Swindon Town rename the County Ground after Nigel Eady

Following the purchase of the County Ground in March 2023 in a Joint Venture partnership with the supporters' trust using funds from the Nigel Eady Trust, Swindon have revealed they have chosen to honour his legacy by renaming the stadium after him.

Eady was a lifelong Swindon fan who passed away in January 2012, leaving Swindon a considerable amount of money to be used for the long-term benefit of the football club and local community and the ground will be officially known as the Nigel Eady County Ground until the end of the 2024/25 season as a mark of respect.

Clem Morfuni and Anthony Hall said in a club statement following the announcement: “We are delighted to announce that we are naming the County Ground the Nigel Eady County Ground Stadium for the 2024/25 Season.

Nigel Eady (Image: Newsquest)

“We thank Nigel Eady for his generosity which has led to the purchase of the County Ground for the Club and the Supporters and the creation of the JV which is a fitting tribute to Nigel’s legacy and huge first step towards the redevelopment of the County Ground.”

The funds from The Nigel Eady Trust helped Swindon to become the first club to own its own ground in concert with its supporters and helped to create a platform for the improved sustainability and prosperity of the club moving forward, with the JV currently working on redevelopment plans.

Rob Carter and Jez Webb, Trustees of the Nigel Eady Trust said: “For the trustees of Nigel’s estate, the naming of the ground in his honour for the coming season is a fitting tribute to his generosity.

“As well as the purchase of the ground The Eady Trust were also able to make a significant contribution to the development at Foundation Park and the Nigel Eady Training Centre.

“The purchase of the ground was the culmination of 10 years of work for The Eady Trustees. The majority of the work required to move Nigel’s estate to a position where the purchase was possible fell to his two great friends Gary Herbert and John Carter.

“At this proud moment we would like to pay special tribute to John and Gary for the many hours of work they put into making the ground purchase possible.

“Our thanks go to the Club for making this naming a possibility. Nigel would have been delighted!”

TrustSTFC Vice Chair James Phipps added: “Having seen the determination from the Eady Trustees over several years to make sure Nigel’s funds were used for a suitable legacy.

“We are delighted to have been able to work with the Club and the Trustees for this fitting tribute after the Stadium purchase and we remain eternally grateful for the funds provided to purchase the County Ground.

“We would like to thank the Club for this gesture and hope it is a good luck charm for the season ahead!”