Key facts
| Address | The Dell, Milton Road, Southampton SO15 2XH, England |
| Capacity | 15,200 seats |
| Build Date | 1898 |
| Demolished | 2001 |
| Record Attendance | 31,044 |
Description
The Dell used to be a football stadium located in Milton Road, the UK. During 1898-2001, it was a permanent home for Southampton F.C. The stadium was opened in the spring of 1898 when the first football match took place at the ground. It was the game between Southampton F.C. and Brighton United.
In 1927, the West Stand and the club secretary’s house were demolished to construct a new stand. The new West stand was designed by A. Leitch, one of the best stand designers. In 1928, a cigarette was dropped, which led to a fire, resulting in destroying the East Stand. A new stand built instead of the Original East stand was similar to the West Stand. This helped to increase the total capacity of the stadium up to 30,000 people.
In 1940, the penalty area was destroyed by a bomb, which made Southampton play games for 1940–1941 seasons at other grounds. They could return home in 1941. In the same year, another fire destroyed the West Stand, which was rebuilt later.
In the 1980s, the stadium underwent several changes, including adding bench seats under the West and East stands. In the 1990s, the Dell became all-seater fully. The capacity of the stadium was about 15,000 in 1994.
In the middle 1990s, the football club announced its intention to move to Monks Brook, but this idea was not supported due to limited community facilities. Finally, the club was announced to move to a new stadium with 32,000 seats built for 32 million pounds. The St Mary’s Stadium, the new club’s ground, was ready in 2001, and Southampton F.C. left the Dell.
The stadium was demolished in 2001, and now the ground is used for a housing estate.
