Groundtastic GT23 | Page 30

Rochdale Floodlights at the Pearl Street end bringing another 2,700 seats into use. Subsequent improvements wer e made to the Sandy Lane terrace which culminated in a new roof during the summer of 2000. The Pearl Street end in 1995 top and 2000 bottom. (Jon Weaver & Paul Claydon) The final piece of the jigsaw was a new stand on the Wilbutts Lane side. Featuring 4,000 seats, the new single-tier stand has dark blue seats in keeping with the rest of the ground and the word ‘Rochdale’ picked out in white seats. The new stand was finished in October and brings the capacity of Spotland to 10,249 of which over 8,500 are seats. Last season saw a 30% rise in the average gate for Rochdale, and although this translates to a total figure of just over 2,700, things are at least moving in the right direction. Rochdale have never been higher than the current second division but with a team looking capable of challenging for promotion and a rebuilt stadium, things look set for a brighter future. Groundtastic page 30 Issue 23