The Rugby Groud Guide

Exeter Chiefs - The Basics

 

City: Exeter

Country: England

Club: Exeter Chiefs

Nickname: The Chiefs

 Founded: 1871

 

Ground Opened: 2006

 Stadium Name: Sandy Park

Stadium Address:

Sandy Park Way

 Exeter

 Devon

 EX2 7NN

 Telephone: 01392 890890

 Fax: 01392 890888

 Capacity: 12,600

 

 Club Web Site:

www.exeterchiefs.co.uk

E-Mail:

 info@exeterchiefs.co.uk

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/ExeterChiefs

Twitter:

@ExeterChiefs

 

Home Colours: Black and White

 Change Colours: White and Blue

 League (2016/17): Aviva Premiership

For Fixtures  go to....

www.exeterchiefs.co.uk

www.premiershiprugby.com

www.scrumdown.org.uk

 

 

Exeter Chiefs: An Introduction

 

Walk along the front of a packed east terrace at Sandy Park before kick-off, asking Exeter chiefs fans to predict the day’s result and I challenge you to find one who doesn’t believe their team will win.

Self-belief is something this West Country club has in bucket loads and its been a major factor in their success over the years. The Chiefs battled their way into National One in 1997 but made no secret of their ambition to join the top flight, a feat they achieved for the first time 13 years later. For some years, the Chiefs were near to topping the second division and were starting to be labelled “the nearly men”, but a move from the County Ground to Sandy Park in 2006 inspired an increase in impetus at the right time. They beat Bristol in a home-and-away play-off at the end of the 2009/10- season to win the Championship, and are now are living out their dream of rubbing shoulders with the best teams in the country.

 

Head coach Rob Baxter is one of the club’s most loyal and long-standing servants. Now in his eigth  coaching year, he played for the Chiefs for 14 years, captaining the side for ten, and has seen the club through many highs and lows. He can remember the days when they would be beaten by local Devon teams at the County  Ground, and winning a Devon Cup final seemed like the be-all and end-all.

Rob’s brother Richie  made his debut in 1997, and says its important for new players to appreciate where the club has come from. On the wall outside the changing room is a photo of every first team to have worn an Exeter shirt and a centenary board honouring players who have made over 100 appearances for the club.

These were all features of the County  Ground that survived the move, and now take pride of place inside the plush new stadium. The County Ground was graced by the first All Blacks side to tour England, and Australia have also played on the old hallowed turf, and it was important that this piece of history wasn’t discarded.

The Chiefs have developed schemes to help their fans travel to the games, and the Jurassic Coast bus service picks up fans in nearby towns from Seaton to Topsham and takes them to and from matches. Fans are sucked in by the tribal atmosphere. Club mascot Big Chief gets the crowd going before kick-off from the centre of the pitch, and when they get into their tomahawk chant it must be heard on the other side of the city. However, silence falls when a kicker is about to take a shot at goal, and anyone who breaks this etiquette is likely to get a stern ticking-off from their neighbours. The team thrives on their vocal supporters, and average attendances are just under 9,000 a game.

 

Exeter chief executive Tony Rowe is already looking to the future with talk of expanding Sandy Park stadium to over 20,000 within the next five years, as well as floating a part of the club into a PLC company.

With the advent of the professional era, it was decided to re-locate from the historic home of the County Ground, which in 2005 had hosted the New Zealand All Black’s ever game in England, to a new, purpose-built stadium.

The club moved into the current facilities at Sandy Park in September 2006, at a cost of £15m. A crucial element in the planning of Sandy Park was to create not only a modern sporting stadium, but to combine that with a conference and function venue for the region. This contributes to both the playing side of the club, and to future phases of its physical development.

 

 

 

Last Updated July  2016

 

 

Copyright Miles & Miles Publishing 2016

 

 

Too much of a Good Thing? (Tue, 26 Nov 2019)
Is it just us, or is there just a little too much rugby at the moment? You couldn’t fault the World Cup or the action, but to get into the European Cup two weeks later feels just a little bit more of a burden than it should do. And then, having forgotten about it because … Continue reading Too much of a Good Thing?
>> Read more

Saracens in the Dock (Tue, 12 Nov 2019)
Just imagine for a moment what the last 10 days have been like if you are one of Saracen’s England players…You lose a World Cup Final, have to endure a long, tedious flight back to England, where, instead of an open-topped bus parade through London, you are met with the news that your club has … Continue reading Saracens in the Dock
>> Read more

The Championship Starts (Tue, 15 Oct 2019)
Greene King Championship London Scottish (13) v Newcastle Falcons (17) The Athletic Ground Saturday October 12,2019 The 2019/20 Greene King Championship season kicked off this weekend, though you would have been forgiven for not noticing. Probably something to do with a World Cup taking place on the other side of the world. Nevertheless, over a … Continue reading The Championship Starts
>> Read more

Premiership Rugby Cup (Tue, 24 Sep 2019)
There is a small matter of a World Cup taking place at the moment. It kicked off last Friday (September 20) and will dominate coverage of the sport for the next six weeks. As a consequence, the English domestic season, which normally starts at the beginning of September, was put back. The Gallagher Premiership has … Continue reading Premiership Rugby Cup
>> Read more

Rugby’s heavyweights ensure World Cup will garner Japan only fleeting prestige (Tue, 03 Sep 2019)
Rugby union is turning Japanese, but not for long. Once the World Cup is presented in Yokohama on 2 November and the bunting is swept up the hosts, like the other tier-two and -three nations making up the numbers, will slip back into relative obscurity for the next four years. Some will emerge briefly for … Continue reading Rugby’s heavyweights ensure World Cup will garner Japan only fleeting prestige
>> Read more

Print | Sitemap
© Miles and Miles Publishing

This website was created using IONOS MyWebsite.