Technique Stadium (formerly known as b2net Stadium and Proact Stadium) is an
all-seater
An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in professional association football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most association football and Ame ...
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
stadium in
Whittington Moor
Whittington may refer to:
Places
* Whittington, Victoria, Australia
* Whittington, Illinois, United States
England
* Old Whittington, Derbyshire
* New Whittington, Derbyshire
* Whittington Moor, Derbyshire
* Whittington, Gloucestershire
* Whittin ...
,
Chesterfield
Chesterfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan
* Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England
** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
,
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
, on the site of the former Dema Glassworks.
It is the home of
Chesterfield FC
Chesterfield Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Chesterfiel ...
, replacing the
Saltergate Recreation Ground as the club's stadium from the start of the 2010–11 season.
When it hosts England youth matches it is known as Chesterfield FC Stadium.
It has a capacity of approximately 10,500, cost £13,000,000 to build and was designed by Sheffield-based architects Ward McHugh Associates.
The stadium staged
England under-19 and
under-21 fixtures in 2011
and May 2012 with nearly 10,000 fans,
and hosted
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
in 2012.
History
![Dema Glass Chimneys - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Dema_Glass_Chimneys_-_geograph.org.uk_-_216830.jpg)
The Dema Glass site emerged as a possible location in October 2004 at a time when the club were already pursuing planning permission to redevelop
Wheeldon Mill, the town's former greyhound stadium. Chesterfield Borough Council viewed the site as part of a masterplan to regenerate the A61 corridor, an area to the north of the town centre and including the
Chesterfield Canal
The Chesterfield Canal is a narrow canal in the East Midlands of England and it is known locally as 'Cuckoo Dyke'. It was one of the last of the canals designed by James Brindley, who died while it was being constructed. It was opened in 1777 a ...
. Agreement in principle between the club and local authority was struck in February 2005, though progress faced initial delays.
Designs for the proposed new stadium were provided by local architects Ward McHugh Associates who had previously undertaken commissions on the redevelopment of the South Stand at
Twickenham
Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...
and
Everton's Goodison Park stadium.
Planning permission was granted after a public meeting held on 1 July 2008,
with the plans forming part of a wider
mixed-use development
Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some ...
. The land at the site was handed over to the club in February 2009
and, after decontamination, construction officially started on Thursday 23 July 2009, overseen by GB Development Solutions.
Separate buildings which formed part of the overall scheme included a
Tesco
Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...
Extra superstore,
Tesco
Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...
petrol station, a
KFC
KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with 2 ...
, an Enterprise car rental and other office facilities.
The new stadium was handed over to the club in July 2010 and granted its full capacity licence from the Safety Advisory Group after hosting two limited capacity games against
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
and
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
.
A music video for the single "Run Away Instead" by indie rock band
The Rosadocs
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
was filmed on the pitch in August 2021, the first music video to have been shot at the stadium.
Name changes
Initial sponsorship under the name the b2net Stadium was revealed on 14 August 2009.
However, after two seasons and following the acquisition of b2net by Swedish company Proact, the renaming of the stadium to the 'Proact Stadium' was officially announced on 13 August 2012.
Due to UEFA restrictions, when it hosts England youth matches it is known as Chesterfield FC Stadium.
The stadium was renamed to the Technique Stadium in August 2020.
Stands and facilities
![Chesterfield v Aldershot](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Chesterfield_v_Aldershot.jpg)
The ground's four stands are: The VanYard (West) Stand, Motan Colortronic (South) Stand, Rubicon Print (North) Stand and Karen Child Community (East) Stand. Unlike
Saltergate
Saltergate, officially the Recreation Ground, was the historic home of Chesterfield Football Club, and was in use from 1871 until the club's relocation in July 2010, a 139-year history that made it one of the oldest football grounds in Englan ...
, Chesterfield's old home, all stands enjoy unrestricted views.
The VanYard (West) Stand
The VanYard (West) Stand has a curved roof line and a capacity of 3,144 seats with glazed windshields on either side and executive facilities at the rear. The stand includes conference rooms and banqueting rooms, including the Leengate Legends Lounge, and is where the majority of the club's non-footballing revenue is generated. The stand is sponsored by VanYard.
Motan Colortronic (South) Stand
Located behind the goal on the south side of the stadium, this stand is regarded as similar to the former Saltergate Kop in being the area where the main atmosphere is created by home supporters. Its capacity is 2,064 seats.
Rubicon Print (North) Stand
The north stand is almost identical to the south stand; the only difference is the north stand has only one disabled gantry while the south stand has two. Away supporters are primarily housed in this stand, where up to 2,088 can be seated. At the time the ground opened, the north stand was called the ’Printability Stand’.
Karen Child Community (East) Stand
Like the main stand, the east stand has a curved roof line but with no executive facilities at the rear. It includes a multi-purpose sports and community room, sports injury clinic, meeting rooms, a gym and healthy living resource for all ages, a wave pool for rehabilitation, heritage room, classroom resource centre for local education, a soft play area for youngsters, and a cafeteria.
Additional space for away fans may be provided in this stand as demand requires. Its capacity is 3,208 seats. The stand is sponsored by supporter Karen Child-Smith who won the
National Lottery in 2007. (At the time the ground opened, the East Stand was called the 'Midlands Co-operative Community Stand').
All four stands encompass concourse facilities under the stand, including on-tap beverages and multiple television screens showing the game in progress, and Sky Sports channels before and after the game.
The HUB
On the exterior of the East Stand is a £1.7m community facility called 'the HUB'. This two-story building was opened in September 2013 by the Chesterfield FC Community Trust. The HUB includes a cafe, 'Chester's Den', a playcentre, a gym, a therapy pool, a multi-use sports hall and classrooms. The facility also houses the offices of the Trust as well as other tenants and a martial arts dojo.
Chesterfield FC Memorial Garden
A memorial garden was opened in September 2014. Built by the Supporters' Club and now maintained by the Chesterfield FC Community Trust, the Garden is adjacent to the HUB. The Garden is intended as a memorial to fans and players of Chesterfield FC It also includes a war memorial recognising the seventeen football club players and officials who died in the wars of the 20th century.
Notable fixtures
The official opening match was a friendly against
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
on 24 July 2010, during which summer signing
Craig Davies scored the first ever goal, in a game that finished in a 5–4 win for Derby.
The first competitive league fixture (
Football League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
) was against
Barnet
Barnet may refer to:
People
*Barnet (surname)
* Barnet (given name)
Places United Kingdom
*Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below.
*East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...
on 7 August 2010. The game finished with a 2–1 victory to Chesterfield.
Dwayne Mattis
Dwayne Anthony Mattis (born 31 July 1981) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in England, he made two appearances for the Republic of Ireland U21 national team.
Career
Mattis began his career as a trainee with ...
and
Jack Lester
Jack William Lester (born 8 October 1975) is an English football coach and former professional footballer, who is a first team coach at EFL Championship side of Sheffield United.
As a player Sheffield born Lester played as a forward from 1994 ...
were the goalscorers.
The highest attendance for all games was 10,089 for the
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
clash against local rivals
Rotherham United
Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around 1 ...
on 18 March 2011. The game finished with a resounding 5–0 victory for Chesterfield.
On 8 February 2011 the stadium hosted its first international game when
England under-19s played
Germany under-19s in a friendly. The game finished with a 1–0 victory for the visiting German side.
On 10 September 2012, it hosted
England under-21s final
match against
Norway's under-21s. The hosts edged out the visitors 1 – 0 thanks to
Connor Wickham
Connor Neil Ralph Wickham (born 31 March 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as forward. He is currently a free agent.
He has previously represented Ipswich Town, Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United, Crystal Palace ...
's forty third-minute goal with 9,947 in attendance.
See also
*
Ground improvements to football stadia in England
References
External links
Official stadium websiteProact entry at AwayGrounds.comChesterfield FC – New stadium fly thru (Video)Ward McHugh Associates – Stadium Architects
{{National League (English football)
Chesterfield F.C.
Football venues in England
Football venues in Derbyshire
Sports venues completed in 2010
English Football League venues
Buildings and structures in Chesterfield, Derbyshire