page_title: Fulfordgate
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Fulfordgate / History
caption_attribution_description: English: An Ordnance Survey map from 1931 showing Fulfordgate, former home ground of York City F.C. The road running east-west near the top of the map is Heslington Lane.
context_page_description: Fulfordgate was an association football ground in Fulford, York, England, and was the home of York City Football Club from 1922 to 1932. The ground was located next to Heslington Lane, and was purchased by York for £2,000 following their formation in 1922.
  The club's first two home matches were played at another venue as Fulfordgate was not ready, and the ground hosted its first match against Mansfield Town in September 1922. The highest attendance at the ground was 12,721, which came against Sheffield United in an FA Cup match in 1931. York decided to move to Bootham Crescent, which had been vacated by York Cricket Club in 1932, as Fulfordgate was relatively inaccessible. The ground was sold and developed as a housing estate, and Eastward Avenue now lies at its former location.
context_section_description: Following York City F.C.'s formation in 1922, the club purchased 8 acres (3.2 ha) of land for £2,000 in Heslington Lane, Fulford, York. This was in the south-east of the city in a rural setting, which was surrounded by hawthorn hedges and was well drained. The land was known as Gate Fulford, which was reversed to become known as Fulfordgate. As the ground was not ready, York played their first two home matches at Mille Crux, Haxby Road, which was owned by Messrs Rowntree & Company Limited. The first match played at Fulfordgate was a 4–1 victory over Mansfield Town on 20 September 1922, which only went ahead after director John Fisher paid the requisite deposit of £180. When York applied for election into the Football League in 1927, they stated that Fulfordgate was "splendidly drained, well equipped, spacious and capable of being extended to hold up to 40,000 spectators". By the time of the club's admission into the Football League in 1929, the ground was estimated hold a capacity of 17,000. When York set their then-record attendance of 12,583 against Newcastle United in an FA Cup third round replay on 15 January 1930, approximately 4,000 supporters had to be turned away as the gates were closed an hour before kick-off. York finished the 1929–30 season with an average attendance of 5,247, higher than 17 other Third Division North clubs.
  Concern was expressed at York's poor support towards the end of their third season in the Football League, and director G. W. Halliday believed the only solution was a change of ground. A major problem was the ground's relatively inaccessible location, and in early 1932, York held preliminary discussions about moving to Bootham Crescent, which had been vacated by York Cricket Club. A special meeting of the shareholders was held, in which chairman Arthur Brown drew attention to gate receipts figures in Fulfordgate's three Football League seasons, which represented average crowds of 4,000 and a deficit on the balance sheet. It was pointed out by Halliday that within one mile (1.6 km) of Bootham Crescent the population was 30,000, whereas it was only 3,000 for a similar radius of Fulfordgate. The directors were satisfied that the new ground would fulfil all requirements, although there was some opposition to the move. Two former directors argued that attendances at many grounds had fallen during the Great Depression, and that the approaches and surrounds to Bootham Crescent were limited. Following much discussion, the decision to move to lease Bootham Crescent was approved by 115 votes to 37, and Fulfordgate was sold and developed as a housing estate. Today, Eastward Avenue occupies the area where the ground once stood.
caption: The ground and surrounding area, as displayed on a 1931 Ordnance Survey map
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