The Sports Ground (known as The Persimmon Homes Sports Ground for sponsorship reasons) is a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

stadium used by

Bideford A.F.C. Bideford Association Football Club is a Association football, football club based in Bideford, Devon, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Sports Ground. The club are nicknamed "The Robins" due to their all-red strip. Hi ...

on Kingsley Road in

Bideford Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, South West England. It is the main town of the Torridge District, Torridge Districts of England, local government district. Toponymy In ancient records Bi ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

Origins

The Sports Ground was constructed on the west side of Kingsley Road and the east side of Mignonette Walk as it was called at the time. There were tennis courts on the north side and a bowling green and putting green on the south side.

Football

Greyhound racing

Greyhound racing Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around an oval track. The sport originates from Hare coursing, coursing. Track racing uses an artificial lure (usually a form of windsock) that travels ahead of th ...

took place around the pitch following the construction of a track in 1987. Race night was a Thursday evening and race distances consisted of 420 and 700 metres. It was an all-grass surface with an 'Outside Sumner' hare system. There were kennels for 30 greyhounds and a

totalisator A tote board (or totalisator/totalizator) is a numeric or alphanumeric display used to convey information, typically at a race track (to display the odds or payoffs for each horse) or at a telethon (to display the total amount donated to the char ...

on site and the track circumference was 370 metres, which was described as having tight bends. The venture was short-lived, with the racing ending in 1988. The greyhound racing was independent (not affiliated with the sports governing body the

National Greyhound Racing Club The National Greyhound Racing Club was an organisation that governed Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom Greyhound racing is a sport in the United Kingdom. The industry uses a parimutuel betting tote system with on-course and off-course be ...

). It was known as a flapping track, which was the nickname for independent tracks.

References

Bideford A.F.C. Defunct greyhound racing venues in the United Kingdom Sports venues in Devon Football venues in England Buildings and structures in Bideford {{England-sports-venue-stub