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 x 75 yards |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1989 |
| Opened | 1989 |
| Tenants | |
| Kingstonian (1989–2017) AFC Wimbledon (2002–2020) Chelsea Women (2017–) Chelsea Development Squad (2020–) |
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Kingsmeadow is a football stadium in Norbiton, Kingston upon Thames, London. It is currently the home ground for Chelsea Women and the Chelsea Development Squad. Before Chelsea, it was the home stadium for Kingstonian and AFC Wimbledon. The stadium can hold 4,850 fans, with 2,265 seats.
Contents
History of Kingsmeadow
Kingsmeadow became the home of Kingstonian in 1989. They built the stadium after selling their old ground. Kingstonian opened Kingsmeadow with a friendly match against Queens Park Rangers. Later, Kingstonian faced money problems. The club and the stadium were then bought by Rajesh Khosla and his son Anup.
AFC Wimbledon's Time at Kingsmeadow
AFC Wimbledon started playing at Kingsmeadow in 2002. They stayed there until 2020, when they moved to a new stadium at Plough Lane. This happened after Wimbledon moved to Milton Keynes in 2003. That club later became Milton Keynes Dons. When AFC Wimbledon first played at Kingsmeadow, they were in a lower league. But they worked their way up to Football League One by 2016.
After renting the stadium for a year, AFC Wimbledon decided to buy the lease for Kingsmeadow. The club's owners, the Dons Trust, asked fans to buy shares to help pay for it. They managed to raise enough money. Once AFC Wimbledon owned the ground, they changed its nickname to the "Fans' Stadium." This name is still used today.
Chelsea Takes Over
In November 2015, AFC Wimbledon fans agreed to sell Kingsmeadow to Chelsea. Chelsea wanted to use the stadium for their youth teams and their women's team. This sale was difficult for Kingstonian. The stadium became too big and expensive for their non-league team. Kingstonian had to find new places to play. They shared a ground with Leatherhead in 2017-18. Then, from 2018-19, they shared King George's Field with Corinthian Casuals.
Kingsmeadow became the new home for Chelsea Women starting with the 2017–18 FA WSL season. AFC Wimbledon left Kingsmeadow for their new Plough Lane stadium in May 2020.
Who Owns Kingsmeadow?
The land Kingsmeadow sits on is owned by Kingston Council. This is called the "freehold." The right to use the land for football, called the "leasehold," was first held by Kingstonian.
When Kingstonian had financial problems in 2001, they lost the Kingsmeadow lease. In 2002, a property developer named Rajesh Khosla bought the lease. He also owned the Kingstonian club at that time. In 2003, he sold the lease to AFC Wimbledon. Kingstonian then made a deal to rent the stadium from AFC Wimbledon for 25 years. The two clubs shared the ground until 2017. During this time, the stadium was improved and made bigger.
Today, Kingsmeadow is owned by Chelsea. They bought it from AFC Wimbledon in 2015. Chelsea uses the stadium for their women's and youth teams. Chelsea Women started playing there for the 2017–18 FA WSL 1 season.
Stadium Layout and Features
Kingsmeadow has several stands, which are areas where fans sit or stand to watch the game. Here are the main stands:
- John Green Stand – This is a newer, covered stand behind one of the goals. It has 1,000 seats. It was first sponsored by Nongshim Ltd., a food company. The stand was rebuilt, which helped increase the stadium's total capacity. In 2015, it was renamed the "John Green Stand" after the American author, who is a big fan of the team. A camera platform was added above this stand to get different views for replays.
- Paul Strank Stand – This is the main stand with 1,265 seats. It also has the team changing rooms, offices, and three bars. The main stand was made bigger in 2008-09. More seats were added, and the roof was extended for better rain protection. It was renamed the Paul Strank Stand after a supporter of AFC Wimbledon.
- RyGas Stand – This stand runs along the side of the pitch, opposite the Paul Strank Stand. It is partly covered and has a shallow terraced area. This stand also holds the main camera platform and the scoreboard.
- Chemflow End – This is a covered terraced area behind the other goal. It used to be called the "Athletics End" because of the athletics center behind it. The terrace was covered in 2005-06. It has had different sponsor names over the years, including Tempest End and EcoHouse End. In 2016, it was renamed the Chemflow End.
As of October 2012, the stadium can hold 4,850 people. The highest number of fans for a Kingstonian game at Kingsmeadow was 4,582. This was for a friendly match against Chelsea in 1995. The record attendance for AFC Wimbledon at Kingsmeadow, and the stadium's overall record, was 4,870. This happened during a game against Accrington Stanley on May 14, 2016.
See also
In Spanish: Kingsmeadow para niños
