Kingsmeadow, Kingston upon Thames facts for kids
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| Full name | Kingsmeadow |
|---|---|
| Location | Jack Goodchild Way, Kingston upon Thames, London, England |
| Public transit |  Norbiton |
| Owner | Chelsea |
| Operator | Chelsea |
| Capacity | 4,850 (2,265 seated) |
| Field size | 110 × 75 yards |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1989 |
| Opened | 1989 |
| Tenants | |
| Kingstonian (1989–2017) AFC Wimbledon (2002–2020) Chelsea Women (2017–) Chelsea U21 (2020–) |
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Kingsmeadow is a cool football stadium in Norbiton, Kingston upon Thames, London. It's currently the home ground for Chelsea Women and the Chelsea Under 21 teams. Before that, it was home to Kingstonian and AFC Wimbledon. The stadium can hold 4,850 fans, with 2,265 seats for watching the games.
Contents
The Story of Kingsmeadow Stadium
Kingsmeadow first opened its doors in 1989. The football club Kingstonian built the stadium after selling their old ground. They played their first game there against Queens Park Rangers.
AFC Wimbledon's Time at Kingsmeadow
Later, another team called AFC Wimbledon started playing at Kingsmeadow in 2002. This was after the original Wimbledon team moved to Milton Keynes. AFC Wimbledon grew a lot while playing at Kingsmeadow. They started in a lower league and worked their way up to Football League One by 2016.
AFC Wimbledon's fans, known as the Dons Trust, even bought the stadium's lease. They called it the "Fans' Stadium."
Chelsea Takes Over Kingsmeadow
In 2015, AFC Wimbledon supporters agreed to sell the stadium to Chelsea. Chelsea wanted to use Kingsmeadow for their youth teams and their women's team. This meant Kingstonian, who were still sharing the stadium, had to find a new home. They moved out in 2017.
Chelsea Women started playing their home games at Kingsmeadow in the 2017–18 FA WSL season. AFC Wimbledon moved to their brand new stadium at Plough Lane in May 2020.
Who Owns Kingsmeadow?
The land where Kingsmeadow stands belongs to the Kingston Council. The right to use the stadium (called the leasehold) has changed hands a few times.
Kingstonian first held the lease. Then, after some financial trouble, a property developer bought it. In 2003, AFC Wimbledon bought the lease from him. They made sure Kingstonian could still play there for a while.
Now, Chelsea owns the lease. They bought it from AFC Wimbledon in 2015. This allows Chelsea to use Kingsmeadow for their women's and youth teams.
Parts of the Stadium
Kingsmeadow has different sections, or stands, where fans can watch the games. Each stand has its own name and features.
John Green Stand
This stand is behind one of the goals. It's a covered area with 1,000 seats. It was rebuilt to make the stadium bigger. It's named after the American author John Green, who is a big fan of the team.
Paul Strank Stand
This is the main stand at Kingsmeadow. It has 1,265 seats and is where you'll find the changing rooms, offices, and bars. It was made bigger in 2008 and is named after a supporter of AFC Wimbledon.
RyGas Stand
This stand runs along the side of the pitch, opposite the main stand. It's a partially covered terrace. This is also where the camera platform and the scoreboard are located.
Chemflow End
This is another covered terrace behind the other goal. It used to be called the "Athletics End" because of the athletics track nearby. It was covered in 2005 and has had different sponsor names over the years.
The stadium can hold 4,850 people. The record for the most fans at Kingsmeadow was 4,870. This happened during an AFC Wimbledon game against Accrington Stanley in May 2016.
Kingsmeadow is right next to an athletics stadium. This stadium is used by the Kingston Athletic Club and Polytechnic Harriers.
See also
In Spanish: Kingsmeadow para niños
