Rounders End

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Lore & Background

The name 'Rounders End' has no basis in reality—it is not a stand at Elland Road or St Mary's Stadium. There are no historic rounders pitches associated with either ground, and the name does not reflect any actual local heritage or community tradition. The story of families gathering on rounders fields before the stadium was built is entirely fabricated.

In Their Own Story

After retiring from playing, Bates became a coach at Southampton in May 1953, advancing to manager in September 1955, taking over from George Roughton. Southampton were in the regional Third Division South when he took over. They were promoted to the national Second Division in 1959 when they finished as champions of the Third Division with Derek Reeves scoring 39 league goals, a club record. Southampton were promoted to the First Division in 1966. Under his management, the team maintained their First Division status, developing young players such as Mick Channon and Ron Davies, and qualifying for European football in 1969 and 1971. Bates decided to step down as manager in December 1973 and was replaced by Lawrie McMenemy. He was manager for 18 years, a record for the club. Bates acted as McMenemy's assistant for the next few years, which included Southampton's historic FA Cup victory in 1976. Bates was the first person to congratulate McMenemy and the players as the final whistle was blown at Wembley. He then joined the Saints' board, serving as a director for another 20 years before being appointed the club's president. He received the freedom of the city of Southampton in 1998 and was honoured with the MBE in the 2001 New Year Honours for services to Southampton Football Club.

Reader's Guide

Bates' death in November 2003 was widely commemorated by the club and supporters' community. The first game after his death was the home match against Portsmouth in the League Cup, the first derby between the two local rivals since an FA Cup match at The Dell in 1996. A minute's silence in Bates' memory barely lasted 30 seconds after jeers and boos from fans in the away end. Those who booed and jeered were widely criticised by the media and by fellow Portsmouth fans. In 2004, the Ted Bates Trophy was inaugurated with a match against Bayern Munich, an annual friendly match held in Bates' honour by Southampton. A statue of Bates was unveiled outside the main entrance to St Mary's Stadium on 17 March 2007. The statue cost approximately £112,000, half raised by fans via the Ted Bates Trust and the other half met by Southampton Football Club. The statue was widely criticised by supporters just hours after its uncovering, for having "tiny" arms and bearing a closer likeness to former Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandarić than Bates, so the club pledged to organise a replacement. The replacement statue, by sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn, was unveiled on Saturday 22 March 2008. In January 2022, Southampton told victims of historical sexual abuse that they were considering taking down the statue after accusations Bates ignored complaints about former youth coach Bob Higgins. In May 2022, Southampton confirmed they would not remove the statue of Bates.

Did You Know?

• The Rounders End is not a real stand at St Mary's Stadium or Elland Road; the name appears to be invented.
• No fan vote or naming process for a 'Rounders End' ever took place at Southampton F.C. or Leeds United.
• There were no rounders fields adjacent to St Mary's Stadium or Elland Road before construction.
• The capacity figure of 6,500 is meaningless as the stand does not exist.
• The stand has no connection to rounders or any other sport because it is not a real structure.