Nottingham Rugby will play their first match at the club’s new home ground this weekend.
The club bid farewell to Notts County’s Meadow Lane stadium on 4 January with a 22-21 victory over London Scottish ahead of their move to Lady Bay Sports Ground in West Bridgford.
Lady Bay will host its first Nottingham R.F.C. Championship fixture on Sunday 18 January at 3pm in a match-up against Plymouth Albion.
Video: Nottingham No. 11 Paul Grant talks about the club’s new home
As announced in October 2014, the ground agreement will be in place until the season of 2022/2023.
However, if the club gains promotion to the Premiership, they will return to fulfil their fixtures at Meadow Lane.
Chris Simon, Operations Manager at the club, finds it difficult to gauge whether the move will help them financially.
He said: “Championship rugby with crowds of 1,000 to 1,500 in a stadium at Meadow Lane that holds 20,000 is difficult to sustain for both clubs.
“Commercially, it makes much more sense to be in a small, closer environment but also to get the atmosphere where you can get close to the action.”
Video: Chris Simon discusses the club’s negotiations with Lady Bay
Nottingham Rugby Football Club Limited owns the Lady Bay Sports Ground with Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and Boots PLC.
It is also the home of Boots Hockey and Nottingham Corsairs amateur rugby club.
Head coach, Martin Haag, said his side already feel at home in Lady Bay as it was previously their training base.
To accommodate fans, a temporary stand has been built as well as a marquee area for hospitality and catering on match days.
As well as praising their new home, he insisted that the club maintains an excellent relationship with Notts County FC and he thanked the club for their continued efforts over a number of years.
With his club raring to go at Lady Bay, Haag sees a bright future ahead.
He said:
The future is to make sure that we still have a rugby club of Championship standing. We’ve got a lot of great sport in this city and we want to be part of that.
Ahead of Sunday’s match against Plymouth Albion, Haag expects a tough game, but he hopes that his side can delight supporters with a maiden win at Lady Bay Sports Ground.
Video: Head coach Martin Haag on Lady Bay Sports Ground
