Post by gw on Jun 5, 2007 12:33:43 GMT -1
Bristol Rovers will play their home games at Cheltenham's Whaddon Road from the middle of next season, while their Memorial Stadium is redeveloped.
The club will begin building an 18,500 all-seater arena in early 2008 and expect it to take around 18 months.
The Pirates, newly-promoted to League One via the play-offs, had also considered ground sharing with Swindon.
But Rovers have opted to play their last nine or 10 games of the 2007/8 campaign just 40 miles away up the M5.
Rovers director Geoff Dunford told the club website: "The venue received a positive response from a survey of our supporters earlier in the year and throughout our discussions the Cheltenham Town board of directors and manager John Ward have made us feel very welcome.
"We feel the size of Whaddon Road will help create an excellent atmosphere, much the same as Twerton Park did for us when we moved to Bath in 1986.
"The playing surface is also superb and will suit the type of football Lennie Lawrence and Paul Trollope wish to play."
The move is set to be formally rubber-stamped by the Football League later in the week ahead of the release of the 2007/08 fixture list next Thursday.
The club will begin building an 18,500 all-seater arena in early 2008 and expect it to take around 18 months.
The Pirates, newly-promoted to League One via the play-offs, had also considered ground sharing with Swindon.
But Rovers have opted to play their last nine or 10 games of the 2007/8 campaign just 40 miles away up the M5.
Rovers director Geoff Dunford told the club website: "The venue received a positive response from a survey of our supporters earlier in the year and throughout our discussions the Cheltenham Town board of directors and manager John Ward have made us feel very welcome.
"We feel the size of Whaddon Road will help create an excellent atmosphere, much the same as Twerton Park did for us when we moved to Bath in 1986.
"The playing surface is also superb and will suit the type of football Lennie Lawrence and Paul Trollope wish to play."
The move is set to be formally rubber-stamped by the Football League later in the week ahead of the release of the 2007/08 fixture list next Thursday.
