DERBY COUNTY FOOTBALL CLUB – PRIDE PARK

Pride Park to the north of the railway station is part of the past site of Derby’s railway manufacturing business and gas works. At one time it was the workplace of nearly 6,000 people. By the 1990s the land had been derelict for several years, when the chance came to reclaim it, with the launch of the Government’s City Challenge scheme.

This led to the formation of Derby Pride Limited, which brought together a team from both the public and private sectors. Launched in 1993, it was intended that the company would have a relatively short life and it was wound up five years later.

At the time of the commencement of the scheme, the 180 acres ‘Brownfield’ site was best described as a toxic wasteland. The Pride Park team was confident that with good engineering practices, the contamination problems could be overcome and the land brought back into productive use. They further indicated to the Government that they estimated 3,500 jobs would be created and £ 200 million of private-sector money introduced.

In 1993 plans were drawn up for Derby County to move to Pride Park, but this did not come about as originally planned. The football club decided to remain, where it was and redevelop the Baseball Ground. However, in a dramatic move, with work scheduled to start within a few days, the club had second thoughts and reopened talks about moving to Pride Park. Today, Derby County Football Club’s impressive stadium aptly named Pride Park now forms the centrepiece of the development.

The stadium was opened by HM the Queen, on 18th July 1997. Unfortunately, the first league match at the stadium, against Wimbledon FC, ended in embarrassment when the match had to be abandoned due to floodlight failure. Representative football came to Pride Park for the first time in February 1999 when England under 21s played the French under 21 team. This was followed in May 2001 by a full-international match, England versus Mexico, played in front of what was, at the time, a record crowd for the stadium.

Following several years of decline and serious financial problems, a consortium of local business people took over the club at the end of the 2005/6 season and presided over a remarkable transformation. Mel Morris, a local businessman, owned the club for several years before the club went into administration and dropped down to League One for the 2022/23 season