A multi purpose complex to make Doncaster proud (Keepmoat Stadium (Doncaster))

Member Name: roversjenny

Product:	Keepmoat Stadium (Doncaster)
Date:	17/05/09 (330 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The wide range of facilities

Disadvantages: None

The Keepmoat Stadium is a multi activity sports facility in Doncaster.

The Stadium and surrounding facilities was built by Doncaster Council and was completed in late 2006, the first fixture was a Rugby League match between the Dons and Sheffield Eagles swiftly followed by a football game between Doncaster Rovers and Hudderfield Town on 1 January 2007.

The complex cost in the region of £32m and houses the following:

15,000 all seater stadium
Athletics track and field complete with a 500 seated stand
Gym
Conference facilities
Ampitheatre
Parking facilities for over 10,000 cars
Bar
Shop

The focal point for the complex is the stadium, which is home to numerous sporting teams, the main one being Doncaster Rovers, a football team playing in the Championship. It is also home to the Doncaster Rovers Belles (womens football) and Doncaster Rugby League Football Club.

The stadium, like most new stadiums in the country, offers excellent facilities, practically every seat in the ground offers a fantastic view of the playing surface (the only bad views are those which are obscured by the dug outs in the West Stand). The seats offer better leg room than most grounds in the country.

The concourses are large and spacious which are modern and provide lots of facilities, such as refreshments, toilets, provision of TVs with the latest sporting results on and Ladbrookes betting kiosks.

The toilets are clean and thankfully they are fully equiped with hot running water, soap, toilet role and hand towels, believe me when I say that this is somewhat rare for sporting grounds!

The refreshment kiosks provide a large range of food and drink, but like most sporting grounds, they are vastly overpriced and the queues tend to be large.

The stadium also houses many corporate facilities including:

The Resturant - this is the largest suite in the stadium and it can hold upto 400 people. It has its own bars and plenty of televisions to keep track of what is happening in the outside world. It offers stunning views of both the rest of the stadium and the lake.

The Lakeside suite - This is used as a bar on match days and can hold upto 180 people. There is quite an informal atmosphere in the suite, and it can get quite busy.

The Directors Lounge - The lounge overlooks the lake and can accommodate up to 60 people and also benefits from it's own private bar.

The Players Lounge - This lounge can hold upto 70 people and is situated in the West Stand meaning that it doesn't offer the same stunning views as the Directors Lounge, however, it does have its own private bar.

Executive boxes - There are 16 exectutive boxes at the ground, all of which hold 10 people and have an outside area so if you are using them for a game, you can combine having the facilities available, but still sitting out in the open to enjoy the match and the atmospere created in the rest of the stadium.

The Lower Press room - Like the Players lounge, and the Lakeside suite, this is situated in the West Stand. It can hold upto 100 people.

As you can see, the conference facilities are very impressive, the whole commercial team at the stadium are very professional and the events that I have attended have always been run very well.

Also situated within the stadium is the health and fitness club, which houses some of the best facilities in the area, which include:

State of the art fitness equipment
Kinesis Wall - exclusive to Keepmoat Stadium
Unlimited use of fitness classes
Power Plate
Sauna & steam room
Free Parking
Contemporary café (Starbucks)
Sunbeds
Use of the Athletic track

Memberships start from just £23 a month which is a bargain compared to some other gym chains.

Also within the health and fitness club is a tanning salon and a health spar.

I have not used any of the health and fitness facilities, however, I am led to believe that they are very impressive.

The stadium also houses the offices for sports teams that use it, along with a shop which stocks Doncaster Rovers and Doncaster Rugby merchandise, along with a ticket office that sells tickets for all events that the stadium hosts.

Aside from the stadium, there is an athletics stadium which has a 6 lane track and a full sized field for all the other events. The stadium has a mini stand which houses 500 people. The Doncaster Athletics club use this as their base, and the Doncaster Mustangs (american football) use the field for their matches. Along with these two organisations, Rotherham United use the facilities of the athletics stadium combined with the soccer centre to train on.

The Soccer centre is one of the most popular parts of the complex, it holds 12 pitches which are as follows:

8 x 5 a-side pitches
3 x 7 a side pitches (which convert to a full size pitch)
1 x third full size pitch

The pitches are all weather pitches and are all floodlit.

The quality sports surfaces replicate the natural playing conditions of grass, allowing for consistency, durability and a safe playing environment with no pitch deterioration meaning that they can be used as often as people wish to book them.

You can book them for as little as £26 an hour and they are very popular with the 5 aside leagues in Doncaster.

The complex's fantastic facilities have meant that it is regulary chosen to host England games for the younger age groups (under 19s etc).

Away from the sporting and conference side of things, the complex hosts a whole range of events, including concerts in the main stadium. The likes of Elton John, Bryan Adams, Ronan Keating and McFly have all played at the stadium since it has opened. It provides a fantastic concert venue, it is a lot more intimate than the likes of Wembley, but the sound systems, staging and lighting are just as impressive.

It is also home to other events such as Motown nights, Curry & Karoke nights and many other themed events. These are always well organised and provide fantastic value for money.

On a Sunday the complex is turned into a car booters paradise as it hosts one of the biggest car boot sales in the region, and traders can sell their wares for as little as £9 a car!

Getting there:
The complex is situated a couple of miles from the M18 if you are travelling by road. The nearest railway station is in Doncaster Town Centre and is around 2 miles away (around a 30 minute walk or a 5 minute taxi ride). There are regular buses to the ground from the Doncaster Interchange. Robin Hood airport is around a 20 minute car ride away.

Around the ground:
The ground is next to the Lakeside Outlet, which has a range of designer shops at outlet prices, there are also a wide range of eateries around the complex and at the Outlet.

The complex is situated next to a Lake which is lovely in the summer months and provides a gorgeous setting, and a nice place to relax if you have spare time. At the other side of the Lake is a Vue cinema, a bowling complex and some more resturants, as well as an Asda and the Doncaster Dome which houses swimming pools, gym facilities and an ice rink.

There are 3 hotels within walking distance of the complex - 2 Premier Inns and a Purple Hotel.

As you can see, the complex and the surrounding area offer so much, the are a real credit to Doncaster and provide the town with much needed facilities.

I visit the complex often, for both conferences and to watch Doncaster Rovers (I am a season ticket holder) and I think that the whole set up is fantastic, it is a far cry from Doncaster Rovers old ground - Belle Vue. From a football perspective, it may be one of the smaller grounds in the Championship, but it offers some of the best facilities, and I would certainly recommend that people pay it a visit.

Summary: Fantastic!