Blackwell Meadows
Blackwell Meadows is a multi-purpose sports ground in Darlington, County Durham, England. It provides facilities for both rugby union and association football, which provides the homes of Darlington RFC and Darlington F.C., with a capacity of 3,281 with 588 seats.
| Full name | Blackwell Meadows |
|---|---|
| Location | Grange Road Darlington DL1 5NR |
| Coordinates | 54.50962°N 1.56375°W |
| Genre(s) | Multi-purpose sports ground: Rugby union Association football |
| Capacity | 3,281 (588 seated) |
| Record attendance | 3,106 (Darlington v Walsall, 20 November 2019) |
| Field size | 120 x 80 yards (109 x 73 m) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1994 (as rugby ground) 2016 (as football ground) |
| Construction cost | £1.7 million (1994 opening) |
| Tenants | |
| Rugby union: Darlington RFC (1994–present) Association football: Darlington 1883 (2016–2017) Darlington F.C. (2017–present) | |
Opened in 1994, it was initially constructed to house games for Darlington RFC, a grassroots rugby union team who were looking for a new premises after selling their McMullen Road location for retail development, the club committed £1.7 million to develop their new ground. From the ground's association to rugby union, they have also hosted an international game, first occurring in 2013.
In 2016, the ground was renovated in order to begin hosting matches for Darlington 1883, who were a continuation of Darlington F.C., which marked the club relocating to their hometown for the first time since their departure from the nearby The Darlington Arena in 2012. The club would go on to return to their traditional Darlington name the following year, and gradually began to develop the facilities overtime.