Back in 2002 we printed the answers to a list of the most Frequently Asked Questions surrounding Bristol Rovers.
We thought it was now time to refresh that list a bit, so here is the first in a series of updated questions and answers.
If you have a question for the Rovers FAQ that needs answering, then e-mail us at feedback@bristolrovers.co.uk.
1. Why were Rovers originally called Black Arabs, and why did they change their name?
Bristol Rovers were formed, as the Black Arabs, in September 1883, following a meeting of five young schoolmasters at the Eastville Restaurant on Stapleton Road, in the Eastville district of the city.
The name of the club was derived from the black shirts with a gold sash worn by the players and a rugby club known as the Arabs, who played on an adjacent pitch, at Purdown, in East Bristol.
The Black Arabs played their first match, a friendly fixture, on 1st December 1883 and played a further nine games during their first season, during which time they assumed the nickname of 'The Purdown Poachers'.
In 1983 they payed a friendly match against their very first opponents Wotton and wore a replica of that kit.
2. Why did Rovers move from Eastville?
The club played at five different venues before purchasing Eastville Stadium in 1897, and then in 1932, the directors of the club granted a 21-year lease to the Bristol Greyhound Racing Association to operate race meetings twice a week at the stadium.
By March 1940, the club found themselves in a precarious financial position and Eastville was sold to the greyhound company for £12,000, even though its valuation was nearer £20,000. It was a decision that, with the benefit of hindsight, cost the club dearly.
In 1980, the South Stand at the ground was destroyed by fire and as a result the Club lost many records and in many ways its spiritual base.
The financial situation with the Greyhound Company was extremely complex and the two organisations eventually went to the High Court before a resolution was achieved.
It was this decision that virtually forced Rovers' hand, there can be little doubt that the commercial value of the Eastville site was way beyond anything that Rovers could ever afford. It made that decision by the Board, to sale the ground to the Greyhound Company in 1940, look such a poor one.
In May 1986, faced with mounting debts and an increase in the rental for Eastville, Rovers moved to Bath to share Twerton Park with Bath City.
It saved Rovers an annual cost of £30,000 a year plus expenses. During ten years in exile, the club worked desperately hard to find a new site for a ground back in Bristol, without success.
It was eventually a ground sharing scheme with Bristol Rugby Club that brought Rovers right back to their heartland in North Bristol, just a few miles up Muller Road from Eastville.
