Rovers reveal new stadium plans

Bristol Rovers have announced plans to move to a new 20,000-seater stadium and will sell their current ground to fund the venue.

The League One club will sell the Memorial Stadium to help fund the building of a £40million arena on land acquired from the University of the West of England, subject to planning permission. Work on the project could start as early as next year with Rovers aiming to be playing in the new stadium during the 2013/14 season. Bristol Rugby Club, who currently share the Memorial Stadium, will also be invited to play in the new ground. Rovers chairman Nick Higgs said: "We have looked at several sites in Bristol and south Gloucestershire, but we felt this one ticked all the boxes to allow us to build the best possible stadium for Bristol Rovers. "This is what the club have been striving towards for many years - to have the finances in place to construct a purpose-built stadium to help the club get moving in the right direction."