It’s amazing to think that the origins of Bristol Rovers date back to the 1800s. But it was in the nineteenth century that the Gas took up residence at the Eastville Stadium, where they would remain for the best part of the next 100 years.
Within that time, greyhound and speedway racing also came to Eastville Stadium.
So, here’s a celebration of the venue that many sports fans in Bristol would have frequented throughout the 1900s.
Release the Hounds
Although Eastville never got to host the English Greyhound Derby, it was still an integral part of the sport in the west of the country.
The Bristol Greyhound Company acquired the rights to the venue in 1940, allowing punters the chance to watch and wager on the action on the track.
Placing a bet on greyhounds remains popular to this day, with many bookmakers offering ante-post odds for the English Greyhound Derby, for which Bockos Diamond and March On Freddie are the current 14/1 favourites for the 2025 edition.
While sports betting tips columns will debate who will be the fastest dog on the track at Towcester, there were plenty of speedsters on show at Eastville over the years – not least those that contested the Golden Crest.
Ran almost without a pause for 60 years between 1937 and 1997, the Golden Crest was a key fixture in the English greyhound racing calendar – with a number of Bristolian owners and trainers taking the spoils on home soil.
Eastville was also praised for its innovation in 1968, switching out the old grass track for one composed of sand-based materials; before long, that became the norm for greyhound tracks across England and Ireland.
Perhaps the pinnacle for Eastville, as far as local pride is concerned, came in 1991, when trainer Terry Kibble – who housed his dogs at the venue – finished third in the English Greyhound Derby with Dempsey Duke.
Greyhound racing remained at the Eastville Stadium right up until its closure in 1997, ending the city’s long and illustrious involvement with the sport.
What a Gas
Of course, many Bristolians will best remember the Eastville Stadium as the home of Bristol Rovers for many years.
The two are indelibly linked. The club was actually known as Eastville Rovers upon its foundation, before taking on the moniker of Bristol Eastville Rovers in 1897 and, latterly, Bristol Rovers in 1899.
Playing their first game at Eastville in 1897, the Gas would continue to play their home matches at the venue until 1986. It was here that Rovers would enjoy some of their finest moments, from winning the Third Division in 1953 to reaching the League Cup quarter-finals in 1971 and 1972.
And Eastville may forever play host to a Bristol Rovers record: the 38,472 that turned up to watch the Gas battle Preston North End in the FA Cup back in January 1960 is still the club’s record home attendance.
Even fans of affordable home furnishings will agree there’s a certain sadness to the fact that Eastville was closed in 1997 before being demolished a year later; subsequently making way for an IKEA superstore.
Whatever Bristol Rovers go on to achieve in the years ahead, the Eastville Stadium will remain a pivotal home for them and both greyhound and speedway racing in the city.
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