History was made on Tuesday 26 January 1992 when chairman Ray Crofts, manager Harry McNally and City supporter Les Parry took part in the turf-cutting ceremony at Bumpers Lane. It was a race against time for Morrison Shand Construction who had pledged to have the stadium ready in time for the start of the 1992/93 season.

The ceremony marked the end of months of worried speculation for City fans and many made a weekly pilgrimage down Bumpers Lane to inspect progress. Despite the tight deadlines the ground was ready in time for the opening fixture against Stockport County on Tuesday 25 August in the Coca Cola Cup. The visitors duly spoiled the party, running out 2-1 winners but days later on 5 September the first Football League game at Deva Stadium was a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Burnley.

Deva Stadium was the first ground to be built that incorporated all the features required by the Taylor Report. These included disabled spaces on both sides of the ground, automatic turnstiles and exits as well as all other safety features needed to meet the Taylor Report requirements.

The total capacity of the ground is 6,012 with seating for 3,400 all of which are fully covered. The name Deva originates from the Roman word for Chester and was selected following a competition run by the club.

The Deva Stadium construction included:

• 6,500 tons of ready mixed concrete.
• 52,000 concrete blocks
• 48,000 bricks
• 4,500m² cladding
• 2,000 litres of paint
• 40 miles of cable
• 100 electric sockets
• 550 light fittings
• 171 doors
• 1,5 miles of drainage pipes
• 16 standards timber
• 4.5 tons of nails and screws

GROUND EXPANSION CONTINUES
Following the impressive refurbishment of the Deva Stadium ground in the last 12 months, chairman Stephen Vaughan has talked about further ground developments planned to improve the Deva Stadium facilities even further.

There are plans for five executive boxes in the West stand at the ground, with possibly two more in the main east stand. There is also the possible expansion of/or new, supporters club. “We’re severely restricted in being able to offer fans somewhere to have a drink before or after the game. There are no pubs near the ground either. The danger was they’d set out for the ground, have a couple of pints in the city centre, get comfy in front of the TV and not move.” Vaughan stated that he’d had talks with a brewery regarding a multi-purpose club room catering for up to 400 people (a new club or expansion of the existing isn’t specified). “If the brewery want to join us, fine. If not, we’ll go ahead with the £1m development ourselves. Our fans deserve it. I’m also hoping to receive permission to build bar facilities behind both the North and South Terrace Stands. We may not get permission before Christmas, but I intend to continue to improve the ground. The club has got a good relationship with both the guarantor and Chester City Council.”

A section of he West stand was closed at the start of the season as building work is currently taking place for the executive boxes boxes.

• Supporters Buy-A-Brick scheme