AN ABANDONED stadium in the UK was once the pride of a town but it’s been left to rot and is hiding a mystery.
The Millmoor Ground, commonly known as Millmoor, is the spiritual home of South Yorkshire club Rotherham United.
The Millers were forced to move out of the ground in 2008 following a row over rent.
The football club now play their games at the AESSEAL New York Stadium, which opened in 2012.
They spent four years playing at the Don Valley Athletics Stadium in Sheffield in the interim period while the new 12,000-seater ground was built.
And Millmoor now lies empty, but is full of nostalgia for those fans that will have countless memories from games that took place inside.
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“Millmoor is decaying,” current Rotherham United owner Tony Stewart told the Athletic. “It’s falling apart.”
He continued: “It’s a mystery to Rotherham. It’s a mystery to the man on the street.”
Rotherham United were forced to leave Millmoor when talks between Ken Booth, the owner of the stadium, and Stewart broke down.
“There were 18 items (demanded by the Booths) I didn’t agree with,” Stewart explained.
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“It would’ve meant that if there was a scratch to a cabinet, I would’ve had to replace all that. I just felt it wasn’t right.”
Stewart was given four years to get the club back into the town or face a £3million fine from the FA, which he managed.
The old stadium had a capacity of 8,300 and was the home of Rotherham from their inception in 1925.
The stadium would no longer be suitable for Rotherham who play their football in the Championship after narrowly avoiding relegation to League One last season.
The club finished 19th, just six points off the drop after gaining promotion to the division last season.
Photos of the old ground show it falling to pieces after such a long time without use or care.
There are overgrown plants surrounding the stands and graffiti plastered on the walls.
The stadium – which had a noticeable slope – boasted its record attendance way back in 1952.
The ground held 25,170 fans who gathered to watch Rotherham take on local rivals Sheffield United.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
