Club Profile
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers are a friendly little club in a goofy stadium in a very cool city.
LOCATION: Bristol, just under two hours southwest of London’s Paddington station
CONTACT: bristolrovers.co.uk, 0117 9096648, #BRFC
NICKNAMES: You might think it’s Rovers, but that’s part of their actual name. No, they are The Gas because their old stadium was near a gasworks that had quite the odor. Bristol City fans made fun of them for it, but being English, they took the insult as a matter of pride and carried on. So you get to hear “gasheads” yell, “Come on, The Gas!” They are also called the Pirates, and that’s the character you’ll see walking around the ground.
History
The club was founded in 1883, joined the Football League in 1920, and has never made the top flight of English football. The best they ever did was finish sixth in the Second Division twice in the 1950s. Those were basically the glory years; they also twice made the quarterfinals of the FA Cup in that decade, the furthest they’ve ever gotten. They haven’t even been in the second tier (now called the Championship) since the early 1990s.
In 2002 playing in the fourth tier, they won an FA Cup game away to Derby County, which was then in the Premier League—the first time anybody had done that from the fourth tier. In 2008 they made the FA Cup quarterfinals again, getting a home game with West Bromwich Albion. Bristol Rovers lost, but they set the stadium attendance record at 12,011. They bottomed out in 2014, getting relegated out of the Football League for the first time. They bounced back in style, earning promotion to League Two after one. The very next year, they made League One with an injury-time winner at home on the last day.
In 2022, however, they supplied one of the great final-day miracles in years. They started the day fourth in League Two, tied on points with Northampton Town but behind by four on goal differential. Third place automatically goes up, and fourth goes into the playoffs. Northampton won their game, 3-1, but remarkably, Rovers walloped already-relegated Scunthorpe, 7-0, to overtake Northampton on goal differential and earn automatic promotion. Poor Northampton started the day in third, won their game, but dropped into the playoffs and promptly lost there.
Alas, Rovers are back in League Two for this season after finishing 22nd in League One.
2024–25 SEASON: 22nd in League One (relegated), 3rd Round FA Cup, 1st Round League Cup
2025–26 SEASON: League Two (relegated in 2025)
Rivalries
Bristol City are rivals, of course, but they rarely play. They haven’t been in the same league since 2001, and since then they have played just four times, in the minor League Trophy. They hate their West Country neighbors like Swindon Town, Plymouth Argyle, Exeter City, and Yeovil Town. They also don’t like nearby Cardiff, but they hardly ever play them either.
Women's Team
The current version of Bristol Rovers Women’s FC (the Gas Girls) was formed in 2019 and are off to an excellent start. They won several promotions and are currently in the 4th tier of women’s football Home games are at Memorial Stadium.
Songs
Their anthem is “Goodnight, Irene.” Apparently this started in the 1950s, when they sang it to taunt Plymouth Argyle fans who were leaving early because they were getting whipped. It stuck and is still their signature today. It’s really something to hear a bunch of English people singing a mournful song by a Louisianan named Lead Belly that mentions suicide, supposedly to inspire their team. But they give it a proper go.
Stadium
Rovers play in the 12,300-seat Memorial Stadium, an odd place that was originally built for rugby. One stand doesn’t stretch the length of the field, another is only partially covered, and another is narrow but quite tall. It’s near Gloucester Road with lots of shops and has a super friendly vibe. Another oddity: this piece of land was originally called Buffalo Bill’s Field because Bill played there in 1891.
TOURS: No tours are available at this stadium.
Going to a Game at Bristol Rovers
GETTING THERE: It’s a bit far from the center—a little over three miles from the main train station, Temple Meads. The closest station to it is still a half-hour walk. So take a cab or bus 73, which goes right along Gloucester Road.
PUBS: There is one at the stadium, but there are better ones along Gloucester Road. The Wellington is hopping on game days. Also in the area are two pubs listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide: The Annexe Inn on Seymour Road and The Drapers Arms on Gloucester.
GRUB: There’s a decent chippy on Gloucester Road called Bishopston Fish Bar. There are plenty of other places to check out along that road.
AROUND TOWN: Paul lived for years in Portland, Oregon, home of bearded hipsters and artisan this and sustainable that, and the first Bristolian he ever met (that’s actually what they’re called) said that Bristol is the Portland of England. Within minutes of arrival, this was confirmed by the sight of a guy playing bagpipes in front of a food cart selling pickles. Bristol is young and hip and becoming a hot city. Living there is said to be nearly as expensive as London.
It’s a pretty easy day trip from London, but is also only 12 miles from Bath, where many tourists go. In town, take a boat tour of the historic harbor with Bristol Packet Boat Trips. Also check out the beautiful and historic train station, walk around the downtown, walk up to (and across) the amazing Clifton suspension bridge, and go up Cabot Tower in Brandon Hill Nature Park.
You may have also heard of Banksy, a famous and anonymous street artist. Bristol is where Banksy started, and the visitor center down at Harbourside can give you a map for a self-guided walking tour of some of the famous works around town. In fact, street art remains a big thing in Bristol, which gives artists free rein to create in designated places. Check out Stokes Croft Road, Nelson Street, and the Dean Lane skatepark for examples.
Bristol Rovers Tickets
Tickets range from £16 to £26, with the rare option of putting down cash at the turnstile.
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