2021–22 season. This new surface helps with play in all weather conditions.
Images for kids
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Panoramic view of the stadium in 2011
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See also
In Spanish: Estadio Kingsholm para niños
