Stadium History

With an all-seater capacity of more than 20,000, Ashton Gate Stadium is the top football venue in the South West.

But it's more than that. Throughout its colourful history the home of Bristol City Football Club has also played its part in the local community, proving itself a perfect setting for major events other than soccer.

And in recent years, particularly, there have been strenuous efforts to ensure the stadium is used for as many activities, sporting and non-sporting, as possible.

Rugby

It has become an established venue for top class rugby. This season Bristol RFC will stage two Guinness Premiership fixtures at Ashton Gate - the matches against Bath on December 27th and Leicester on April 15th.

When the Bristol v Bath clash was staged at the stadium in 2003, the crowd of 20,793 was a record for the Zurich Premiership. Ashton Gate was also used for a World Cup match between the All Blacks and Tonga in 1999.

Boxing

Another sport to have found a regular home at the stadium is boxing, with the Dolman Exhibition Hall attracting crowds of more than 700 for the "Bristol Fight Club" shows put on by local promoter Chris Sanigar.

Many boxing fans have not only witnessed some great action, but also enjoyed the excellent value hospitality packages, which add to the enjoyment of fight nights.

Football

International football has also been successfully staged at Ashton Gate, offering West country supporters the chance to see England stars of the future in Under-23, Under-21 and Under-17 games.

Wayne Rooney represented his country when England Under-17s played Scotland at the stadium in 2002.

In 2004 Bristol City celebrated 100 years of playing first team football at Ashton Gate.

Concerts

Concerts have been the other events which have drawn bumper crowds to the venue. In 1982 the Rolling Stones played in front of 36,000 fans.

More recently, there was the six-hour Gig at the Gate, headlined by Blue in 2002, while 18,000 watched Bryan Adams play the stadium a year later.

Sir Elton John, Neil Diamond, Rod Stewart, The Who and Ronan Keating have since confirmed Ashton Gate as a major stage for music events.

The stadium offers Bristol an outdoor venue to compare with those in other major cities. It is superbly positioned and well equipped to be an attractive choice for promoters.

The Future

In the future Ashton Gate Ltd will be looking to stage many more high-profile events at the stadium, attracting national and international publicity.