Around The Grounds: Abbey Stadium, Home Of Cambridge United

Chris Wright

23rd, January 2015

2 Comments

By Chris Wright

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

With Manchester United in town for the FA Cup fourth round tonight, we thought we’d have a timely nosey around the small, but perfectly formed they’ll be spending their Friday night at: The Abbey Stadium (known corporately as the R Costings Abbey Stadium), home of Cambridge United.

The U’s have called the Abbey their home since 1932, when the club’s president, Henry Francis, relocated his team from their pitch on the famed Parker’s Piece field in Cambridge in a bid to attract bigger crowds to their games.

The ground has been developed and re-developed several times since then, currently boasting a perfectly respectable maximum capacity of just a sliver over 8,000 – roughly half of which is seated.

However, the Abbey’s record attendance was set in May of 1970, when a whopping 14,000 fans packed in to watch a friendly against Chelsea that was specially arranged to mark the first use of the ground’s new floodlights.

Despite a fairly rough and ready Portakabin-smattered frontage, the stadium itself is a real non-league beauty – clad top-to-bottom in the club’s famous amber and black…

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Replay - Cambridge United v Bury - R Costings Abbey Staduim

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Replay - Cambridge United v Bury - R Costings Abbey Staduim

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Replay - Cambridge United v Bury - R Costings Abbey Staduim

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - Second Round - Cambridge United v Sheffield United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - First Round - Cambridge United v Wrexham - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League - Cambridge United v Lincoln City - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League - Cambridge United v Lincoln City - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League - Cambridge United v Ebbsfleet United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League - Cambridge United v Ebbsfleet United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League - Cambridge United v Ebbsfleet United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League - Cambridge United v Ebbsfleet United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League - Cambridge United v Ebbsfleet United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League - Cambridge United v Ebbsfleet United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - FA Cup - Second Round - Cambridge United v Sheffield United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League -ÊCambridge United v Stockport County - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League - Cambridge United v Lincoln City - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League - Cambridge United v Lincoln City - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League - Cambridge United v Ebbsfleet United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League -ÊCambridge United v Ebbsfleet United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League - Cambridge United v Ebbsfleet United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League -ÊCambridge United v Ebbsfleet United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League -ÊCambridge United v Ebbsfleet United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League - Cambridge United v Kidderminster Harriers - The R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League -ÊCambridge United v Ebbsfleet United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League -ÊCambridge United v Ebbsfleet United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League -ÊCambridge United v Ebbsfleet United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League -ÊCambridge United v Ebbsfleet United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League -ÊCambridge United v Ebbsfleet United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League -ÊCambridge United v Grays Athletic - The Trade Recruitment Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League -ÊCambridge United v Ebbsfleet United - R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League -ÊCambridge United v Grays Athletic - The Trade Recruitment Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League - Cambridge United v Altrincham - The Trade Recruitment Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League - Cambridge United v Altrincham - The Trade Recruitment Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League - Cambridge United v Kidderminster Harriers - The R Costings Abbey Stadium

Soccer - Blue Square Premier League - Cambridge United v Altrincham - The Trade Recruitment Stadium

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(Photos: PA)

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