Doncaster Rovers

EcoStadium

Stadium Way

Lakeside

Doncaster DN4 5JW

The Eco-Power (Keep Moat) Stadium opened in 2007. It is situated next to beautiful surroundings of the Lakeside, believed to be the only league ground to be next to a lake. Another distinguishing feature are the four floodlights, which are mounted on the roof in each corner. Although FGR and Doncaster have played each other before this will be FGR’s first visit to this new stadium.

Away fans are located in the North Stand. If demand requires it, then a portion of the East Stand can also be allocated. The view of the playing action, legroom, and facilities are all of an excellent standard. The concourses have recently been refurbished and a number of food and drink options are available. All concourses are fitted with televisions in order to keep supporters entertained pre-match.

Getting There

By Supporters Coach – The easiest way to get there.

For full details of Away Travel: –

Click here: – FGR Away Travel – Forest Green Rovers Supporters Club (fgrsc.com)

Book your coach ticket with your match ticket from FGR.

Discount for FGR Supporters Club members.

Supporters Club Members need to book by phone to get their discount.

Coach departure times etc. Tickets & Travel: Doncaster Rovers (A) | WE ARE FGR

Click – Tickets | WE ARE FGR

By phone on 0333 123 1889 Monday to Friday, between 9am and 3pm.

Please try to book as early as you can.

By Train

From Gloucester Station it takes about 3 1/2 hours and normally involves changing trains once or twice probably at Birmingham and/or Sheffield. Please check train times as there is always the risk of strike action.

Doncaster Station to the Ground

Doncaster Station is just less than two miles away and a bus service is available from the Transport Interchange (attached to the Train Station). If you walk (around 25-30 minutes) then as you come out of the station turn right and then keep straight on this road (the A6182 Trafford Way) and you will eventually reach the stadium complex on your left.

By Bus

By Bus For Travel to the Stadium from the Town Centre: For Saturday afternoon games: Buses will leave Doncaster Frenchgate Interchange direct to the ground as follows:  Service 56 – Every 15 minutes, at 12, 27, 42, 57 minutes past the hour. The journey time is approximately 18 minutes.

By Car (Post Code for SAT NAV: DN4 5JW)

It is about 160 miles from the Stroud area and, on a good day, should take under 4 hours.

By Road from the A1 (M) join the M18 Eastbound at Junction 35 (signposted Hull) or from the M1, join the M18 Eastbound at Junction 32. Once on the M18, leave at Junction 3 and take the A6182 towards Doncaster (the stadium is well signposted from Junction 3 and is about one and a half miles away). You will pass a retail park on your left and then at the next traffic lights (which has the Lakeside Pub visible behind it) turn left onto White Rose Way. The Lakeside Shopping Centre is now on your right (the stadium is located directly behind the shopping centre). At the next island turn right onto the industrial estate and after passing the Tesco distribution centre on your right, turn right at the bottom of the road and the stadium is further down on your left.

Car Parking There are just 1,000 car parking spaces at the stadium.  Out of the 1,000 there are 60 parking spaces reserved for disabled fans, which must be booked prior to matchday. The cost of parking at the stadium is £5.

Alternatively, several companies on the nearby industrial park, offer matchday parking at around £3-£4 per vehicle. Please be aware users park at their own risk and Doncaster Rovers endorse none of these unofficial car parks.

Disabled Supporters Information click here – Disabled fan guide | Doncaster Rovers (doncasterroversfc.co.uk)

Food and Drink

The stadium is on the outskirts of town, so the best place for food and drink when you get to the Eco-Power Stadium would be at the Stadium itself.

At the Ground

The Belle Vue Bar is an external bar situated on the outside of the West Stand and welcomes all supporters from both the home and away clubs. Sky Sports is shown on the TV screens both prior to the match and after the match. The bar will remain open until approximately 45 minutes after the final whistle.

There are recently upgraded concession stands and also a ‘Family Section’ in the away end. Here you will find members of Doncaster’s Foundation staff holding themed skill tests where prizes can be won, a face painter will be available as well as a games console to show off your FIFA skills.

Outside the Ground

One of the away fan friendly bars is ‘The Leopard’, located only a four-minute walk from the Doncaster Train Station 2 West Street, Doncaster, DN1 3AA.The Leopard boasts a recently refurbished bar which offers a mixture of Lounge and Tap complete with table tennis and pool tables. The Leopard offers a mixture of food from three courses to hotdogs and other snacks.

If arriving by train into Doncaster Railway Station, then on Platform 3B there is the Draughtsman Alehouse. Whilst also in a five-to-ten-minute walking distance of the station, are the Corner Pin, on St Sepulchre Gate West, and the Doncaster Brewery Tap on Young Street. These pubs are listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. Also, near to the station is the ‘Railway pub’ on West Street, which is also popular with visiting fans.

There are also entertainment facilities away from the stadium who welcome both home and away fans, these include Lakeside Beefeater pub/restaurant which is situated within the Lakeside Shopping Village opposite the stadium. Within the shopping village there is also a KFC, McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Costa outlets. Across the lake there is also the Cheswold Pub, Vue Cinema, Frankie and Benny’s Restaurant, the Doncaster Superbowl (bowling arcade and bar) approximately 15 mins walk from the stadium.

Belle Vue Bar

How Are They Doing

In season 22/23 Doncaster finished 18th with 55 points.

Doncaster are currently in 18th position with 46  points.

Reverse Fixture on 16 Sept 23 – FGR 1 Doncaster 2. (Doncaster scored the winner in 6th minute of injury time).

6 match current form : Doncaster are second with 13 points. FGR are 6th with 10 points.

With the away win at Swindon Town, Doncaster have recorded their second consecutive win, extending their unbeaten run to 3 matches in the league. Doncaster have won 5 of their last 8 matches in L2. Doncaster stats show the team has picked up an average of 1.24 points per league game since the beginning of the season. Current form statistics show that in the last 8 league matches the team’s points per game has been averaging 2.13, which is 71.8% higher than their current season’s average.

March Results

Swindon 1 Doncaster 2

Colchester v Doncaster – postponed, waterlogged pitch.

Doncaster 2 Crewe 0

Bradford 1 Doncaster 1

Walsall 3 Doncaster 1

Ones to Watch

George Miller scoring against Salford in season 22/23.

George Miller was last season’s top scorer  for Doncaster with 11 goals and 5 assists. (He is the nephew of referee Mark Halsey).

Current top scorers – Joe Ironside – 16 goals, Mo Faal – 8 goals. Mo Faal was on loan from WBA and is now on loan at Walsall, he came on as a substitute against FGR earlier this month.

In the transfer window Doncaster signed France u-20s goalkeeper Thimothee Lo-Tutah on loan from Hull and  27 year old winger Hakeeb Adelakun was signed from Lincoln on loan. Adelakun created history when he made his professional debut with Scunthorpe, becoming the club’s youngest player in December 2012 at the age of 16 years and 201 days. They have also signed on loan Wrexham striker Billy Waters, Spurs midfielder Matthew Craig, & striker Conor Carty on loan from Bolton. They signed Jay McGrath permanently from St Patricks Athletic in Ireland.

Manager

Grant McCann playing for Cheltenham

Grant McCann is in his second spell managing Doncaster (previously 2018-19) having also managed Peterborough on 4 occasions.

McCann is no stranger to Gloucestershire; originally from Belfast he started his playing career at West Ham and after a couple of loan spells there joined Cheltenham Town permanently. He subsequently played for Barnsley, Scunthorpe, and Peterborough. He was capped 39 times by Northern Ireland.

McCann first managed Peterborough in 2015 before managing Doncaster and Hull then replacing Darren Ferguson back at Peterborough in February 2022. Unfortunately, he was unable to save them from relegation from the Championship and left to be replaced by Ferguson, but he is now back at Doncaster, re-joining in May 2023.

Grant McCann manager of Doncaster Rovers.

Club History

The club was founded in 1879 and turned professional six years later.  They entered the Midland League in 1891 and were elected to the Football league in 1901. The club lost re-election votes in 1903 and 1905 and so returned to the Midland League. They were admitted into the Football League for a third and final time in 1923 and went on to win the 3rd Division North in 1934–35. The club won two further Third Division North titles in 1946–47 and 1949–50, having been relegated from the 2nd Division in 1937 and 1948. Doncaster found themselves in the 4th Division after suffering successive relegations in 1958 and 1959, though would win the Fourth Division title in 1965–66 and 1968–69. The club continued to move between the third and fourth tiers, winning promotions in 1980–81 and 1983–84 and relegations in 1983 and 1988, before suffering relegation into non-League football in 1998.

Doncaster regained their Football League status after winning the 2003 Conference play-offs and then went on to win the Third Division title in 2003–04. They won the Football league Trophy in 2007 and the next year won the League Ine Play Offs to secure a place in the second tier for the first time since 1958. They spent four of the next five seasons in the Championship winning the League One title in 2012–13, though were relegated out of the Championship in 2012 and 2014. Relegated into L2 in 2016, they won an immediate promotion in 2016–17 and remained in League One until relegation in 2022.

Doncaster’s home strip is red and white hooped shirts with black shorts.

Mascot

Doncaster Rovers Mascot – Donny the Dog. Why not call it Rover?

Famous Fans

Louis Tomlinson, the One Direction singer, agreed to play in a charity game at the Keepmoat Stadium in his hometown of Doncaster to raise money for the Bluebell Wood Charity and subsequently was offered a deal by Doncaster Rovers to join the club on non-contract terms after impressing in the game. The deal was brokered for Tomlinson to be a development player and to participate in reserve games, working around his music commitments with One Direction. He was given the squad number 28 for the 2013-14 season.

it was announced that Tomlinson would make his debut for Doncaster’s Reserve team in their Central League fixture against the Scunthorpe reserve team on 18 September 2013. Doncaster announced that despite the fixture being a reserve game they would be setting up a special ticket line for the match. On 8 September, Tomlinson played for Celtic in another charity match. During the game Tomlinson was injured following a tackle by Aston Villa and England striker Gabriel Agbonlahor striker  and was substituted straight away. As a result of his injury sustained in the match, Tomlinson was then forced to pull out of the Scunthorpe match, relegating himself to the bench. His rescheduled debut for Doncaster’s reserve side in the Central League came as a 65th-minute substitute in a 0–0 game against Rotherham United on 26 February 2014, attended by a crowd in excess of 4,000.

On 19 June 2014, Tomlinson and former chairman John Ryan confirmed they had taken over as joint owners of Doncaster Rovers. It was later announced the takeover had fallen through, though Tomlinson continues to be involved with the club.

One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson in 2017 made a music video at Doncaster’s Stadium

Doncaster born Jeremy Clarkson is, apparently, a Doncaster Rovers supporter. His parents, more by accident than design, ended up owning the worldwide rights to produce Paddington Bear soft toys. Clarkson is not fond of the Stroud area.

What Are They Thinking

Doncaster Facts

Doncaster is part of Scotland.

Don’t be surprised if some Doncaster supporters are wearing kilts.

In January 1136, King David I of Scotland marched in England and annexed Carlisle, Newcastle and a bunch of other Northumbrian and Cumbrian settlements. King Stephen of England marched to Durham to stop the Scottish advance. The Kings negotiated and it was agreed that Stephen could have Newcastle and the Northumbrian settlements back if David could keep much of Cumberland. David was also given Lancashire and bizarrely, Doncaster to seal the 1136 Treaty of Durham. Scotland has never given Doncaster back to England.

In 2022 Doncaster City football club applied to play in the Scottish Cup with an “ambitious” bid based on the ancient treaty of Durham. Doncaster City FC, formed earlier in 2022, submitted an application to the Scottish Football Association under the agreement dating back to 1136. The 13th division club, who are not currently permitted to take part in the English FA Cup, claim Doncaster is Scottish-owned, meaning they should be allowed to play against other teams north of the border in the Scottish Cup.

Doncaster Rovers Belles are one of the most historic women’s football teams in England. Established in 1969 – originally under the name Belle Vue Belles – they went on to dominate the game for decades representing not just Doncaster but the entire North of England with all their main rivals based in London.

In 2019, the club’s 50th anniversary year, the Belles join the Doncaster Rovers family, The Belles reverted to their historic colours of red and white which they wore when they formed, whilst keeping yellow and blue colours for their away kit.

Doncaster – Places to Visit.