Almost two decades after the last football match was played on its pitch, the historic Millmoor stadium in Rotherham is set to be demolished. The ground, which was the spiritual home of Rotherham United from 1925 to 2008, has been largely abandoned since the club left.
Demolition Plans Submitted
The current owners, the Ron Hull Group, have submitted a planning application to Rotherham Council to begin demolition. They recently acquired the stadium and the surrounding 35-acre scrapyard after the previous owners, CF Booth Ltd, went into administration. The owners stated that the structures are in incredibly poor condition due to nearly 20 years of neglect and exposure to the elements. They added that repairing the stadium is financially impossible due to the long-term lack of a viable user.
History of Millmoor
Football was first played on the site as early as 1890. Rotherham County leased the ground in 1907, and volunteers helped build it into a league-ready stadium by 1919. Rotherham United was officially formed there in 1925 when Rotherham County and Rotherham Town merged. Millmoor hosted the very first Football League Cup final match in 1961.
The stadium's all-time record attendance was 25,170, set on December 13, 1952, during a local derby between Rotherham United and Sheffield United. In its later years, the capacity was around 8,300.
Unfinished Main Stand
The new main stand was being built to replace the previous wooden stand from the 1950s. It was planned to include corporate facilities and bring capacity back over 10,000. The work was scheduled to finish in 2006 but faced setbacks, including the discovery of Japanese knotweed. The stand was never completed and has been left exposed to the weather since 2007.
Club's Departure and Aftermath
Rotherham United fell into administration and left Millmoor in 2008 after a dispute with the Booth family, the landowners at the time. The club temporarily played in Sheffield before moving into the modern AESSEAL New York Stadium in 2012, which is within sight of Millmoor.
Despite its sentimental value to fans, Millmoor has no official legal protections. It is not a listed building and is not on the South Yorkshire Local Heritage List. Multiple attempts to repurpose the ground, including talks with the Rotherham Titans rugby team and hosting matches for Doncaster Rovers Belles, were not commercially viable. Aside from occasional youth football, the stadium has sat empty.
What Will Be Demolished
The planning application seeks approval for the demolition of several structures, including the Admin Building, the Tivoli club and its accommodation, the Press Box, and the incomplete main stand. No final decision has been made regarding the playing pitch.
