The following is a Sporting news summary, outlining bits of information that you may find of interest…
PLAYER NEWS
- As mentioned in manager Scott Adey-Linforth’s most recent match preview, striker Ryan Boothe has joined Redditch United.
- We thank Ryan for his efforts and wish him well in his future endeavours.
MANAGEMENT NEWS
- Joining our management staff is Karl Fellows, as First Team Coach. The former Aston Villa coach may be a familiar name to Sporting fans, having played 23 matches for us from 2011 to 2013!
- We hope you will join us in welcoming Karl to the club!
PLAYER SPONSORSHIP NEWS
- In last week’s news summary, we announced that midfielder Billy Shaw will be sponsored for the rest of the season by the Sidewinders, an ever-present bunch of diehard, dedicated Sporting fans!
- In addition, we can announce two more player sponsors for the remainder of the season…
- Fin Holmes: Sporting fans Edward & Henry Cumming!
- Jordan Lyden: Anance (AKA Anita from our club shop! Click the link for more info!)
- For more about our sponsorship opportunities, email commercial@bromsgrovesporting.co.uk or message the club’s social media channels!
BARWELL COACH TRAVEL
- Sporting fan Danny is organising some away travel for our trip to Barwell on Saturday. It’s £14 per person (based on selling 49 seats) and leaves Sporting at 12:45.
- There are currently 10 seats remaining, following four dropouts.
- Due to this, if you have already booked a space, there will be an offer of bring a mate for just £10!
- If you’re interested, contact 07968168478 or head to the ‘Shedenders’ Facebook page!
NON LEAGUE NETWORKING
- Yesterday saw Sporting hold the first Non League Networking session of 2025 – it was hosted by James Grainger, from valued club sponsor Express Vehicle Contracts.
- Despite five no shows, and the fact many people only went back to work yesterday, an impressive 20 people were in attendance to kick off January!
HITCHIN ONLINE PROGRAMME
- The programme from Saturday’s match, against Hitchin Town, can be read here.
HITCHIN MATCH SPONSOR
- Our good friends at Bromsgrove District Council’s Commercial Waste Services sponsored our game against Hitchin on Saturday.
- We was very pleased to see Matt’s feedback below – Sporting value not only their sponsorship, but their friendship too, and we are happy our relationship is flourishing!
AARON ROBERTS TICKET
- Congratulations to huge Sporting fan Adam Wilkes for winning the Aaron Roberts ticket giveaway, entitling him to free entry for a 2024/25 game of his choice & a £10 food voucher!
- What’s more, all raffle proceeds went to our chosen charity, St Basils!
STRATFORD FAN MESSAGE
- The email below came from a Stratford fan following our game just before Christmas – our fans were bringing the kindness as well as the noise & atmosphere, which was lovely to see!
PLASTIC CUP REFUNDS
- Moving forward, if you purchase a £2 plastic cup at one of our home games, the refund will only be given back via card.
SPORTING FIXTURES THIS WEEKEND
The first team were the only Sporting side to play at the weekend just gone, with the weather cancelling every other game. This weekend, the fixtures are as follows…
- First Team: Barwell (away – Saturday) & Bishop’s Stortford (away – Tuesday).
- U21s: Read here.
- Ladies: Redditch Borough Women (Sunday. Away. 2:00 KO)
- Ladies Development: Hereford Pegasus Ladies Development (Sunday. Away. 2:00 KO)
- Veterans: Continental Stars (Sunday. Home. 10:30 KO)
- Colts: See @SportingColtsFC for more details
- Girls. U10 home v Droitwich. U13 away v Meadow Park. U18 away v Leamington
SUPER SIX – DECEMBER WINNER
- As mentioned in previous news summaries, Sporting diehard fan Ian Clarke is running a Sky Super 6 competition this season – the Sporting Super 6 winner for December was Stephen MacDonald, with 64 points, who has won £5.
- Monthly prizes are to be won, as well as a big prize at the end of the season.
GRANDSTAND ARTICLE
- In our programme against Stourbridge, Sporting fan Michael Tovey wrote an excellent article on the first grandstand at our ground – read it below…
It is exactly 100 years since the first grandstand was opened at the ground on Boxing Day 1924, though the present structure was built in the 1950s. Our historian for the Rovers era, Michael Tovey has provided us with a fascinating account of how it came about.
In the 1920’s Elizabeth Stiles owned the lease to the Victoria Ground. Bromsgrove Rovers rented the ground during the football season, with the ground being used for other events such as summer fairs, sports days and even a circus during the closed season.
Elizabeth and the Stiles family generally, were closely connected to the Rovers. They ran the Roebuck Inn at the top of Bromsgrove High Street, which was the headquarters of the club. The A.G.M. and other meetings were held there, and it was also where the players and officials would change before the match before making the short walk to the Victoria Ground. Elizabeth was the mother of two of the most important Rovers players of the pre First World War era – George and Frank Stiles. George, a giant goalkeeper, was for a long time the holder of the most appearances for the club, keeping goal between 1893 and 1910. Frank, 15 years George’s junior, was a forward who played between 1902 and 1915 scoring 65 goals in 153 appearances – holding the goalscoring record for the club until the 1930s.
The Victoria Ground itself looked very different to the modern day. It was just a large open space, surrounded by trees with a few buildings and the main entrance on the Birmingham Road side. The pitch would be roped off before the game to stop spectators entering the field of play. There were few amenities for the fans, who were totally at the mercy of the elements. No doubt when the weather was particularly poor attendances would be adversely affected, so the idea of a grandstand giving a bit of shelter to the fans was a popular one.
The decision to build a grandstand was discussed at a Supporters Club meeting at the Roebuck Inn on 13 November 1924. Ben Roberson chaired the meeting and announced that permission to erect a grandstand had been given by the landowner. Committee member, Mr. H. Wilton, said he knew a company who would erect a stand with an iron roof and sides, holding 300 people in about 7 rows of seating for the cost of £150. The work could be completed within two weeks.
It was decided to go ahead and build the grandstand, and a social committee was formed to consider best ways of fundraising to pay for the stand. A contract was signed in early December with Grosvenor Workman, a company based in Gas Street, Birmingham. Work started on Monday 15th December with the hope it would be completed in time for the Boxing Day fixture.
Arthur Clarke noted the building of the grandstand is his own inimitable fashion in his cartoon in the Bromsgrove Messenger:
Although some finishing touches were still to be made, the stand was indeed ready for use at the Boxing Day match against Halesowen Town. This was all the more impressive as the work was hampered by a pre-Christmas gale. According to the Messenger, work was completed by, “drafting more carpenters, working with hurricane lanterns and with the aid of willing workers at the club.”
The official opening was carried out by Rovers President, Dr. Coaker in front of a bumper 3,000 crowd before the match on Boxing Day. 6d was the basic price of entry into the ground, with an additional 3d for entry into the enclosure. For those wanting a seat in the new grandstand, a further 3d was required. Not surprisingly the grandstand was full to capacity that day. Sadly, the occasion was not marked with a good Rovers performance, being soundly beaten 4-1 by a rampant Halesowen, with George Coley scoring all four goals. George would go on to join the Rovers the following February, scoring 10 goals in 14 appearances in his only season at the club.
The Bromsgrove Messenger commissioned some aerial photographs of Bromsgrove in 1926, in which you can just make out the new grandstand and the goal posts.
There is little doubt that the grandstand was a major plus for Rovers and its’ supporters and it was sold out on 3 occasions during that first season. The crowds were good even when the weather was not.
However, Mr Wilton, who suggested the idea back in November was a little optimistic with his estimate of £150. It actually cost the club £207, a considerable sum of money at the time. £100 was paid to the contractor by March 1925. There was an agreement in place for an interest free loan for 3 months after which 5% would be charged. It turned out that paying off the balance was a bit more difficult than had been hoped and an additional loan from the bank was required to pay off the contractors.
It took until 1927 for the grandstand to be finally paid off. That summer the club still owed £17 to the bank, who were demanding the money before the end of August. It was at this time the Stiles family came to the rescue of the club. George Stiles, by now a Bromsgrove councillor, announced at the A.G.M that “it was his pleasure to inform the meeting that he and his mother would make themselves responsible for the deficit. He would find the money somehow”.
