The New York Stadium, known as the AESSEAL New York Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. Opened in July 2012, it is the home ground of Rotherham United.
History
Rotherham United announced their intention to construct a new community stadium when they moved away from Millmoor to the Don Valley Stadium in May 2008 after a dispute with the ground owner Ken Booth. In January 2010 the club purchased the former site of the Guest and Chrimes Foundry to be used for the new stadium. Outline planning permission for the stadium was granted in November 2010, and the first images were sketched shortly after. The name of the stadium was announced as the 'New York Stadium' on 19 December 2011, chosen ahead of 'The Foundry' and 'The Waterfront Stadium'. The reason for the name is that the area of land that the stadium lies upon is called 'New York' and it was thought that it would be better to name the stadium after history and/or where the stadium is situated, like nearby stadiums Bramall Lane and Hillsborough. Also Guest and Chrimes used to make fire hydrants for New York City. Chairman Tony Stewart also hopes that the name could bring investment from New York City or further afield, as the New York Yankees chairman had recently said that he wanted to invest in an English football team. Construction started in June 2011 and the stadium was officially opened by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent on 12 March 2012. The first game played at the stadium was a pre-season match between Rotherham and Barnsley, held on 21 July 2012. The Millers won 2–1; the first goal in the stadium was scored by Jacob Mellis of Barnsley, and David Noble scored Rotherham's first goal in their new home. The New York Stadium made its league debut on 18 August 2012, in which Rotherham beat Burton Albion 3–0, Daniel Nardiello scoring the first competitive goal in the ground. On 16 April 2014, the stadium held an England under-18s game for the first time. The resulting match finished with England beating Germany 2–1. Over 9,000 fans attended the game. The naming rights to the stadium were announced as having been bought by local company AESSEAL, in a press conference on 21 November 2014. Club chairman Tony Stewart said the deal was worth six figures annually, as a result of the deal. It was also suggested as being the biggest sponsorship deal of the club's history. On 8 April 2016, England women's national football team played a UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying match versus Belgium at the stadium in front of 10,550 spectators. On 17 August 2018, the funeral of entertainer Barry Chuckle was held at the stadium. Chuckle had been an honorary president of Rotherham United and was a regular at the team's matches.
Design
The stadium has a 12,000 all-seated capacity, with the option to be able to increase the stadium's capacity if needed. It cost approximately £17 million to construct. The stadium includes The 1925 Club, a corporate hospitality suite. Local businesses such as Norton Finance and Premier Hytemp were some of the first members. At the beginning of the 2014–15 season, a large video screen was installed in the north west corner of the stadium.
Stands
;North Stand The North Stand, known as the KCM Recycling Stand for sponsorship reasons, and often referred to as the New Tivoli, is the kop stand of the stadium. The KCM Recycling Stand holds 2,000 home fans, and has the lettering of the club's initials – RUFC – in white across it. The stand is located behind one of the goals, opposite the away end. ;West Stand The West Stand, known as the Eric Twigg Pukka Pies Stand for sponsorship reasons, is the main stand of the stadium. It features the executive 1925 Lounge, and is the stand the players walk through when entering the field of play. It holds 4,000 home fans. ;East Stand The East Stand, known as the Ben Bennett Stand, is the stadium's family stand. It holds 4,000 home fans, as well as two built-in balcony-type structures for disabled people. ;South Stand The South Stand, known as the Mears Stand, is a 2,000-seater away stand. It is located behind a goal, with the family stand to the right, the main stand to the left, and the kop directly opposite.
