 The arena as pictured in 2009 | |
 Interactive map of The Darlington Arena | |
| Location | Darlington, England |
|---|---|
| Owner | Darlington Mowden Park |
| Capacity | 25,500[1][2][3] |
| Field size | 110 by 74 yards (101 m × 68 m) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 2003 |
| Construction cost | £18 million[3] |
| Tenants | |
| Darlington F.C. (2003–2012) Darlington Mowden Park R.F.C. (2012–) | |
The Darlington Arena is arugby union stadium, located inDarlington,County Durham.
The arena was opened in the summer of 2003, as the new home ground ofDarlington F.C., following the decision to leave their previous ground,Feethams, after the2002–03 season. With aseating capacity of 25,000, the arena rarely attracted large crowds, with the usual attendance being around 2,000. The cost of the arena caused the club to go into administration three times. Eventually, the club decided to leave the arena after nine years following the2011–12 season.
In December 2012, after rumours that the arena could be closed down and be replaced with different reported purposes, rugby union team,Darlington Mowden Park RFC purchased the arena for £2 million; the owner of the club later stated that he believed that the arena could lead to much more success for the club.[4]
Prior to moving to the ground in 2003,Darlington F.C. had been playing atFeethams, located near to the town centre. The current stadium was built on a greenfield site next to Darlington'sA66 bypass. Upon completion the arena was originally called theReynolds Arena, after the club's then owner,George Reynolds. However, Reynolds was declared bankrupt soon afterwards and arrested on charges ofmoney laundering. As a result of this, the stadium's name was changed to theNew Stadium in April 2004.
The Arena consists of four equally sided stands. The West Stand, located behind the goal, was generally the more vocal of the two sides used by home supporters.
A crowd of 11,600 watched the first game in the new stadium for a 2–0 defeat toKidderminster Harriers.[5] Since then, the ground averaged a gate of around 1,500 to 2,000 supporters, although certain fixtures such as the derby match defeat against local rivalsHartlepool United in March 2007 (9,987 spectators), pulled in a significantly larger turnout.[6]
The club has sold the naming rights for the stadium to various sponsors: Williamson Motors,96.6 TFM, Balfour Webnet, and in 2009The Northern Echo; sinceDarlington Mowden Park RFC have used the arena, it has been namedThe Northern Echo Arena, rather than the previous nameThe Northern Echo Darlington Arena.
It was the largestConference National venue with a capacity of 25,000.[1] Attendances for football matches were restricted to 10,000 by local planning regulations,[2] because of poor access roads around the stadium, although the club was allowed to apply for an exception for special occasions – namely cup ties against bigger clubs.
It was announced in May 2012 that Darlington would no longer play at the Darlington Arena. The club initially agreed a ground share deal withShildon A.F.C.,[7] before deciding to share withBishop Auckland F.C. instead.[8]
Following the announcement that the football club would no longer play at the arena, it was reported that the arena may be closed down and be replaced by a housing estate.[9] However, in December 2012,Darlington Mowden Park R.F.C. bought the arena for £2 million, as well as 17 acres (6.9 ha) of adjoining land, with the intention of developing a multi-sports facility; the club owner stated that he hoped that playing at the arena would improve Mowden Park's performances.[4] This would be proved to be true, as they were promoted toNational League 1, the third tier of English rugby union, beginning in the2014–15 season.[10]
The club played their first game at the arena on 2 February 2013, in front of a crowd of over 1,000 spectators, defeatingBromsgrove 62–7 in aNational League 2 North league game.[11] Regular attendances would bring in around 700–1,300 spectators.
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Starting in 2006, Darlington Arena was mentioned within theTees Valley Metro scheme as a new possible station site. This was a plan to upgrade theTees Valley Line and sections of theEsk Valley Line andDurham Coast Line to provide a faster and more frequent service across theNorth East of England. In the initial phases the services would have beenheavy rail mostly along existing alignments with new additional infrastructure and rollingstock. The later phase would have introducedtram-trains to allow street running and further heavy rail extensions.[12][13][14][15]
As part of the scheme, Darlington Arena station would have received service toDarlington andSaltburn (1–2 to 4 trains per hour) and new rollingstock.[12] While never concrete or mentioned in any detailed plans, there was also mention of street-running trams to Darlington town centre, which may have also operated in the vicinity of the Arena.[14]
However, due to achange in government in 2010 and the2008 financial crisis, the project was ultimately shelved.[16] Several stations eventually got their improvements and several new stations likeJames Cook railway station were constructed.[17]
The Arena also played host to the first professionalrugby league match to be played inCounty Durham, whenGateshead Thunder used the ground for their fifth round2009 Challenge Cup game againstOldham due to a fixture clash.[18]
Darlington planned to use the stadium for musical concerts to increase club revenue.Elton John was the first act to play at the stadium, on 5 July 2008, attracting a crowd of 17,000.[9]
In 2018Steps andA-ha performed at the arena, followed in 2019 byJess Glynne.[19]
| Act | Date(s) | Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| Elton John | 5 July 2008 | 17,000 |
| UB40 | 28 May 2017 | unconfirmed |
| Steps | 27 May 2018 | unconfirmed |
| A-ha | 17 June 2018 | 5,000+[20] |
| Jess Glynne | 2 August 2019 | unconfirmed |
| Tom Jones | 28 August 2021 | unconfirmed |
| Olly Murs | 29 August 2021 | unconfirmed |
| Simply Red | 13 August 2022 | unconfirmed |
| James | 5 August 2023 | unconfirmed |
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, the arena was used as a large vaccination centre.[21] It was able to vaccinate up to 7,700 people per week.[22]
54°30′30.33″N1°32′3.82″W / 54.5084250°N 1.5343944°W /54.5084250; -1.5343944