<\/p>\n

Key facts<\/h3>\n

Club: Derby County FC | Opening: 1997 | Capacity: 33,597 seats<\/p>\n

History and description<\/h3>\n

The iPro Stadium, previously known as Pride Park Stadium, replaced Derby’s old Baseball Ground<\/a>, which Derby left after further renovations to turn it into an all-seater turned out to be impractical.<\/p>\n

First plans for a move away from the Baseball Ground were made in the early 1990s, but it took several unsuccessful attempts before the club found a suitable site for a new stadium.\u00a0Construction of Pride Park Stadium finally started in 1996, and it took just one year for the stadium to be completed.<\/p>\n

Pride Park Stadium was officially opened on 18 July 1997 by Queen Elizabeth II. The first match was played about two weeks later when Italian side Sampdoria visited the stadium for a friendly. Vincenzo Montella scored the first goal at the stadium, and the only one during the match.<\/p>\n

In later years, a few thousand additional seats were added to the stadium, resulting in its current capacity.<\/p>\n

In 2006, Derby announced plans to expand the stadium with another 10,000 seats, though contingent on Derby staying in the Premier League. The relegation of the club following their first season in the Premier League ended\u00a0these plans.<\/p>\n

Pride Park Stadium got renamed iPro Stadium in December 2013 following a sponsorship deal, but got name back Pride Park Stadium in 2016.<\/p>\n

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