What happened?
Landmark structures at Rotherham’s Millmoor football ground could vanish under proposals put to Rotherham Council planners for expected future redevelopment. The site is owned by the Ron Hull Group, which bought out CF Booth when that company went into administration.
Why it matters for Rotherham
The site is expected to be redeveloped for future use, although no details have been released on what this could entail. Rotherham United Supporters Club have suggested a nostalgic event to mark the end of Millmoor as fans remember it, and a potential dedication to mark its place in Rotherham United history.
What comes next?
Documents filed with Rotherham Council say two stands - with the railway stand capable of accommodating 2,000 away fans when Rotherham United played there - are in a state of “neglect and disrepair as a result of having not been maintained since the football club’s relocation”. The proposal is to take down all the buildings, then “the ground slabs will be removed and the ground tidied and left in a state where redevelopment will be possible.”
Rotherham United is currently 23rd in League One, 41 points behind leaders Lincoln, with 41 goals scored and 71 conceded this season. Their next fixture is against Port Vale at home on January 9, 2027.
The demolition and clearing work is expected to be completed by the end of January next year, and will be the second major change to Rotherham’s historic landscape in that area, with the office buildings at the CF Booth site recently demolished.
Ron Hull Group would carry out the work in-house, as a recycling company. It is only two years since efforts were made to improve Millmoor, making it suitable for youth football, financed by members of the Booth family, while the site was in their ownership. That included restoring the pitch, clearing rubbish which had accumulated while the ground was out of use, and improving changing rooms.
Rotherham United Supporters Club have suggested an event at the ground, to allow fans “to say a last goodbye” to the ground. ‘I think that would go down well,’ said Roy Squires, the club’s spokesman. ‘If they wanted any help from the supporters group, we would definately get involved. It is the end of an era.’
The client does intend to redevelop the site a future date. It is anticipated that the demolition and clearing work would be completed by the end of January next year.
