page_title: Athletic Ground (Scarborough)
section_title: Subsequent events
hierarchical_section_title: Athletic Ground (Scarborough) / Subsequent events
caption_attribution_description: English: Vandalism at the old McCain Stadium, Scarborough.
context_page_description: The Athletic Ground, latterly known as the McCain Stadium, was a football stadium located on Seamer Road in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It was the home of Scarborough F.C., a defunct football club who last played in the English Conference North before they were dissolved on 20 June 2007 with debts of £2.5 million.
  The venue was first opened in 1898, when Scarborough F.C. moved from playing at Scarborough Cricket Club. In 1988, under a sponsorship deal, the club sold the naming rights of the Athletic Ground to McCain Foods and, until its closure in 2007, the stadium was known as the McCain Stadium.
  The ground was the venue for twenty-four Scarborough fixtures, that had in excess of 6,000 spectators. The biggest attendance was in January 1938, vs Luton Town in the FA Cup, the crowd recorded was 11,162.
  The stadium hosted games between Scarborough FC and illustrious names such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Portsmouth, Southampton, Bolton Wanderers, Middlesbrough, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Brighton and Hove Albion & Bradford City in cup ties, whilst also entertaining local rivals York City and Hull City more often in league fixtures.
context_section_description: On 26 September 2007, Scarborough Borough Council announced its intention to purchase the ground from the liquidators.  The liquidators, Begbies Traynor, applied to have the covenant lifted.  This was contested by the Council.  As a result, the stadium remained empty and derelict, and was subject to vandalism.
  The stadium was damaged by a fire on 17 October 2008, that started in the changing rooms. A director of Scarborough Athletic criticised administrators Begbies Traynor for the lack of security. He said that the club would be interested in moving back to the stadium but that the vandalism was making that option more difficult and expensive.  In December 2008 the Council finally purchased the ground from the liquidators.
  On 15 December 2009, the Council announced that it had decided to invest money in a new facility rather than regenerate the stadium.
  On 13 March 2010 Scarborough Council stated it was about to discuss demolition work at the stadium. Further discussions took place in April 2011 and on 13 April 2011 the Council voted to demolish the stadium. It was also revealed that Featherstone Rovers RLFC had agreed to purchase the East and West stands and undertake the demolition works that the council required for nil cost.
  On 19 September 2011 bulldozers finally moved in to begin the demolition of the ground  completing in late November 2011.
  On 13 August 2015 Scarborough Borough Council granted planning permission for a Lidl supermarket to be built on the by now flattened site. It opened its doors on 16 February 2017.
caption: Rubbish littering the boarded up and deserted stadium
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