Abbey Stadium - Current Stands

Current Stands

  • The Main Stand — a single-tier, all-seater stand running the length of the east side of the pitch including a family area, dugouts and media box.
  • The Habbin Stand — a single-tier, all-terraced stand, opposite the Main Stand and named after Harry Habbin, a famous fan from the Club's early days. The south third of this stand is sometimes open for away fans.
  • The North Terrace — a single-tier, all-terraced stand running three-quarters of one end of the pitch, known among fans as the Newmarket Road End (as it backs onto Newmarket Road) or the Corona Stand.
  • The Marston's Smooth South Stand — a single-tier, all-seater stand, opened in 2002. Previously known as (officially, but not often) the 'Heritage Conservatories Stand' after the company won a competition to sponsor the stand in early 2004, but now named after title sponsors Marston's who announced a 10-year sponsorship deal with Cambridge in August 2007. This stand was primarily built to house away fans however it is often used to seat home supporters (at ticket promotion matches). At the same time that the South Stand was constructed a new Police control centre was built to the west of the stand. This building also houses emergency medical facilities for players and spectators.

The club planned to redevelop the ground (including building an all-seater stand on the North Terrace with new accommodation for the club's staff and incorporating a medium-sized hotel and new function room into the site), but after a series of financial crises, the club sold the ground in November 2004 to Bideawhile Ltd, a company partly owned by Cambridge United director John Howard, on a sale and lease back scheme for a reported £2 million. The club's supporters have since launched the Cambridge Community Stadium Trust, which is striving to buy back the ground, a step that is seen as necessary to secure the club's long-term financial security.

The stadium's frontage, often criticized for negatively portraying the stadium, was refurbished during late June and early July 2007. This involved recladding portacabins that serve as Cambridge United's offices and general maintenance of the stadium's car park. The following summer the rear wall of the Newmarket Road End was redecorated in amber with a black 'Amber Army' motif, a term for the club's supporters.

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