Swindon Town

The County Ground has been Swindon Town Football Club’s home since 1896, the year it opened. It shares its’ name with the home of Swindon Cricket Club, though they are separate places. To add even more confusion to the mix, Swindon Town FC did actually play their home games at the cricket ground from 1893 until 1896. The ground’s history isn’t only based around cricket, however, with the stadium being used to house prisoners of war from 1940 until the end of the Second World War. Not many stadiums can say that! In 1951 the club spent £350 installing floodlights, becoming the first football club to have dedicated lights for the accommodation of night matches. They were first used on the second of April 1951 when the club hosted Bristol City, a rival team. They weren’t used for a league match until 1956, when Millwall were the visitors.