Inside the stadium that once sat 8ft UNDER WATER but is now flood-proof thanks to innovative rebuild
SEVERE flooding hit Meadow Park in 2007 and left the stadium a whopping eight feet under water.
The huge amount of damage saw the ground abandoned for a 13 years – only to be eventually rebuilt with a clever flood defence.
Gloucester City played at the stadium on the bank of the River Severn from 1986 to 2007.
But the location of their home proved a constant problem when adverse weather conditions hit the UK, with it first being flooded when heavy snow melted in 1990.
Meadow Park was out of action for a month as they repaired it and the same happened again after heavy rainfall struck the area a decade later.
These two incidents left the club without stadium insurance such was the cost of fixing the damage the previous two times.
So when mass flooding hit the West of England in 2007, Gloucester City were left with a huge bill.
The pitch was submerged under eight feet (2.4 metres) of water, with the rain nearly coming as high as the crossbar.
As well as the playing surface, the stands, clubhouse, kitchen facilities, changing rooms and shop were all swamped.
It forced the now seventh tier club to abandon their home and they played home matches in four different ground over a ten-year period.
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They had to leave Gloucester, moving to Forest Green Rovers‘ New Lawn ground for a season and then Cirencester Town’s Corinium Stadium.
A further seven years was spent at Cheltenham’s Whaddon Road and three more at Evesham United’s Jubilee Stadium.
Gloucester City eventually got the green light to renovate their spiritual home, spending £4million on an improved 4,000 capacity ground.
Planning permission was granted in 2019 for two 350-seater stands and a modern may stand featuring a clubhouse and a shiny new home changing room.
To prevent the New Meadow Park from flooding again, building works took place to raise the level of the pitch, stands and clubhouse by 3.5 metres.
Gloucester City eventually moved back home in 2020 and it is now known as the TigerTurf Stadium due to a three-year sponsorship deal.
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