Riverside | |
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 Interactive map of Riverside Stadium | |
| Full name | Riverside Stadium |
|---|---|
| Former names | Cellnet Riverside Stadium (1995–1999) BT Cellnet Riverside Stadium (1999–2002) Captain James Cook Stadium (2019)[2] |
| Location | Middlesbrough, England |
| Coordinates | 54°34′42″N1°13′1″W / 54.57833°N 1.21694°W /54.57833; -1.21694 |
| Public transit |  Middlesbrough |
| Owner | Middlesbrough |
| Operator | Middlesbrough |
| Capacity | 34,742[3] |
| Record attendance | Middlesbrough: 34,836 (vsNorwich City, 28 December 2004) Overall: 35,000 (England vSlovakia, 11 June 2003) |
| Field size | 115 x 75 yards (105 x 69 m) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1994–1995 |
| Opened | 26 August 1995 |
| Renovated | 1998 |
| Construction cost | £16 million[1] |
| Structural engineer | Arup |
| General contractor | Taylor Woodrow |
| Tenants | |
| Middlesbrough (1995–present) Middlesbrough Women (2023–present) | |
TheRiverside Stadium is a football stadium inMiddlesbrough, England, which has been the home ofMiddlesbrough since its opening in 1995. It has an all-seated capacity of 34,742,[4][5] although provisional planning permission is in place to expand to 42,000 if required.[1]
Middlesbrough Women became affiliated with the Middlesbrough men's team in May 2023 and now play selected matches at the Riverside Stadium.[6]
The stadium was built to replaceAyresome Park following the publication of theTaylor Report, which required all top division football stadiums to be all-seater. After the report was delivered in January 1990, Middlesbrough needed anall-seater stadium by August 1994 but were unable to expand Ayresome Park outwards owing to its location in a residential area, and expanding the stadium upwards would have limited the club to a capacity of around 20,000 seats – the club wanted a considerably larger capacity. The decision was taken in 1993 by club officials to build a new stadium;Teesside Development Corporation offered them theMiddlehaven site by theRiver Tees for development.
The new 30,000 seater stadium was constructed byTaylor Woodrow Construction[7] for £16 million, taking approximately nine months to complete after work began in the autumn of 1994. The name of the stadium was chosen by the club's fans, following a vote during the final game at Ayresome Park. The other choices available wereMiddlehaven Stadium,Erimus Stadium andTeesside Stadium. When it opened, the name was amended to Cellnet Riverside Stadium (and then BT Cellnet Riverside Stadium) as part of a £3 million sponsorship deal withCellnet, but this deal ended after the 2001–02 season.[8]
The first game was played againstChelsea in front of a 28,286 crowd (the highest home attendance in fourteen years) on 26 August 1995.[9] Middlesbrough won the game 2–0, withCraig Hignett taking the honour of scoring the first ever goal at the stadium,Jan Åge Fjørtoft scoring the second. Their first season at their new stadium was also their first back in thePremier League following promotion after two seasons away.
In their second season at the Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough were runners-up in both of the domestic cups, but a points deduction in the league meant that they were relegated from the Premier League.
In 1998 – when Middlesbrough were promoted back to the Premier League at the first attempt – the capacity was increased by 5,000 by filling in the north and south-west corners at a cost of £5 million. This expansion gave the stadium a 35,100 capacity, with average attendances during the late 1990s and into the 2000s frequently well over 30,000 compared to around 10,000 during most of the club’s final few seasons at Ayresome Park.
Modernisation of the stadium since then has led to the seating being reorganised on several occasions with the stadium having a capacity of 34,000 at the start of the 2017-18 season.[10] The club have planning permission to extend the stadium by another 7,000 if demand made it necessary, which would bring its capacity up to approximately 42,000.
In 2005, the old Ayresome Park gates, which had been famously locked when the club went into liquidation in 1986, were erected outside the Riverside Stadium as a reminder of the past. Another addition has been statues of former playersGeorge Hardwick,Wilf Mannion andGeorge Camsell. The area in front of the Ayresome Park gates is the location of the "Borobrick Road", where fans could pay to have a message inscribed on a brick (often in memory of a deceased family member) to be added to the road. ForArmistice Day 2008, a set of bricks commemorating eight Middlesbrough players who died in the two world wars was unveiled.[11]
In July 2008, planning permission was granted by Middlesbrough Council to construct awind turbine at the site of the stadium, standing 125 metres high and capable of generating three megawatts of electricity. The turbine is used to power the stadium, with the excess being sold to theNational Grid.[12]
On 24 April 2012, it was announced that the stadium would host the only public warm up match for theGreat Britain Olympic football team before theLondon 2012 Olympic Games againstBrazil. Football stars includingRyan Giggs,Craig Bellamy,Thiago Silva,Neymar,Lucas Moura andHulk all featured in the match in which Brazil outclassed Great Britain, winning 2–0.
On 15 March 2013, it was announced thatConference National sideGateshead would stage a "home" game at the Riverside Stadium, after continual drainage problems atGateshead International Stadium forced them to play their last twelve league games of the season at five different venues.[13][14][15]
Following the club's promotion to the Premier League at the end of the 2015–16 season, the ground underwent a £5 million package of renovations designed to bring it up to the standards required of Premier League stadiums. Renovations included the installation of a large press box at the back of the East Stand, the construction of two permanent television studios at the back of the south-east corner, with associated access and TV compound on the stadium's exterior, an internal reorganisation of the West Stand reception, tunnel and changing room area, new floodlights and refurbished concourse areas including the addition of new kiosks and card and contactless payment methods.
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The stadium is fully enclosed with every seat offering an uninterrupted view of the pitch. The four main stands are commonly known as the North, East, West and South stands. The corners are referred to as the North-East, North-West, South-East and South-West corners. Concourses run around the entirety of the ground with kiosks serving food and drink.
The North Stand backs on to the River Tees.
The West Stand runs along the length of the pitch and is the stadium's largest stand. The stand contains a number of executive boxes along its length as well as restaurants etc. The stand houses the changing rooms, and the players' tunnel emerges from the middle of the stand. White seating in the top tier spells out the club's nickname "BORO".
The East Stand greets the players as they walk out the tunnel. The main television gantry was relocated to the top of the stand from the West Stand in 2016. White seating in the top tier of the stand spells out "MFC". The roof houses five flagpoles with various flags flying, usually representing the league and cup competitions the club are participating in, as well as a flag of the team crest. A new press box was installed at the back of this stand in preparation for the club's promotion back to the Premier League. The East Stand houses a family zone (North-East end) and also visiting supporters (South-East Corner). Prior the 2016–17 season, two permanent television studios were installed at the back of the South-East Corner, on either side of the existing giant TV screen. One effect of this was a slight reduction in overall capacity.
The South Stand previously housed visiting supporters (now relocated to the South-East corner), but since the 2013–14 season has housed home supporters. The stand houses the vocal Boro "ultras" group "Red Faction", who are known to organisetifos.[16]
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| The above does not include attendances for cup competitions or play off matches. Notes:
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Like its predecessor Ayresome Park, the Riverside Stadium has played host to international football. During the construction of the newWembley Stadium, theEngland team toured the country, playing at varying grounds. The Riverside was chosen to host theEuro 2004 qualifying match againstSlovakia on 11 June 2003.[31] England won the match 2–1 with a brace fromMichael Owen afterVladimír Janočko had put Slovakia ahead. The match is also notable for pitting Middlesbrough's England defenderGareth Southgate against their own Slovakian striker at the time,Szilárd Németh.[32] In April 2021, it was announced that the Riverside Stadium would host twoEngland friendly matches, against Austria and Romania, in preparation for theEuro 2020 Championship.[33]
In February 2022, the Riverside Stadium hosted two games of theArnold Clark Cup, an invitational women's association football tournament featuringEngland,Canada,Germany andSpain.[34]
The Riverside Stadium was one of the venues for the2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup, hosting the penultimate Group D match betweenTonga and theCook Islands. Tonga won 92–10 and thus qualified for the quarter-finals as group winners, whilst the Cook Islands were eliminated from the competition.[43]
| Date | Result | Competition | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 October 2022 |  Tonga | 92–10 |  Cook Islands | 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup | 8,342 |
On 1 June 2019,Take That performed at the Riverside Stadium in front of 32,000 fans, as part of their30th Anniversary Tour. They were supported byRick Astley, the first time a concert had been held at the stadium.[44]
On 1 June 2022,The Killers, supported by theManic Street Preachers, played at the stadium in front of 33,000 fans as part of the UK leg of theirImploding the Mirage Tour.[45]
On 5 June 2023, theArctic Monkeys, supported byThe Hives andThe Mysterines, played at the stadium in front of 32,000 fans.[46]
| Date | Artist(s) | Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 June 2019 | Take That,Rick Astley,[44] | 32,000 |
| 1 June 2022 | The Killers,Manic Street Preachers,[47] | 33,000 |
| 5 June 2023 | Arctic Monkeys,The Hives,The Mysterines,[47] | 32,000 |
| 24 May 2024 | Take That,Olly Murs,[48] | 32,000 |
| 8 June 2024 | James Arthur,McFly,Lauran Hibberd,[49] |
Middlesbrough vChelsea| 26 August 1995 | Middlesbrough | 2–0 | Chelsea | 1995–96 FA Premier League First Match |
| 15:00BST | Hignett 39'Fjørtoft 77' | Attendance: 28,286 Referee:Stephen Lodge |
Middlesbrough vWimbledon| 7 February 1996 | Middlesbrough | 0–0 | Wimbledon | 1995–96 FA Cup R4 First FA Cup Match |
| 15:00GMT | Attendance: 28,915 Referee:Roger Dilkes |
England vSlovakia
| 11 June 2003 | England | 2–1 | Slovakia | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying Stadium Record Attendance (all teams) |
| 20:00BST | Attendance: 35,000 |
Middlesbrough vNorwich City| 28 December 2004 | Middlesbrough | 2–0 | Norwich City | 2004–05 FA Premier League Stadium Record Attendance (Middlesbrough) |
| 15:00GMT | Attendance: 34,836 Referee:Howard Webb |
Middlesbrough vStockport County| 17 September 2023 | Middlesbrough | 0–0 | Stockport County | 2023–24 FA Women's National League Division One North First Middlesbrough F.C. Women's Match |
| 14:00BST | Attendance: 2,177 |
Middlesbrough vDoncaster Rovers Belles| 13 April 2025 | Middlesbrough | 7–0 | Doncaster Rovers Belles | 2024–25 FA Women's National League Division One North Stadium Record Attendance (Middlesbrough F.C. Women) |
| 14:00BST | Attendance: 4,083 |
| Reserves and Academy | |
|---|---|
| Records and Satistics | |
| History | |
| Home stadium | |
| Training ground | |
| Rivalries | |
